Churn and Burn! Working with a weekly quota that punishes workers for calls that connect but don't result in contributions. You will witness so many people getting fired that if you possess any compassion you will be left heartbroken. They also prey on incredibly passionate and idealistic individuals to perform such soul crushing work that by the end of their time here it is all too likely that this window into non-profit will taint their perspective of other non-profits that aren't outright scams. Leaving Environment America leaves one with that feeling that the highest levels of all of the most well intending organizations on paper have been infiltrated with individuals more committed to retaining their own power and bottom line than the mission the organization claims to represent.
This job pretends to be good meaningful work for activists and leaves those people walking away reluctant to participate in activism in the future for fear of the same corruption.
Middle Class Squeeze! Written on the walls of the windowless basement office that I worked at, this phrase has stuck with me for it's accuracy. Everyday dozens of people would explain to me how strapped for cash they were and unable to contribute even though they genuinely believed in these causes. And I'd have to keep asking for money anyway until they told me no three separate times. We're constantly trying to raise funds to combat the "limitless" money that goes into the opposition side but there is very little transparency in where that money we raise actually goes. In reality, we're fundraising not to contribute to worthy environmental causes but rather we are all too often dumping obscene amounts of money into lobbying elected officials into voting in a way that prioritizes the environment.
You read that right, after covering the expenses that went into raising the funds to begin with, you contributions to Environment America go directly into the pocket of the elected officials that you voted for, the people who should be accountable to the voters, as a form of legalized bribery encouraging them to actually properly represent their constituents and vote the way they promised to on their campaign trails.
At every level, this organization exploits contributors and employees alike. The highest level people in the organizations are not receptive to any communications with the fundraisers, outright dismissing feedback on scripts we repeat hundreds of times in a given week. They hire fresh college graduates to work as local management and as the only people you have to see face-to-face that are your bosses. Kind and compassionate people who are urged to micromanage, listen in to your calls and provide overbearing feedback with a fresh and sincere smile because these employees are genuinely convinced they're doing right when their bosses' reap the rewards of having made it to the top of their organization where up to 10% of the funds raised legally don't have to be accounted for.
