Salary Negotiation Script | During a Performance Review
This post is part of a Career Advice series offering social-impact professionals salary negotiation templates to use throughout their careers. Find additional templates and resources in our newly-updated salary negotiation hub.
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Annual performance reviews are the perfect time to showcase your achievements, discuss your career growth, and, yes, ask for a raise! If you’ve spent the last year excelling at your job, this is your time to shine.
Of course, it can be nerve-wracking trying to figure out exactly what to say during a salary negotiation. The important thing is to enter these conversations with a list of what you’ve accomplished over the past year, how you’ve brought value to the organization, and knowledge of what other professionals are earning in similar roles at other organizations.
To help you feel confident and prepared, we’ve put together a script that outlines how to approach this conversation professionally and effectively:
"I’m looking forward to discussing my performance over the past year and the ways I’ve contributed to [name of organization]. I’d also like for us to save time to discuss my compensation and explore the possibility of a salary increase.
Over the past year, I’ve taken on several new responsibilities, including [specific tasks, projects, or leadership roles]. As a result, I've helped achieve [specific outcomes, such as exceeding fundraising targets, improving efficiency, or enhancing team performance. Try to use specific numbers and cite how you got this data, if possible].
Given these contributions, I believe I’ve brought incredible value to my role and the organization as a whole. I’d like to discuss a salary adjustment to better reflect my current responsibilities and the impact of my work.
Based on my research, I believe an increase to [$X] would be appropriate.”
At this point, your manager should let you know whether they’re on the same page about increasing your salary. It’s possible they may need to delay the conversation until they’ve had a chance to review the budget for your role or have your proposed salary approved by leadership. If that’s the case, ask for a specific timeline, and make sure to follow up with them.
Your manager may also tell you that a salary increase is not possible at this time. Maybe the organization’s upcoming budget is unclear or your boss feels that you have more growing to do before a salary adjustment is in order. To get to the bottom of this, ask them to clarify why now is not the right time and determine a timeline to revisit the conversation.
"If increasing my salary is not possible at this time, can you let me know when we can revisit this conversation in the future? Are there specific milestones you’d like me to achieve or a more appropriate timeline for us to discuss a raise?
Additionally, I’m open to discussing [other forms of compensation, such as more PTO, professional development opportunities, or the ability to work from home]. As I highlighted before, I believe the work I’ve done for [name of organization] this past year should be acknowledged, particularly when professionals in my role are earning [$X] at organizations with a similar budget.”
If your manager is unable to commit to alternative forms of compensation, you may ask them to draft a career growth plan so you can understand how they expect you to advance at the organization. This should be a collaborative exercise where you and your manager discuss the specific checkpoints they want you to hit before receiving a pay raise.
Whether or not you receive a raise after a performance review, you should always feel valued in your role. If you aren’t making a fair rate and your manager refuses to work with you on determining appropriate compensation, it may be time for you to find a new job where you can grow and significantly contribute to an organization’s mission.
I oversee the content and resources we share at Idealist to help organizations, prospective grad students, and job seekers make an impact in their personal and professional lives. In my spare time, I love to read, cook, and explore NYC's parks.