YWCA Columbus: Compensation Analysis & Pay Structure Design

The Challenge: Compensation Review

YWCA of Columbus sought a comprehensive review of its compensation practices to ensure market competitiveness, internal equity, and compliance while supporting its mission-driven workforce. Leadership needed clarity around pay levels by role, exemption status, along with guidance on creating consistent salary structures that could be confidently communicated to employees and governance bodies.

Our Approach: Working With Leadership

Clark Schaefer Strategic HR partnered closely with YWCA leadership—including the COO, HR Director, and senior leaders—to conduct a thoughtful compensation analysis that honored both market realities and mission priorities.

The engagement focused on:

• Establishing the foundation for a compensation philosophy
• Benchmarking key roles using industry and regional market data
• Reviewing exempt vs. non-exempt classifications
• Conducting individual impact and pay equity analyses
• Creating recommended pay bands by job role
• Supporting leadership conversations around emotionally sensitive topics, including job titles and classification changes

Throughout the process, we maintained a highly collaborative approach, creating space for leaders to ask difficult questions, explore tradeoffs, and align decisions with YWCA’s commitment to fairness, dignity, and non-harmful practices.

What We Delivered: Compensation Framework

YWCA of Columbus received a clear, data-driven compensation framework grounded in equity, transparency, and organizational mission. Deliverables included:

• Exempt and non-exempt classification review
• Market benchmarking for key roles
• Analysis of where roles sat relative to market (above, below, or at market)
• A framework to begin defining a compensation philosophy
• Recommended pay bands by job title to guide future compensation decisions
• Practical guidance to support informed decision-making around future compensation planning
• A comprehensive report and presentation delivered to executive leadership and the Board of Directors

Results & Impact

The compensation study provided YWCA leadership with:

• In-depth, credible data to support compensation decisions
• Greater transparency and shared understanding of pay practices
• Increased confidence in discussions with executive leadership and the Board
• A sustainable foundation for addressing classification changes thoughtfully over time, including strategies to manage potential individual impacts

YWCA leaders noted that the analysis clarified how roles aligned with market data and supported the creation of consistent pay bands across the organization.

This compensation work served as a starting point, not a finish line. With a new strategic plan underway, YWCA Columbus is positioned to:

• Continue aligning HR practices with social justice principles
• Strengthen performance conversations and leadership capability
• Use data to monitor retention, equity, and workforce trends over time

Why It Worked

• Close collaboration with YWCA leadership throughout the project
• A balanced approach combining market data, equity considerations, and organizational context
• Clear communication of findings to both leadership and governance stakeholders

Clear data. Confident decisions. A stronger compensation foundation.