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| Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Research Articles : Feature Article |
Nonprofit fringe benefits and working conditions surveyed for Canadian fundraisers and nonprofit managers Canadian FundRaiser: March 17, 1999Fringe benefit and working condition practices for Canadian fundraisers can and do vary by region, sector, organization budget, geographic scope, number of employees and type of organization. In its first annual Survey of Compensation, Benefits & Activities, Canadian FundRaiser has established some of the first benchmarks ever available covering Canadian practice in this area. Two other studies - one by the Muttart Foundation and one by Volunteer Vancouver - focusing on the situation in Western Canada are adding still more detail to the picture.
Last December, the Muttart Foundation released its report, What's It Worth? Carried out for it by KPMG, the study covers CEOs, second-level managers and managers of volunteer services in a randomly-selected 1,800 charities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Combined with the Canadian FundRaiser and Volunteer Vancouver studies, in addition to other studies carried out by Abbott, Langer & Associates in the USA, the Canadian results paint an interesting picture.
Over one-half (54-66%, depending on the survey) of the nonprofit organizations responding have an official work week of 40 hours, with about 19% having a work week of 35 hours, and 21% 37.5 hours. Almost all have a five-day week. Just over 60% have a one-hour lunch period, and 27% one-half hour for lunch. Flextime, available to three-quarters of the respondents (and used by about one-quarter, was the most common benefit reported in the Canadian FundRaiser survey, but job sharing, at 12%, was one of the least common. One-half of the organizations covered in the Canadian FundRaiser survey offer an employment contract to their fundraisers.
Time off for overtime
When extra work and the normal work week do not exceed 40 hours, the vast majority neither allow overtime nor compensate for it. However, 14% provide additional pay or time off at straight time to the CEO, 22% to other administrative/professional employees, and 18% to clerical/blue collar employees. While 6% provide overtime at time and one-half (in pay or time off) for clerical or blue collar employees, almost none allow it for the CEO or other administrative/professional employees.When extra work and the normal work week do exceed 40 hours, although the majority still do not compensate CEOs or other administrative/professional employees for it, most (93%) provide time off at straight time. The CEO can have additional pay or time off at straight time at 21% of the organizations; 15% provide it to other administrative/professional staff; and 17% to clerical/blue collar employees (64% at time and one-half). In the Muttart study, over one-half of the respondents believed that their organization expects them to volunteer some time.
Fringe benefit practices evolving
While the size and location of the charity have a substantial impact (the Muttart study, for example, reports that Alberta charities are more likely than Saskatchewan charities to provide a benefit program), about one-half of Canadian charities provide a program of some sort. One-quarter provide a same-sex benefit program. Flexible benefit or cafeteria plans are growing steadily in interest, with 32% of the respondents having a plan already, and 11% looking into the possibility. Policies concerning fringe benefits for part-timers vary widely, ranging from none (in the case of most organizations) to, in the case of only a few, access to all of the regular fringes, but pro-rated.
Statutory holidays
Muttart reports that the median number of paid holidays granted is 12 in Alberta (due mostly to its Family Day holiday, and 11 in Saskatchewan. When a scheduled paid holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the overwhelming practice is to grant another day off. Most charities appear not to offer Easter Monday as a paid holiday.
Almost four weeks of vacation
The predominant practice is to require that all employees be employed (in descending order) for six months, twelve months, or three months before a paid vacation can be taken. While the mean average of time allowed annually for vacations was 3.8 weeks for our survey respondents, the predominant practice for nonprofit organizations to provide paid vacations to chief executive officers as follows: after one year - two to three weeks; after two years -from two to three or four weeks; after five years - three or four weeks; and after ten years, four to five weeks. A similar but slightly less generous pattern applies to other administrative, professional, clerical and blue collar employees.
Maternity, paternity & adoptive leave
Most nonprofits do not provide paid time off for illness in the immediate family or attendance at the funeral of someone other than a member of the immediate family. Paid time off for death of a relative or member of the immediate family most often is three days, and is usually fully-paid (69% in the Volunteer Vancouver study). Paid time off for jury duty is provided by 59% of charities, and most often "as needed" (but may be minus pay received for the duty). Maternity leave with pay is provided by 15% of the Muttart respondents (17% for the Volunteer Vancouver survey), the rest providing it without pay. A similar 14% provided paternity leave with pay, and 73% provide it without. Adoptive leave with pay is also supported by 15%, 75% providing it without.
