Their way is not exactly "united"... - Anonymous employee United Way Employee Review

3.0
Dec 27, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Employees contribute to making an impact in the community...decent racial diversity of staff...usually free food...salaries are decent for it being a NPO...most of the staff are democrats...

Cons

Executive leadership all get paid six figures...lack of professional development for employees if they are not in the C-suite...every year, before the fiscal year ends, they will layoff employees to save money (and, they won't have to pay them raises - the review process is right after the start of the fiscal year, and that's how employees get raises, based on their prior-year performance)...executives often take credit for stuff they had no part in...TONS of drama and no one bothers to do anything about it...lack of transparency - lots of closed-door meetings that are related to personnel, not our impact work...located in boring office building with bad parking...the board of directors does not interact much with regular staff...execs often go to conferences where we use company $$$ to pay for their airfare and hotel stays, but reg staff don't get to go...lack of growth opportunities, does not promote from within, very siloed...most of the staff is female...the CEO moved from Maine and has found ways to bring in former staff to replace current staff - they all end up with great positions...horrible HR department for years...they bug you to take money out of your paycheck to give to united way, then spend the money recklessly, like bringing in a IT consultant, or paying moving expenses for new execs that can afford it anyways, or paying for execs to stay in five star hotels on their trips...they use volunteers for free labor quite often...the Sarasota office/staff is like a clique and doesn't like the Tampa office and vice versa...the office is a cube-farm; only execs get their office...always a lot of whispering and gossip...the marketing staff is the worst when it comes to drama, and they work whatever hours they feel like - the rest of us are expected to do the 8-5 thing...lots of unfairness...office is always freezing - or its brutally hot...office looks very boring, no decorations...execs play favorites a lot...an assistant opens all of the snail mail...lots of meetings that don't accomplish anything...events involve a lot of last minute planning...the fundraising team changes employees like people change their panties...we use this stupid computer program called andar...our bathrooms are always dirty...elevators frequently broken...etc.........

Explore other reviews about United Way

5.0
Apr 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People were very nice and cooperative

Cons

Not any that I would speak of

2.0
Jun 18, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The mission is meaningful and the work itself can be deeply rewarding. Colleagues are talented, dedicated, and genuinely care about the community they serve. For the right person, that camaraderie carries a lot of weight.

Cons

Over the past two years, this organization has undergone significant and painful change. A revolving door of senior leadership, including the abrupt loss of key executives, created instability that trickled down to every level of staff. Layoffs followed, and then a steady stream of voluntary departures that leadership appeared either unable or unwilling to address meaningfully. Under new leadership, nearly every quality-of-life benefit that made nonprofit-level salaries feel worth it has been reduced or eliminated: fewer sick days, increased healthcare costs, loss of Summer Fridays, loss of Thanksgiving week, and a shift to more required in-office days. The cumulative effect is an organization that asks a great deal of its staff, in salary sacrifice and mission commitment, while systematically withdrawing what made that trade-off feel fair.

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