Maʿruf Commons is a one-year-old, fully remote nonprofit with a small team across the US and abroad. Most of us are 1099 contractors, with one W-2 employee, and none of us has built a compensation system before.

Pay was set one hire at a time, so people in similar roles are paid differently. We’ve drafted a compensation philosophy and pay scale, but we need an experienced HR professional to review it before we finalize it. We’d also like advice on the W-2 versus 1099 question and on moving current team members to the new scale.

By the end of the project, the consultant will deliver:

Written feedback on our draft compensation philosophy and pay scale, covering market alignment, our level and tier structure, and our approach to pay across locations, including a living wage floor.
Recommendations on worker classification (W-2 vs. 1099) for our current roles, and what we should do to correct any that look misclassified.
Advice on moving current team members to the new scale, including how to communicate pay changes.
A short list of the changes we should make before finalizing.

Success means we can finalize a pay scale and philosophy we can explain and defend to our board, apply it consistently at contract renewals, and make confident decisions on classification.

Organization Mission

We develop programs and resources for Muslim communities to advance intentional learning, spiritual formation, and ethical practice, integrating religious values into both public and private life.