Employee Benefits
British Columbia Nonprofit SectorBenefit Employer Paid Partly Paid Bereavement Leave 69% 10% Dental Insurance 32% 34% Disability Insurance 27% 23% Extended Health 36% 34% Life Insurance 36% 26% Ma/pa-ternity Leave 17% 6% Medical Service Plan 30% 24% Mileage Allowance 73% n/a Pension Plan 18% 19% Professional Development 60% 27% Sick Leave 78% 9% Vision Care 26% 28% Widespread insurance coverage
According to the Volunteer Vancouver study (see Table), many Canadian nonprofits appear to provide long-term disability (50%, compared to 83% in the USA), extended healthcare (70% vs 82% in the USA), dental (66%), prescription drug, and life insurance coverage (62% vs 69% in the USA) to all employees, generally with more generous programs available for middle and upper management than for clerical and blue-collar personnel. At 66%, vision care has become a common benefit in the nonprofit sector. While senior management tends to get more generous treatment, most nonprofit employers pay all of their employees' insurance benefit premiums, but none of the coverage for their dependents.Only one-quarter of nonprofit organizations allow their employees to purchase additional life insurance beyond the basic benefit amount provided, but most hold the line at somewhat less than one year's salary, with one and two years' salary being common as well.
Sick leave and short-term disability insurance practices
Almost 60% of nonprofits provide only ordinary paid sick leave. Another 20-25% provide short-term disability insurance in addition. Among those organizations with short-term disability insurance, the median waiting period before benefits begin varies from 8 to 29 days, the median number of days paid under these policies is about 180 days, the median benefit paid is 60% of salary, and in most cases, the employer pays all of the premium.The median amount of sick leave earned by employees in organizations which provide paid sick leave is 12 days annually. About three-quarters of nonprofits allow employees to accumulate sick leave, but while most allow unlimited accumulation, the amount allowed varies widely. Most organizations do not allow accumulated sick leave to be converted to cash or additional vacation time.
Employee Service/Assistance: not much beyond parking
Just over 60% of nonprofits provide off-street parking, generally at no charge. The vast majority, however, do not provide credit unions; low-interest loans; discounts on goods/services; incentive, recognition or incentive programs; day-care for children or elderly parents; physical exams; food-service, other than vending machines; fitness/exercise, weight-reduction or recreation programs; financial, individual or family, legal, or pre-retirement counseling; or alcohol, drug or smoking cessation programs.
Special work-related expense usually covered
Almost 60% of nonprofits provide an automobile or car allowance to their senior managers, with most of them paying the entire cost for CEOs. Publication subscriptions and professional society and association memberships are generally provided for managers at all levels, and the overwhelming practice is to pay the entire conference registration fee, travel expenses, and room and meal expenses for the CEO and other administrative and professional employees. According to the Muttart study, the average mileage reimbursement (provided by 87% of the respondents) is 25 cents per kilometer.Only rarely do nonprofits pay for club/social membership dues (24%), first-class air travel, or spouse's travel expense, which at 3.6%, was the least common benefit reported in the Canadian FundRaiser survey.
Educational expense an accepted benefit
Just over 78% of nonprofits allow education leave without pay, and the same number contribute to tuition expense (over 40% pay the entire cost) for their fundraising staff. Generally, the costs are controlled by setting a maximum limit per time period, and the program is limited to training considered relevant to the employee's job or the organization's current mission. In rare instances, nonprofits pay the cost of college tuition for their employees' children. One-sixth of our respondents reported that they have access to a sabbatical leave program.
Pension & retirement benefits common, but far from widespread
About 40% of the respondents to the Canadian FundRaiser survey report that their employers provide a defined benefit pension plan (with about one-half, in the case of both the Volunteer Vancouver and the Canadian FundRaiser respondents, being completely employer-paid), and another 15% have access to a defined purchase plan. Four out of ten organizations in the CFR study also have a retirement savings plan of some sort, again fully paid by the employer about one-half of the time. The Muttart study, in contrast, reports that 35% of its respondents have access to a defined contribution plan, 6% to a defined benefit plan, and 25% to a registered retirement savings plan.For copies of the individual salary reports:
The Muttart study is available for $10.70 including shipping from the Resource Centre for Voluntary Organizations, 5-132, 10700 - 104 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4S2; telephone 780-497-5616; fax: 780-496-5634; eMail: spiessk@admin.gmcc.ab.ca.
The 1998 Canadian FundRaiser Survey of Compensation, Benefits & Activities is available for $93.09 including shipping from The Hilborn Group, 205-109 Vanderhoof Ave, Toronto, ON M4G 2H7.
The Volunteer Vancouver Study is available for $32.50 including shipping, from Volunteer Vancouver, 301-3102 Main St, Vancouver, BC, V5T 3G7, Telephone: 604-875-9144, Fax: 604-874-0710, eMail: volvan@volunteer.ca, web site: www.vancouver.volunteer.ca.
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