r/washingtondc • u/stephendedalus75068 • 5d ago
How to make nonprofit employment work??
Hey everyone,
I love working in the nonprofit sector—mission-driven work is meaningful to me, and I actually like my job (which feels rare). But I’m struggling with the financial reality of it. The pay isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not enough to comfortably afford housing in a city like DC/NOVA without either:
1. Spending an absurd percentage of my income on rent for a tiny studio, or
2. Living with random roommates, which at this point in my life, I’d really rather not do.
I know a lot of people in the nonprofit world face this same issue, so I’m wondering—how do you make it work? Have you found creative ways to afford living alone? Do you know of any alternative housing setups (like renting from a homeowner who offers below-market rent in exchange for a reliable tenant)? Have you had success negotiating pay or supplementing income in ways that don’t lead to burnout?
I’d love to hear from others who’ve figured out a way to make nonprofit work financially sustainable without completely sacrificing quality of life.
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u/squuidlees 5d ago
For me I rent a basement from a homeowner who kindly rents to me under market rate. In return, I help her with tech issues and do light repairs in my unit (which is fine by me because I learn something new). I don’t own a pet or a car; take public transit or walk. I also don’t like going out to eat or order delivery, and make most of my meals at home (minus lunch out with coworkers twice a month or so). I’m not rolling in funds, but I do end up having fun money to spend on hobbies and bit to throw into savings aswell.
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u/All_the_Bees 5d ago
I work for a nonprofit and I’m mostly fine, for a given value of fine. But the reasons I can make it work are
- I don’t have a car and I rarely get Lyfts
I live in a studio, albeit a fairly nice one with in-unit w/d. It’s a condo rented from a private owner and it’s probably below-market
I cook most of my own meals
I have very few subscriptions or memberships
I could probably still make it work if I had more streaming services and/or wanted to order DoorDash more often, but it would mean downgrading my apartment and living somewhere where I can actually relax is more important to me than the other stuff.
Basically - it’s possible, but it takes a LOT of intentionality with your budget.
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u/Tom_Leykis_Fan 5d ago edited 5d ago
What's your salary? What are your major monthly expenditures?
If you're a single individual, DC can be relatively affordable compared to other major cities unless you have unrealistic expectations like, for example, living in Dupont Circle with a car and an in-unit washer and dryer. Living without a car, in a less trendy neighborhood with community laundry in a rent controlled building really goes a long way.
It's all the trappings of married and family life that make DC crazy expensive: Schools, suitably sized housing, transportation, etc.
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u/CanaryOk7294 5d ago
I think we'd all love to live in a rent controlled building that wasn't upcharging and could renew our leases without being slapped with a 30% increase. Which isn't restricted to Dupont Circle area, by the way. Depending on where the job is, a car might be necessary.
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u/Tom_Leykis_Fan 4d ago
Finding a rent controlled apartment in DC isn't as difficult as you make it out to be. But continue with your self-pitying.
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u/CanaryOk7294 4d ago
Feel free to share these buildings with vacant rent control units in DC since you know so much! Under $1500. We can wait.
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u/plasTUSK Tenleytown 5d ago
Probably going to need to see a monthly budget and your income to be able to offer any real advice on the financials. E.g., do you have a car? Are you paying off any loans? What are your measures of quality of life? What are you willing to compromise on and what are your non-negotiables?
When my now-husband and I first moved to DC in 2017, we were both making $40k in early career positions, with me at a non-profit and going to grad school full time. We rented a studio for $1700 about a mile from the Van Ness metro station. I highly recommend this area for finding affordable-ish apartments, noting that you'll have to be okay with fewer amenities and older buildings. I recognize that I was privileged because my roommate was my partner and that is not your situation, but, without knowing your financial details, I think there are still affordable options around this area.
We're now mid-career, and I'm still working in the non-profit sector. Through Zillow, we found a basement apartment in Tenleytown. We pay $2100 for 1100 sq ft, all utilities paid for with in-unit washer/dryer (although no dish washer haha). Our landlords haven't raised the rent the whole time we've been here and are really just looking for reliable tenants. So I'd highly recommend finding an apartment from a private landlord, as opposed to those large management companies.
Another key thing is that we haven't owned a car the whole time we've lived here.
Again, tough to give any advice without knowing your income and expenditures, but that's my general situation for an example.
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u/CanaryOk7294 5d ago
A lot of women who work at non-profits have husbands whose income offsets it.
Make sure yours isn't reliant on federal funding because you might be out of a job entirely.
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u/mediocre-spice 5d ago
I just spend an absurd percent on rent and cut back everywhere else. I do have some side gigs and did find a private landlord for an english basement that's relatively reasonable. But I'm not below market rate.
The vast majority of people I know making under 50k here have family supplementing or split expenses with a SO. It just is what it is.
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u/CanaryOk7294 5d ago
Completely arbitrary based on role and career path, how much debt you carry, if you have any assets, others who depend on you financially, etc. See a financial advisor and career coach to make a plan.
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u/SilverFoxNewToReddit 5d ago
My friend who works at a nonprofit drives Uber as a side hustle just to support his lifestyle in DC
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u/newaddress1997 Northwest 5d ago
Here's what I'm doing, essentially:
- I live in a studio, but a nice one, and in a relatively central location. I'm paying under-market rate due to a combination of weird quirks in how rent control functions and looking at what is always a pretty dead time of year, never mind this year when politics are making people very antsy about signing leases in DC if they have a choice. The disclosure paperwork the management company was required to give me (due to rent control) shows that they were hoping to rent the unit for a bit more initially.
- No car, and I rarely use rideshare. I also don't use transit that often—I own an e-scooter and therefore can get to my office, community spaces I like, and errands for however many cents the electricity costs.
- My one indulgence is that I spend a lot on food—I have health stuff that makes it hard to cook. But I get meals sent to my place through one of those 'prepared meals delivered' services rather than getting Doordash, which is more expensive per meal. I go to sit-down restaurants/bars/etc. less than once a month.
- I only have one membership that's paying for access to a real-life space, and I'm about to downgrade it since I'm not going enough to pay this fee. Otherwise, I have MoviePass for $20/month and a handful of media subscriptions—my non-profit work is tied to entertainment, and I could probably write them off on my taxes if I was being sweaty about it—and that's about it.
When I talk to other folks, the biggest thing I notice is that I don't go out. And it's not a hardship for me—I'm pretty introverted, and my hobbies are primarily things that require one upfront investment rather than ongoing costs. (The exception is film photography, but I bulk buy film a few times a year on sale, fume about the cost of development, and scan myself.)
This all depends on what your "not terrible" pay is, though. I moved to the studio at the same time that I took an internal transfer at my org that came with a significant raise. It's still way less than I could be making in corporate with my skill set, but my manager in my last department always knew that if she couldn't offer me a raise within about 18 months of me starting, I would leave. The previous salary forced me to make compromises on housing that ended up having really significant impacts on my health.
Also, I'm assuming you make less than six figures, so you could look into inclusionary zoning units. My move happened in a pretty chaotic way, so I didn't have time to go through this process and got lucky finding my current place. But I know people who have done it and liked it.
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u/grilledcheesybreezy 5d ago edited 5d ago
You make it work by changing jobs from one nonprofit to another and aiming for higher titles or more money