Large, Legacy NGO Pros and Cons - Executive Director CARE (USA) Employee Review

3.0
Nov 30, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits (401k match, health care, vacation days) are very good if not great. Culture is generally laid back though this varies across CARE and is team specific and shaped by managers. Good people, for the most part.

Cons

CARE struggles with articulating what it does clearly and where it is going. It does a lot but without a common thread and with increasing feeling like the world is passing it by. CARE is deeply bureaucratic. Endless trainings and reviews; a never ending list of platforms to use; everything from approval for expenses to getting reimbursed for travel can be a comical or tragic, maddening waste of time. As wonderful as most people are, there are a few of poor leaders/managers, underneath the CEO, who can, through micromanaging or waffling messaging, lead to a distrustful or paranoid work environment. Ultimately, this can, at worst, make CARE sometimes feel like folks are constantly defending their worth.

Explore other reviews about CARE (USA)

5.0
Jan 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

CARE continues to focus on saving lives and defeating poverty and it is inspiring to see how everyone remains committed to our mission.

Cons

Like all nonprofits, CARE is dealing with a difficult and unpredictable operating environment.

3.0
Jun 8, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My coworkers were great and I had the opportunity to travel to different countries and see the work CARE was doing in person, great way to learn about the world and different cultures. The overall mission of the org is great and the programs implemented are actually making a huge impact on people lives around the world. Benefits (PTO, 401K, etc) are pretty good as well.

Cons

You're expected to always work overtime and not complain and if you set healthy boundaries then you're not seen as a "team player". The processes are broken and the attempts to fix them are short lived. There are too many cooks in the kitchen when it came to final reviews, usually extending the life of a project by weeks because one person didn't like one specific detail. The diversity in the marketing team is significantly lacking considering the org is focused on supporting international voices and stories. Upper management doesn't have much respect for anyone under a director level. HR is unhelpful and messy. For an org that pushes a message of diversity and belonging, the employees are treated MUCH differently which is extremely disappointing.

3
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