The Joy of Working for a Nonprofit: How Much Is It Worth?

A nice, fat paycheck is all well and good, but new research has revealed a surprising price tag on the job satisfaction that comes with working at a nonprofit organization: almost $40,000!

The study, which was published in the Journal of Economic Psychology, compared the happiness levels of people who worked at nonprofit organizations with those who worked at your average for-profit business jobs. Even after controlling for relevant influences, such as marital status and education, the researchers found that those who worked in the nonprofit field—or third sector, as it's commonly called in Europe—were happier with their jobs and their lives than were their profit-working peers. Nonprofit employees even seemed to enjoy their day-to-day activities more and were more likely to feel they were living useful lives.