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Seven Reasons Why Annual Survey Participation in Best

The NGO Local Pay Survey is now in its 5th year, and has grown steadily each year.   This growth is the strongest testament to the value that the survey provides to the development community across the 80+ countries where the survey is now conducted.  NGO Local Pay is designed to serve the needs of the community as a resource that is available when you need it.

A survey is a unique product in that the very consumers of the product are in fact responsible for its success or failure.  Without survey participation, the survey cannot be sustained.  One of the biggest challenges in sustaining a survey is ensuring consistent participation each year.  A survey that maintains at least an 80% retention rate amongst participants from one year to the next assures the community of a sustainable survey with high quality, consistent data.

For a long time, the customary practice amongst NGOs was to participate in market surveys once every two or three years, and make adjustments to salaries according to inflation and other factors in the interim years.  Part of the reason for these practices was the cost of surveys — often a customized or sponsored survey cost as much as US$10,000, and few organizations could afford to participate every year.  If they were lucky, they might have funds to sponsor every third year and hope another organization would sponsor in the “off” years.

NGO Local Pay was created by the community to provide a solution, and to allow NGOs to follow the best practice of annual compensation reviews.  We developed a product which meets the needs of the development community and is affordable to purchase every year.  Compared to the old way, you could buy 13 years of NGO Local Pay surveys for the same US$10,000!  We urge each NGO to participate every year to help sustain the survey and maintain the high quality and reliable data on which the community now relies.

So, why should your organization participate annually?  Here are the top seven reasons:

1. Consistency.  If the survey participants are the same every year, then the differences in the survey are directly related to what is actually happening in the market.  If a large percentage of participants are new, then some of the differences are because of those changes, masking what is really happening in the market.

2. It’s Somebody’s Turn.  Even if your organization doesn’t do a salary review every year, you still should participate every year.  Because while you may not be doing your review this year, it is pretty likely another organization is.  When it’s your turn you will want them in your survey.  They want you in theirs, too.

3. It Takes A Community.  The NGO and development community is unique.  The level of cooperation is high; organizations often work together, sharing ideas, missions and resources.  Supporting the NGO Local Pay survey benefits your community.

4. Donor Accountability.  More and more NGOs are at least partially funded through contracts, and all of the major donors require professional HR practices be demonstrated.  Compensation management is a key area that donors focus on, and you need to be prepared.

5. You Can Afford It.  If you participate in the survey “a la carte” the cost is $745. But if you sign up for three years, it’s only $595.  Either way it’s inexpensive.  But annual participation is rewarded with a lower rate.

6. You Can’t Afford Not To.  The markets where NGOs operate are dynamic and things change rapidly.  Checking your competitive position every other year or every third year will end up costing you in the long run.  Your pay levels will not stay competitive, your turnover will increase and your organization’s effectiveness will be diminished.  Simply knowing what the market is doing will allow you to make the right strategic compensation decisions every year, help with recruiting, and maintain your status as a competitive employer.

7. It’s A Small Effort With A Big Payback.  Renewing your participation takes only an hour or two of time.  We send you the prior year’s data for updating in a convenient Excel format.  A quick discussion to confirm the job matching and returning the updated data is all that’s required.

Now you know the top reasons to participate in NGO Local Pay every year.  Registration is ongoing. Don’t miss out!

To register, visit our registration page, or contact us.

Did you know?  Almost 50 organizations are NGO Local Pay Preferred Partners, participating in a minimum of 10 countries every year under a three-year contract with added benefits and a per country cost of only US$525.  Find out more about Preferred Partners here.