Community Connect

ISSUE 6 • MARCH 2009

E-news from Family and Community Services

Welcome to the sixth edition of Family and Community Services' e-newsletter. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to tell us your stories, please email us on enews@facs.govt.nz.

» Download Community Connect Issue 6 - PDF - 120kb

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Issue Six - March 2009:

Te Anau Heartlands has immigration success

PAFT makes a difference

MSD computers put to good use in Cook Islands

Results Based Accountability reaps rewards in Hawkes Bay

Fund supports innovative positive parenting

Franklin Family Support opening a new office

Community Link Approach Builds on Heartland Services

Community Action Fund Round Four now open

Planning for success

Twenty parent volunteers offer to become teen parent mentors

Tough guys promote love and respect

Whānau Christmas event celebrates family

DVD provides voice for teens

Not-for-profit annual pay survey helps set pay expectations

What's happening in the community

Not-for-profit annual pay survey helps set pay expectations

The annual Survey of Remuneration in the Not for Profit Sector, conducted by remuneration specialists Strategic Pay Limited, is currently underway.

The survey provides a detailed analysis of over 112 job categories providing base salary, fixed and total remuneration breakdowns by location and organisation size.

The survey helps measure the gap between pay in the not-for-profit sector and that in other employment sectors. The term "love factor" is used to identify the gap between the pay of employees in this sector and the pay of employees in the general employment market. In the 2008 survey, the love factor gap was running around 15% to 17% across the sector.   

David Shannon of Strategic Pay said, "We know pay is lower in social service organisations, but this love of the work and, often, family friendly working conditions and a better work-life balance, often help compensate for that difference. But, however nice the term "love factor" sounds, it should not be used to justify lower pay."

The survey will also help gauge the market rate for individual jobs within the 'not for profit' sector and how they compare to the wider market. Salaries account for up to 70% of a provider's total expenditure. Understanding the true extent of these costs, and how they compare to other areas of the 'not for profit' sector and wider markets will help address the salary expectations of staff, enable realistic funding bids, and provide an opportunity to compare salary data of each participating organisation to broader market data.

In recent years data from this survey has been used by the community sector to establish its own contribution to the economy. The more organisations that engage in the survey the more accurate and useful this information will be - not just for the community sector itself, but in helping the sector and government funders work together on establishing the costs and contribution of their work.

Some smaller organisations may be able to take part in this survey under their umbrella organisation. If you are a member of an umbrella organisation contact your local office.

To take part in the survey contact David Shannon from Strategic Pay at david@strategicpay.co.nz; phone 09-303-4053, fax 09-303-4048, or write to Strategic Pay, PO Box 5313, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141.