Pros
The life-saving services Trevor provides are excellent (e.g., Trevor Lifeline, TrevorChat, etc.). The people who directly work and volunteer for these services are wonderful.
Cons
There are severe systemic issues within the organization that give rise to high turnover rates and a culture of fear, animosity, and uncertainty within the office. Individuals who attempt to point out these systemic issues are retaliated against by management, thus allowing the systemic issues to continue unchecked. Platitudes are used frequently in attempts to assuage the negativity in the office. Trevor's structure within is hierarchical. There is a lack of open and safe communication between levels of power. Those lower on the hierarchy are not treated like equals in the organization. Information is selectively shared between levels--and sometimes isn't shared at all. Decisions within the organization seem to be made impulsively. Reasons for these decisions are not communicated clearly. There is a direct correlation between amount of office space granted to employees and their position on the hierarchy. Executives sit alone in large offices big enough for two while those below are crammed into small spaces sometimes large enough for one. Conflict is not dealt with in a fair or respectful way. Individuals who express concern regarding Trevor's policies are targeted and disciplined for doing so. Justification for doing so is often justified in terms of something like "not keeping a safe space". Management targets individuals for expressing concern instead of considering the systemic conditions within the organization that give rise to concern in the first place. Support is severely lacking for those who work directly with youth in crisis. Benefits for these people do not exist and nor does management intend to provide them. Professional psychological support is severely limited after being non-existent up until very recently. A paltry amount of Trevor's budget is used for actual life-saving and support for those who do it. There is a lack of diversity among those at the top of the hierarchy (i.e., many of these people are wealthy, white, cisgender, and male). Many of those who either quit or were fired have historically been female, of a racial minority, or trans-identified. The organization scrambles to try to keep the history of tension within the organization under wraps because they seem to realize that this would mar their image if the public knew about it. This is primarily accomplished by contract-signing, intimidation, and withholding information. In general, the Trevor Project does not feel like a safe, supportive, or empowering place to work. There is a stunning and ironic lack of empathy for fellow members of the organization among the management. What seems to matter most to this organization is how much money they can acquire from people who believe their money is going directly toward Saving Young Lives.
