Another way to assert-your-value-while-also-having-to-live-with-real-life-compromises might be this: a friend contracted with a nonprofit to do some event-planning for them. Since they could not pay her nearly what she deserved, and since SHE still needed the work, she took the job but very carefully logged and accounted for every hour of work she did (showing both how valuable she was AND how well she used her time!) She also carefully prepared a final invoice that included columns for the market-rate value of the hours she worked, the hourly “discount” she was giving them, and the actual hourly charge.