Evans Authors: Scott W. Allard
A growing number of state and local governments have adopted minimum wage rates higher than the federal minimum in recent years. Discussion around such laws focuses primarily on the responses of for-profit firms, even though higher minimum wages pose unique challenges to nonprofit organizations. This study examined survey and in-depth interview data with nonprofit executives in Seattle to explore how nonprofit organizations were exposed to, understood, and responded to the initial phase-in of the city’s $15 minimum wage ordinance. Findings indicate that nonprofits in Seattle pursued different types of strategic adjustments to higher minimums than are typically seen among for-profit firms.