22 Jun Why We Always Show the Salary — And Why Every Charity Should

There’s a short sentence that appears on every single vacancy we post at PSR. It sits quietly under the job title, but it does a lot of heavy lifting: the salary.

I know that sounds unremarkable. You’d think it would be the norm. But I am still surprised that there are jobs out there listing the salary as ‘competitive’ or ‘dependent on experience’.

I found another one today and went down a little rabbit hole again. I checked back as far as we have records and cannot find a job where we ever did this. We were already listing the salary before we signed the pledge to always show it on every role we advertise, and we still won’t work on a vacancy that refuses to disclose it. That’s not a PR statement. It’s a line in the sand we drew years ago because we believe hiding salary information causes real harm and the charity sector, of all places, should be leading the way on this.

“Competitive” is not a salary. It is a reason to keep scrolling.

So just to bang the drum again in the hope of bringing one more person into a better place, let’s go over some of the reasons again.

The pay gap isn’t an accident. Hidden salaries make it worse.

When you choose to not publish a salary, you choose to shift the power of the negotiation entirely to the employer. Candidates have to guess what a role pays, apply blind, and then reveal their expectations at interview — often after they’ve already emotionally invested in the job. That dynamic perpetuates disadvantages for people who have historically been underpaid.

Research consistently shows that women, ethnic minority candidates, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community carry the cost of hidden salaries most heavily, in the form of pay gaps that compound over careers and workplace discrimination that salary transparency directly counters.
When a salary is published, everyone starts from the same place. That’s not a radical idea. It’s just fair.

For a sector that exists to make the world more equitable, perpetuating this kind of structural inequality in your own hiring process is a contradiction worth eradicating.

It also costs you good candidates.

Salary transparency isn’t just an equity issue — it’s a practical one. The best potential applicants are not desperately job hunting. They are employed, they are busy, and they are selective about where they invest their time.

Roles with clear, fair salaries attract a stronger field, and more quickly. The shortlist is better matched. The hiring process is shorter. And the person appointed starts with a clear, honest foundation, surely this is exactly the kind of relationship you would want for a new team member.

The best candidates are not desperately job hunting. They need a reason to stop scrolling. A real salary is that reason.

‘But we need flexibility for the right candidate.’

I hear this one a lot. And I understand it, budgets shift, exceptional people turn up, and sometimes a role grows around the person appointed. None of that requires hiding the salary.

If your budget is £35,000–£40,000, say so. £35,000–£40,000 is a salary. ‘Negotiable dependent on experience’ is a guess dressed up as a policy.
Publishing a range tells candidates what you’re working with, sets realistic expectations, and still leaves room to appoint someone exceptional at the top of the band. What it removes is the power to underpay someone who doesn’t know their worth, and I’d argue that’s a power worth removing.

We also don’t ask for degree requirements without good reason.

Salary transparency is part of a broader conversation we have with every client about inclusive recruitment. We will not work on roles that require a degree unless a charity can clearly articulate why.  Blanket degree requirements quietly filter out talented people who couldn’t access higher education, often for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability to do the job.

The same logic applies. When your hiring process contains invisible barriers (hidden salaries, unjustified academic requirements, vague person specifications) you are narrowing your candidate pool in ways that disproportionately affect the people the charity sector most needs to welcome in.

What you can do right now

If you’re a charity hiring manager reading this, the ask is simple: publish the salary on your next vacancy (or edit the one you just posted!). Don’t use a salary range so wide it’s meaningless, use an honest, tight range or figure that reflects your actual budget.

If you’re a candidate who has experienced the frustration of applying for a role only to discover the pay doesn’t match your needs, you’re not alone, and you deserve better. Every role we work on at PSR comes with a salary attached. Always.

And if you’re a charity that wants a recruitment partner who will tell you the truth about your brief, your process, and yes, your salary offer we would love to hear from you.
Gender pay gap in the UK: 2024 | ONS | Ethnicity pay gap report 2023 to 2024 | GOV.UK | Pay gaps in the NHS: Gender and sexuality | PLOS One | Heterosexual and LGBTQ+ pay gap higher than UK’s gender pay gap | Sphere Digital Recruitment
Disability pay and employment gaps | TUC

PSR is a non-commission charity recruitment consultancy based in Cheltenham. PSR works with charities, hospices, NHS Trusts, and higher education organisations across the UK to find exceptional fundraisers and sector leaders. We always show the salary. We always will.