I was offered an interview at a nonprofit that serves unhoused and at-risk youth, and I’m really interested in working for them. That said, I’m arguably overqualified for the position and it doesn’t pay very well considering the high cost of living and high income tax in my area. The only hard requirement is a highschool diploma, and I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, an additional job-relevant certification, and relevant volunteer experience. Unfortunately there aren’t many jobs like this in my area and the other open positions at this organization are all much higher level positions that require lots of experience or a masters degree.

The position pays $20 an hour, and I would like to be making at least $22 an hour. That’s my minimum because it’s what would push me into the zone of making 3x my rent monthly, which is a common guideline and often a requirement for renters (just saying this to express that I’m not pulling this number out of nowhere). I’m wondering, is it at all common for hourly nonprofit employees to negotiate pay if they exceed the requirements? I’ve never had a paid job in this field before so I’m not sure what to expect. There’s no range posted, just says that it’s $20 an hour.

Thank you for any input :-)