Nonprofit refuses to give employee a raise after 3 years of working, while the CEO makes $200K: 'I get exceptional reviews. I was told that this was finally the year I was going to get a raise.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Jun 15, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

Why do they promise something they can't deliver on?

It can be difficult to tell if the higher-ups at your company are being 100% honest with you. You're not in the room when they discuss the precise figures for operational costs, revenue, and profit. You only know what they tell you, and what they tell the public, but sometimes those narratives are at odds with each other. Sometimes they'll tell the world that they're a world-class company that is doing better than ever, but they'll tell you that there's absolutely no way that they can afford to pay you any more, because the success is allegedly not enough to sustain a paltry pay increase. Maybe it's true that they can't afford to give raises and keep the lights on, but there are always signs that this isn't the case.

If a company keeps hiring a bunch of new employees, they probably have some money to spare. If they're getting rid of a lot of employees, they probably don't. Employees aren't stupid: they can tell when their bosses are lying through their teeth about the company not having enough money to give them a raise. It would be preferable for employers to simply say, "We don't think you deserve a raise this year," but companies obviously won't do that because it would hurt people's feelings. Professionalism is all about lying, but in order for it to be effective, you have to tell a believable lie. 

The CEO in this story lied to an employee about a raise, and she doesn't know where to go from here. She's particularly insulted by the pay gap between herself and the CEO, considering that they're working for a non-profit.

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  • A non-profit employee who is frustrated that she didn't get the raise she was promised.
    via u/ No-Telephone-6946

    A woman pretending to be a non-profit employee who is frustrated that she didn't get the raise she was promised. 

  • I work for a nonprofit. My CEO makes almost $200,000 annually. Meanwhile I can't get one annual raise after 3 years of working there.

    I get exceptional reviews. I was told that this was finally the year I was going to get a raise. After 3 months of no raise I was
    via u/No-Telephone-6946
  • told that our CEO has already approved the people getting raises for the year It's sickening.
    via u/No-Telephone-6946
  • Awkward-Seaweed-5129 Non-profits and some Charities are scams. Insiders take home exorbitant salaries, workers get crumbs
    via u/Awkward-Seaweed-5129
  • No-Telephone-6946 OP Yeah I've seen so much corruption at this job.. Our turnover rate averages 5 ppl a month in a company with less than 150 people. Our mission is constantly being interrupted due to low staff
    via u/No-Telephone-6946
  • hanimal16 It's really disheartening bc we're made to believe that nonprofits are the "good" guys, but in reality, a CEO is gonna do CEO things. It really s k. Sorry you're dealing with this.
    via u/hanimal16
  • XCVolcom A family member wanted me to work for a friend/CEO of a nonprofit of hers that fix old laptops and sell them to schools and kids around the world. The pay was $12-$16 an hour, $16 being after 3 years no exceptions. Full-time hours and they expect each laptop to be ready in as little as 30 minutes and maximum 40. It was labeled as a "high speed" job on its application.
    via u/XCVolcom
  • A laptop repairman fixing a laptop
    via Samsung Memory

    A representation of a laptop repairman fixing a laptop for a paltry $12 an hour.

  • I had made 50% more than that just doing normal service jobs and was not looking to make less ever again. It's not even a livable wage, and just an embarrassing thing to pay people under the guise of helping others when the owner of the company is/was the CEO of some 3 other businesses and a chair member in the state government.
    via u/XCVolcom
  • IndependentGiraffe8 People lie about raises and promotions to keep people working. Just the way it is. Quit and go somewhere else, if they will pay you more. It's all you can do.
    via u/IndependentGiraffe8
  • No-Telephone-6946 OP I am trust me.. I just find it upsetting especially since this is a nonprofit.
    via u/No-Telephone-6946
  • quats555 Non-profit doesn't mean that nobody profits. Just that the company doesn't realize profits. That money can still go to salaries and other expenses. Many are legit, but many are a way to funnel money to the executives and/or founder's other companies whole appearing charitable.
    via u/quats555
  • Silver_Adagio138 There's One good way to get a pay raise.
    via u/Silver_Adagio138
  • LegOpen 7852 "Nonprofit" just means the money skips you on its way to someone with a better title.
    via u/LegOpen7852
  • fluorescent_noir I've worked in healthcare nonprofits for the last 15 years and the only way I have ever managed to get a substantial raise was by leaving the organization for another competitor. I got a 21% pay increase when I left my last company and moved to the same role in another company. This is a big part of why so many people recommend moving to a new organization every 3 years or so. Competitors will pay more money than a company will for their existing employee.
    via u/fluorescent_noir
  • Cheezburger Image 10639249664
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A model representing an employee interviewing at a new job after working at her current job for three years. 

  • inthezoneautozone12 He's the CEO 200k is pretty low even at a non profit. Do you have any insight on the company's financials? Non profits are often in not great financial shape. Judging by that CEO's salary there is no way they're swimming in cash.
    via u/inthezoneautozone12
  • No-Telephone-6946 OP Our revenue was 20 mil last year as we get government grants. However, the main reason I included my CEOs salary is because it HAS increased each year (nonprofits are required to publish their 990 online that includes CEO salaries) I just find it insulting- staff turnover is high, the organization is not effectively delivering the services that we get government funding for and yet the CEO is getting a raise each year but staff can't..
    via u/No-Telephone-6946

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salary promise ceo raise workplace nonprofit money
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