Our Workforce
The demographics of the youth-serving nonprofit workforce reflects the communities they serve—Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, Native American, and LGBTQ+ youth—who benefit the most from culturally aligned services in San Francisco
.svg)
As part of our efforts to achieve more dignified wages in the field, we partnered with Bright Research Group (BRG), to conduct original research. The following report was prepared by BRG on behalf of the Prosperity Initiative (PI). Founded in 2010 by Brightstar Ohlson, BRG is a women- and minority-owned and community-centered design, research, and capacity-building firm based in Oakland, California. This report was written by Alice Hu-Nguyen, Moira DeNike, and Brightstar Ohlson.
San Francisco's Wage Crisis in Youth-Serving Nonprofits: 2024 Report, aims to raise awareness about the low wages in the sector and how they affect the quality of services provided to youth and families. The report also offers actionable solutions for addressing the wage crisis. It outlines specific steps that three key sectors—city government, philanthropy, and nonprofits—can take to create meaningful change and improve conditions for the workforce, ultimately enhancing the services offered to San Francisco’s youth and their families.
Citation: Hu-Nguyen, A., M. DeNike, and B. Ohlson. “San Francisco Youth-Serving Nonprofit Workforce: Wage Equity Report 2024” (2024).
The demographics of the youth-serving nonprofit workforce reflects the communities they serve—Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, Native American, and LGBTQ+ youth—who benefit the most from culturally aligned services in San Francisco
Survey respondents' wages are 13% to 53% lower than their counterparts in other youth-serving Northern California nonprofits
Multiple levels of historical and systemic factors drive low wages for the youth-serving nonprofit workforce in San Francisco. At the root of the problem is a mental model that devalues women and people of color, who serve youth and families, and a belief that workers are compensated by doing“heart work.
Heart Work is a term often used to describe nonprofit work, emphasizing the emotional and compassionate nature of the job. It reflects the dedication and passion individuals bring to their roles, driven by a deep sense of purpose and care.
When wages don't reflect the cost of living, high turnover creates a revolving door of providers. In youth development, consistent adult relationships are essential for positive outcomes, but constant staff changes hinder long-term progress. Organizations waste time rebuilding trust with young people, leaving less focus on achieving meaningful impact
—City leader
Multiple levers of change must be pulled to address the deeply rooted, historical issues of underfunding and undervaluing nonprofits and their workers. All key actors - city government, philanthropy, and nonprofits - have a role to play.
San Francisco should implement citywide policies and practices that strengthen the financial sustainability of nonprofirs and comprehensively increase wages for all nonprofit workers. Our city government needs to:
1. Address unintended consequences of existing well-intentioned policy
2. Provide sufficient budget allocations that cover the true cost of services
3. Create universal contracting practices across city agencies based on best practices
4. Continue to convene and collaborate with funded nonprofits toward viable solutions for nonprofit wage equity and sustainability
Philanthropies should prioritize providing core operating funds and use their power to support movement building and campaigns toward city policy changes
Nonprofits should prioritize building the capacity of CBOs to improve their financial health and budget planning to increase their power to negotiate contracts that account for the true cost of services and prioritize living wages for their workers
For presentation inquiries please reach out to info@prosperityinitiative.org
