After years in sales, I'm drawn to environmental advocacy. Is a pay cut inevitable?

3 comments

3 Comments

Look at the budget sheet for any local watershed nonprofit. The development director role, which is basically their head salesperson, might max out at 70k. That's often half of what a decent tech or pharmaceutical sales rep pulls in. The money just isn't in the system, no matter how good you are at pitching. Passionate fields have a line of people willing to work for less, so salaries stay low.

parkerw141mo ago

Is a pay cut really set in stone? Your sales background could help you get good pay in advocacy lol.

the_riley1mo ago

That idea about sales background helping in advocacy is spot on. In my experience, knowing how to pitch and persuade can land you higher paying roles in non-profits or lobbying. So why would a pay cut be set in stone, right?