JustGiving's lost its way - Senior Developer JustGiving Employee Review

3.0
Oct 31, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A place where you can contribute to making good things happen in an environment where the single reason for the company existing is exactly that. The best working environment imaginable. Market related salaries. Solid technical architecture.

Cons

These are just my observations and opinions as a developer. They are totally subjective and my opinion only: There is a disconnect between senior management and what's going on on the ground. The company vision has become unambitious yet paradoxically senior management is persistently coming up with unrealistic growth projections (and growth requirements for new products), widening the gap between plans and reality to such an extent that plans became a de-motivational tool rather than inspiring employees to reach them (due to their unrealistic nature). Cost cutting and profit maximizing replaced the principle of doing what is right when it comes to decision making. Core company values and culture have vanished compared to two years ago with low moral and unmotivated employees abounding. JustGiving has lost the excitement of talented people coming together to make a difference. It has become a very corporate feeling environment and now feels just like working for an employer that could be in any sector (may as well be a financial service institution). Core talent pool is degrading and years of experience have, and are busy pouring out of the organisation at an unsustainable pace. Innovation and experimentation in products have given way to a culture of fear of trying. Limited budgets are stifling innovation to thrive. Product managers are not empowered to own and evolve products. Team structures are not cross functional and formed in an agile manner to address product needs. Rather, teams are being decided at a managerial level and seems to have formed to make management feel more secure rather than to address a need in an agile manner. Recruitment is failing to address a shortage in key areas like QA and front end development.

Explore other reviews about JustGiving

5.0
Sep 25, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I worked for the U.S. operations (prior to its sale), which meant I had the opportunity to visit the UK office on several occasions and work with many team members. Here are some of the reasons I loved it: -- JG is the pioneer in online fundraising. They have been doing this since before it was fashionable, before the majority of people realized it was a brilliant idea. -- Zarine is energetic, magnetic, just all around awesome. And she truly believes in the company -- I worked in a role that allowed me to interact with charities, fundraisers, and donors. It was such a privilege! I learned so much, and was able to help these great causes raise money. How cool is that? -- Everyone has a voice. We were encouraged to speak up, have an opinion, be bold.

Cons

The senior management team really pushes the idea that the company is flat, but *they* have titles and senior roles and therefore don't always understand how hard it can be to be a mentor to more junior hires, and yet not have structure. This lack of structure also means there isn't necessarily a clear career path. For some, that's a deal breaker. It wasn't for me.

3.0
Jul 18, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

JustGiving has done amazing work in the UK over the past 17 years. They were recently acquired by Blackbaud which has been described as the Death Star. We'll see how the transition goes or if they'll be able to keep their independence.

Cons

JustGive was acquired by JustGiving and my leadership role was eliminated. I was pushed into business development but not given the resources I needed to succeed.

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JustGiving Response
8y
JustGiving exists exclusively to help charities raise more money, by connecting them to people who care. By joining Blackbaud, JustGiving will be able to serve its customers and users even better for years to come, and generally fulfill the company’s mission to grow the world of giving, faster and at greater scale.
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