Pros
The lower half of the org chart contains some of the smartest and most passionate people I have ever met. Feeding America has a great mission (in theory...), and the food banks that FA purports to represent do great work.
Cons
This has got to be one of the most hierarchical, siloed organizations on the planet. It almost makes the military look like a flat organization. Senior staff treat anyone at the Director level or below like interns, hoard information like it's gold, spend money like it's water ($450/night hotel rooms, tens of thousands for offsite retreats and "facilitated sessions"), and crush anyone with the slightest bit of initiative. They seem to have forgotten that the whole point is to FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE, not collect sky-high salaries and massage their own egos. Backstabbing newcomers (especially ones with new ideas) is the sport of choice. The CEO departed under murky circumstances in early January (see all of the negative publicity in the Chronicle of Philanthropy), so FA feels even more rudderless than usual. If you're not going to be at least at the VP level, DO NOT COME HERE--it's where careers (and hope) come to die. If you get offered a job at the VP level, only take it if you want to make a cushy salary without being asked to (or really able to) actually accomplish anything. Turnover (for all of the reasons cited above) is sky-high. In just the last four months, we've lost 5 members of our 30 person team.
