Compensation can't trump a toxic culture - Capacity Building Manager United Way Employee Review

1.0
Jul 18, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent salary and benefits. Nice office and location.

Cons

Utterly depressing and unwelcoming place that reeks of distrust. Leadership tries to micromanages and tightly control everything, to the extent that employees can't do their jobs. You start to feel disaffected pretty fast. There is no accountability; people who don't do their work or do it badly protect and enable one another. Most senior employees have a petulant, antagonistic attitude towards United Way's community partners, which is shocking and offensive at first, but you get used to it because it is so commonplace. The organizational culture is very white, elitist, and privileged, and yet leaders react reflexively or defensively if others address it (however tactfully). If you luck out, you might get a decent manager, or you'll get someone incompetent, childish, and bizarre who probably should have been fired a long time ago.

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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