Question: Raises

Working women, have you ever had to negotiate for a pay raise? Tell us about your experience!

A colleague recently posted about negotiating a raise, and I think she is taking all the right steps: She did her research on salary.com to see where she stood vs others who do the same work, taking her acquired kills and responsibilities into consideration. From this, she was able to determine how much she could be making comparatively and calculated both a reasonable and an ideal percent increase. She also compiled a list of non-monetary bonuses that could be supplemented as well. I think that this gives her a lot to work with when she goes into the office to have The Talk, so best of luck to her!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had an unsuccessful raise negotiation back when I was promoted in late 2008. It was my first opportunity to negotiate a raise, and I didn’t do the greatest job! To make a long story short, I surprised the DSM with the discussion and flatly asked for a specific rate of pay. I based my information off of some discussions I had with people in my networks, some of whom had previously worked for the company in my position. But that was it; I didn’t take into consideration what these individuals brought to the company at the time of their hire or the current state of the economy and its effects on the company. I had no idea what other people in my position were being paid at that time, and to my embarrassment, learned that the pay I was being offered was on the higher end.

At that point, I backed off and accepted the original offer, probably blushing at my lack of information. Sometimes I wonder if I could have lowered my counter a little and brought up some of the transferable skills/experience that I would have brought to the position from my previous job. Would I have been more successful? I suppose I will just have to file this one under Life Tuition and be better prepared for my next negotiation opportunity.

Politics? In MY doctor’s office?

If you haven’t already heard, President Obama has begun taking steps to overturn a Health and Human Services regulation put in place by former President Bush that essentially limits a person’s right to receive complete health care and accurate health information from which they can make informed choices. In some cases, the patient may be denied care without even realizing it (e.g. not being informed that certain treatments or services were available). Why? Because the doctor or health provider may have moral objections to it. In terms of women’s health, the definition of abortion was broadened to include oral and emergency contraception, even though neither of those options result in terminating an existing pregnancy. So if your particular doctor is pro-life and believes that your Ortho Evra patch falls under the category of abortion, then you’re out of luck! I have heard of stories where women had been denied Plan B, even after a sexual assault, because of this.

Personally, I was appalled that such a regulation could even pass to begin with. What good could come from such a policy? The people who are suffering most are those who are low-income or from areas where it is already difficult enough to have access to health care. I pasted the following text from PlannedParenthood.org:

President Obama has begun the process of overturning the Bush administration rule that limits the rights of patients to receive complete and accurate reproductive health information and services. The Bush rule is a huge threat to women’s health, and this is our best chance to reverse it.

In order to overturn the Bush administration rule, Obama has to allow 30 days for the public to comment on what he proposes to do. THE OFFICIAL COMMENT PERIOD ENDS ON APRIL 9 AT MIDNIGHT. We need to show our support NOW to make sure his proposal to reverse the rule succeeds.

I want to make sure that doctors and hospitals aren’t allowed to use their personal biases as an excuse to withhold health care information and services from their patients. That’s why I joined Planned Parenthood in speaking out in support of President Obama’s plan to undo this dangerous rule.

Will you add your voice? Here’s the link with all the info you need: http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/campaigns/453.htm

If you want to add your name/voice to the opposition of the HHS “Midnight Regulation”, click here. You can choose to customize your letter or just go with the default, but please take advantage of this opportunity to make yourself heard.

Fundraising for the Walk for Hunger

Last month, I made a post about my participation in this year’s Walk for Hunger. A few days ago, I reached a milestone in my fundraising: $250 or 50% of my goal. Someone from the Walk for Hunger Twitter asked if I had any special tips on how I did it.

I had a number of factors working against me. First off, I’m a relative newcomer to the area, so I don’t have a great deal of connections. No longtime friends who “owe me one”, extended family I could sweet-talk… Secondly, as we all know, times are tough. The people most likely to donate to a charitable organization are working middle-class folks, and with less expendable cash in their pockets, organizations like Project Bread are feeling the burn. So what am I doing to raise money?

1. Create a webpage on Project Bread’s site.
This is a free option for people who have registered for the Walk online. Even if a person has never created a webpage before, it’s really a no-brainer with the WYSIWYG editor they have on the site. I urge everyone who is registered for the walk to use the free website. Customize the wording, upload images, change the colors, and customize your link so you can send it to anyone with an internet connection.

Project Bread also has a good number of facts on their site about hunger in the commonwealth that may be of interest to your friends and family. On last year’s walk, I saw a sign that read that, for every $50 donated, Project Bread could purchase up to 250 lbs of food. People like knowing how their donation is going to impact someone, and even if they only donate $10, I like to let them know that it could mean 50 lbs of food for a hungry person.

2. Promote your cause.
Now that I had a link, I sent it around. I put a link on my LinkedIn profile and used social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace) to get the word out about what I was doing and how much money I planned to raise. On Facebook, I even followed my sister’s example and created a Facebook group dedicated to my “cause”!

3. Ask!
Even if you’re like me and don’t know a whole lot of people, many people you do know may be willing to lend a hand. You don’t have to flat-out ask for donations (although that might work for you!), but if you just spread the word about the Walk and what you’re doing, people may offer. Additionally, I have sent out individual emails to people whom I felt would be sympathetic to Project Bread’s mission, as well as regular (every couple of weeks) bulletins/notes on social networking sites updating my friends on my progress and giving them the opportunity to donate.

4. Get your employer involved.
Many companies have programs that will match an employee’s donation to a particular organization. While the company didn’t turn up when I used Project Bread’s matching gifts search engine, I filled out a form here and learned that my company did have such a program. There were some guidelines and criteria that had to be met, but essentially I have to fill out a form and cross my fingers. So in a few weeks, my $250 may very well be $500!

Bonus Tip: Bake sales
I have never gone this route, but a friend of mine raised over $200 after selling her home-baked goods, so it’s worth a shot if you’re a good baker!

– and don’t forget to thank those who have contributed to your Walk. First of all, it’s plain good manners. Secondly, people who have donated in the past are more likely to donate in the future, so don’t burn any bridges by coming off as ungrateful!