Not For Profit, Not For Cheap: California Nonprofit Workers Fight for Fair Pay

Fund the People: A Podcast with Rusty Stahl

In this illuminating episode of the Fund The People podcast, Geoff Green, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), provides a masterclass on the economic and political power of California's nonprofit sector. Green explains how nonprofits, as the fourth-largest employer in California with 1.2 million workers, are often tasked with addressing the "externalized costs" of both business and government - from poverty wages to environmental degradation - yet are chronically underfunded and undervalued in policy discussions.

The conversation delves into the critical challenges facing nonprofit workers, including delayed government payments, inadequate overhead rates, and the fact that 22% of nonprofit workers struggle to make ends meet. Green discusses CalNonprofits' legislative efforts to reform government contracting and shares a promising new Los Angeles initiative that ensures wage equity across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He emphasizes that for every $20 of public expenditure, there is only $1 of charitable funding - highlighting why nonprofits must build political power to influence how public dollars are spent rather than simply providing services on the cheap.

Key Points:

Learn why nonprofits are California's fourth-largest employer and how they're transforming their economic power into political influence

Discover why "working on the cheap" hurts both nonprofit workers and the communities they serve

Get an insider's perspective on recent legislative wins and ongoing battles to reform government contracting with nonprofits

Understand the complex relationship between labor unions and nonprofits, and innovative solutions for wage equity across sectors

Hear about new research showing how Trump-era tax changes resulted in $20 billion less in charitable giving, and what this means for the sector