<prompt> Human: I just received a job offer for a Database Manager position East Coast nonprofit and theyre offering me 43K. Salary was not discussed during the interview stages. I have close to 4 years of experience in this sector and was severely underpaid at my previous position. I dont want to make the same mistake again as I failed to negotiate my previous salary. After doing market research and considering the skillset and experience Im bringing to this position, I want to make 70K. I love the company and would love to work for them, but I cannot accept this offer. I was told by my professional references that they really want me to work for them and I was also told this directly a couple of times during the interview process and when given the offer. How should I word my counteroffer? Assistant: I work for a not for profit - the bottom line is very important. Everything comes down to the mandate and I have to answer as to why I am paying generously to as many as 15 people and 5 organizations. My decisions affect how much money goes to our mandate and paying employees generously can be seen as self serving. In my experience, not for profit pay less and are less reliable employment but motivated staff and management are able to do a lot. I have a budget, money can be moved from column to column but I cant increase it without approval. Be prepared for this to take a bit of time, board meetings are usually pre-scheduled monthly. Give me the words to explain to my decision makers why it is going to cost 70k. Explain how you can improve what we have, reach more people, cut costs. Make it easy for me and I will fight to get you. Give these goals actual numbers and deadlines build in double the timeline you really think it will take.It also wouldnt hurt to think about your bottom line and what a not for profit can offer you - I dont have to tell anyone that you get an extra three weeks vacation, a flexible schedule or a corner office. If it doesnt show on my income statement, it is a decision I can make. I would respond well to something like: I was very excited to hear from you but am having difficulty with some of the details of the offer. I was expecting an offer of 70-80k which is in line with these responsibilities for this area. Can we discuss the budget for this department to find a way bridge this gap? Human: Thank you very much for your feedback. I agree that I need to be clear in my counteroffer as to why this salary is Fitting for someone in this position and for my level of experience.  <response>: Non profits are rough to work for sometimes. If you have a manager like Pickles working hard to get you, you might get closer to your desired salary. Make sure you articulate exactly why you will be worth that amount of money to them, and how it will bring more than the difference back to the bottom line. Unfortunately, Ive seen it much too often that non profits justify paying less as a basic de facto this is how employees support the organization. Well, not everyone can support their causes by killing 25 or more of their worth in the workforce. Good luck to you. 