Legacy professionals feel undervalued by non-profit organisations, with lower salaries for women, survey finds
Melanie May | 5 January 2018 | News
Legacy professionals in the non-profit sector still feel that both they, and legacy income, are undervalued by organisations, with women still paid less than men according to a survey carried out by TPP Recruitment on behalf of the Institute of Legacy Management.
The Institute of Legacy Management‘s survey showed that there had been some increases in salary and investment in growing teams over the last year, but that those questioned would like to see a greater appreciation of both legacy income and of themselves. The report shows a slight increase seen in those feeling that legacy administration/ fundraising is still not recognised or appreciated for the level of skill and reasonability needed for these roles.
The survey found the average salary for a legacy administrator in the non-profit sector is £24,351, rising to £45,177 for Head of Legacies. The majority of legacy professionals (64%) said they felt salaries had stayed the same over the last year, and one quarter (25%) said they had increased a little.
However there is still a discrepancy between salaries for men and women, as well as full and part-time staff. Men are paid 18% more than women, according to the report, while part-time workers earn 9.5% less than full-time employees.
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About a third of respondents (35%) also saw an increase in their team’s size in the last year, while 58% said their team size had remained the same.
Chris Millward, Chief Executive of the Institute of Legacy Management, said:
“The number of legacy professionals who commented that they felt undervalued adds to the conversation about the need for charities to attract, retain and develop these vital employees. This is particularly important in the face of an ever increasing number of legacy gifts. Now, more than ever, charities need people who know what they’re doing and can do it well.”
The survey also found that legacy professionals cite training and development, and a desire for more responsibility, as key reasons for looking for a new job. In comparison, it states, for fundraisers, training and development was selected as the least effective motivator for looking for a new job, whereas for legacy professionals it was the fourth biggest motivator.
Millward commented:
“This suggests a lack of career progression and opportunity for development could result in worrying retention issues for some charities.
“For all these reasons, the value of the profession needs to be recognised more widely. At the Institute of Legacy Management we will be developing a new framework for training for our members, to ensure we are supporting legacy professionals and their organisations in the most appropriate way.”
As such, the Institute of Legacy Management has introduced new courses to its 2018 training calendar to strengthen development opportunities for legacy professionals.
The full report is available for download.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.