A Different Kind of Organization
The PROVENIQ Foundation was built to solve problems that have gone unsolved for too long. One of those problems is hiding in plain sight — not in the shelters, not in the veterinary clinics, not in the communities we serve, but in the organizations that serve them.
The people who dedicate their lives to animal welfare — whether they are pulling animals from crisis situations, managing underfunded shelters, building the technology that connects lost pets with their families, or telling the stories that make the public care — are among the most committed professionals in any sector. They are also among the most systematically underpaid.
The PROVENIQ Foundation refuses to perpetuate that pattern.
We are not naive about the financial constraints of an early-stage nonprofit. We are transparent about where we are and honest about the road ahead. But we are also unambiguous about what we are building toward — and that destination includes a team that is compensated with the dignity, respect, and financial security that their expertise and commitment deserve.
The Pattern We Are Breaking
Animal welfare organizations have historically ranked among the lowest-paying in the entire nonprofit sector — not because the work is less demanding, but because the sector has accepted underpayment as inevitable. The PROVENIQ Foundation does not accept that. We believe the people doing the hardest work deserve among the best compensation. That belief is not aspirational. It is policy.
Our Five Compensation Principles
Compensation Is a Form of Respect
What an organization pays its people is a direct expression of what it believes their work is worth. The PROVENIQ Foundation believes that work in service of animal welfare and community technology is worth a great deal. We will structure our compensation accordingly — not as a gesture, but as a commitment backed by how we fundraise, how we budget, and how we prioritize organizational resources.
Transparency Over Ambiguity
We will publish our compensation philosophy. We will share salary bands with candidates before offers are made. We will not ask anyone to negotiate in the dark. Every person who joins this team will know exactly what the current pay structure is, what the growth path looks like, and what milestones will trigger compensation reviews. Opacity benefits institutions, not people. We choose people.
Market-Informed, Mission-Adjusted
We use real market data — including West Virginia cost-of-living benchmarks, nonprofit sector comparables, and for-profit equivalents — to set salary bands. We do not simply copy national averages that bear no relationship to life in Greenbrier County. A salary that allows someone to live well in West Virginia is worth more in real terms than a higher number that requires them to live in a major metro. We price for the life our team can actually build here, not for a resume line.
Growth Is Written In, Not Earned By Luck
Every role at The PROVENIQ Foundation carries a documented compensation growth path. Starting salary reflects the organization's current funding stage — not the permanent ceiling of what that role will pay. As the Foundation grows, as platforms launch, as grants are secured and sponsorships are closed, compensation grows with it. These milestones are defined in advance, in writing, and reviewed formally at six months and annually thereafter. No one should have to fight for a raise they were implicitly promised when they took the job.
The Best for the Best
We will compete for talent — not by trying to match Silicon Valley salaries, but by offering something Silicon Valley cannot: meaningful work, a founding-stage stake in something that matters, an explicit path to senior leadership, and an organization that treats its people the way it wants them to treat the communities they serve. We are selective about who we hire. We owe those people our best in return.
Where We Are Now
The PROVENIQ Foundation is in its founding stage. Our platforms are in advanced development. Our 501(c)(3) application is complete. Our grant pipeline is active and our first major fundraising campaign — the Mountain State 100K Challenge & Giveaway — is being built toward a September 2026 launch with a $1,000,000 sponsorship goal.
Starting salaries reflect this stage honestly. They are not permanent. They are the beginning of a documented trajectory — and they are set at levels that allow our team members to live, not merely survive, in West Virginia.
Current Founding-Stage Salary Bands
| Role | Starting Range | 12-Month Target | Growth Path |
|---|---|---|---|
| President & CEO | Deferred pending funding | TBD per Board | Executive compensation review at first major funding milestone |
| Director of Development & External Affairs | $55,000 – $65,000 | $70,000 – $80,000 | VP of Development / CDO |
| Director of Outreach & Communications | $50,000 – $62,000 | $65,000 – $75,000 | VP of Communications / CCO |
| VP of AI & Technology | $75,000 – $90,000 | $90,000 – $110,000 | Chief Technology Officer |
All salary ranges are base compensation only and do not include performance bonuses, incentive structures, or future equity-equivalent deferred compensation instruments as the organization matures.
What Compensation Growth Looks Like
Compensation reviews are not arbitrary. They are tied to defined organizational milestones so that every team member can see exactly what needs to happen — for the Foundation and for them — before the next step up occurs.
Milestone-Based Triggers
- First $250,000 raised in sponsorships and grants → first across-the-board salary review
- Mountain State 100K Challenge surpassing $500,000 in sponsorships → performance bonuses activated
- First platform (MAYDAY) reaching public launch → VP of AI & Technology compensation review
- 501(c)(3) status confirmed and first full operating budget approved → formal compensation floor established for all roles
- Expansion beyond West Virginia into second state → full executive compensation restructure
A Note on West Virginia
West Virginia's cost of living is approximately 20% below the national average. A salary of $62,000 in Greenbrier County provides the purchasing power of roughly $78,000 in most of the country. We factor this into our compensation model — not to justify paying less, but to ensure we are offering genuine financial security in the place where our team actually lives. As the organization scales and remote work expands our talent pool, compensation bands will be adjusted to reflect the location of each team member.
Total Compensation Philosophy
Salary is one component of what The PROVENIQ Foundation commits to providing. As funding allows, the following elements will be added to every team member's compensation package — in this order of priority:
- Health insurance contribution (target: 80% employer-paid premium)
- Paid time off: minimum 15 days annually at founding stage, growing to 20 days as funding stabilizes
- Professional development budget: each team member receives a designated annual amount for training, certifications, conferences, or courses relevant to their role
- Flexible and remote-first work arrangements wherever operationally feasible
- Retirement contribution (SIMPLE IRA or equivalent) once the organization reaches stable recurring revenue
- Performance bonuses tied to organizational milestones, not subjective manager discretion
A Special Commitment to Animal Welfare Workers
The PROVENIQ Foundation exists because the animal welfare sector has been underserved — both the animals and the people who care for them. Shelter workers. Rescue coordinators. Foster networks. Veterinary technicians. The people on the front lines of this work have historically been compensated as though their calling were less serious, less skilled, or less valuable than comparable work in other sectors.
It is not. It is harder.
The emotional labor of animal welfare work — the daily weight of making life-and-death decisions, of absorbing the grief of families, of functioning in chronically underfunded environments — is among the most demanding in any profession. Burnout rates are catastrophic. Turnover is systemic. And the sector has largely responded by treating this as an acceptable cost of doing business.
The PROVENIQ Foundation will not treat it as acceptable.
Every hiring decision we make, every salary band we set, every benefit we extend is a statement about what we believe animal welfare workers are worth. We will use our compensation philosophy as a public argument — in grant applications, in community partnerships, in legislative advocacy — that the people who serve animals deserve the same financial dignity as the people who serve any other mission.
"Only the best for the best."
This is not a slogan. It is a promise we make to every person who chooses to build their career here.
Review and Accountability
This document is a living commitment, not a static policy. It will be reviewed formally each year by the President & CEO and, as the Board of Directors grows, in partnership with the Board's compensation committee.
Any substantive change to this philosophy — including reductions to salary bands, changes to milestone triggers, or removal of benefit commitments — requires formal Board approval and must be communicated to all affected team members no less than 90 days in advance.
Team members are encouraged to hold the Foundation accountable to this document. It is not internal policy kept behind closed doors. It is a public statement of organizational values, available on our website, included in every offer letter, and referenced in grant applications that touch staffing and operational capacity.