Taking For-profit Know-how to the Nonprofit Sector

2. Nonprofit managers should offer better compensation so that they can recruit and retain highly skilled individuals. There’s a convention about working in the nonprofit sector: that it must entail a major pay cut. This is changing, however. Business models are being recognized as the most efficient and productive ways to achieve overall success in many nonprofits, and what’s needed now is managers with private-sector experience who can oversee and manage the roll-out of programs that save lives and build capacity. In order to attract the right skilled specialists, managers need to adapt salary levels. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to attract the talented MBAs, successful results-oriented managers, and even the experienced high-level executives who are needed to drive projects to successful conclusions.