Pros
I initially felt excited about this opportunity, but my enthusiasm quickly waned. United Way enjoys excellent name recognition and status in the community, but I began to perceive it as somewhat superficial. The focus was on maintaining a positive appearance. Leadership was overpaid and had their favorites. Despite outward appearances and placating community leaders, there were minimal tangible improvements in the community we were meant to serve. Unaddressed disparities persisted, workloads became overwhelming at times, and unless you conformed to a specific leadership-approved personality type, you were labeled "not performing."
Cons
There was a lack of genuine support and an absence of effort to understand employees and their unique working styles. The culture encouraged robotic, machine-like work, and there was a shortage of training; instead, employees were directed to follow a plan left by their predecessors. In instances of success, leadership praised the outcomes. However, when faced with shortcomings, there was a lack of accountability, and blame consistently fell upon the staff. This lack of accountability and the blame-shifting dynamic were disheartening. While I was involved in what I considered to be promising projects, office politics often inflated minor issues, treating them as if they were catastrophic events when, in reality, they were just routine tasks. The organizational goals seemed scattered, and there was a shortage of resources. Leadership made impulsive decisions about finances without thorough consideration. The emphasis was on getting tasks done rather than maintaining a strategic, evergreen approach that could be repurposed and utilized later on. Overall, my experience was less than satisfactory, and I would not recommend it.