When my son was about seven years old, he asked me how long I was in college. When I told him eight years, he was astonished. “I can’t believe you went to college for eight years to be a volunteer!”

I was working at Volunteers of America at the time, and I got a great chuckle at his confusion. He didn’t understand that I got paid to do a job. But this interaction highlights a real conflict in the world of nonprofit – the undervaluing of nonprofit staff.  Following are the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make when determining pay for employees: