employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Pew Charitable Trusts

Engaged Employer

Pew Charitable Trusts reviews

3.6

60% would recommend to a friend

(432 total reviews)
avatar

Susan K. Urahn

80% approve of CEO

72% positive business outlook

Pew Charitable Trusts has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 432 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Pew Charitable Trusts employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

432 reviews
1.0
Feb 1, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Very organized, focused environment * Clear procedures and forms for every eventuality * Emphasis on reputation management helps protect the Pew image * Reasonably competitive pay and benefits * Good work-life benefits * Opportunities to travel * Beautiful office space with free coffee

Cons

* Some middle and upper managers are extremely negative and discouraging * Micro-management is rampant * More time is spent in meetings than actually accomplishing anything... there would be pre-meetings, meetings, post-meetings... it was excessive

1.0
May 10, 2016

EVERY NEGATIVE THEME HERE IS TRUE.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Generous 401(k) match (which you will use to justify staying at Pew long after you've realized how miserable you are). Amazing colleagues (who you will bond with quickly as a result of your shared misery). Great location in Chinatown/Penn Quarter.

Cons

Before I took my job at Pew, I read the Glassdoor reviews over and over. "It can't possibly be that bad," I told myself. "There's no way." I quickly realized that I was dead wrong. I am therefore here to tell you that "IT IS ALL TRUE" and worse than you can possibly imagine. Pew is the most toxic, demoralizing place I have ever worked. Don't let the "prestige" of the Pew name fool you. RUN, DON'T WALK, in the other direction. Trust the countless others on Glassdoor who have explained the serious issues in this organization. I will leave you with one last thought -- The average length of tenure at this organization is LESS than one year. As you consider your job offer, ask yourself why that might be.

1.0
May 21, 2016

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, particularly the 401k match. Smart coworkers you will learn a lot from. Clean office space.

Cons

Shiny, new offices with staff who clean up after you in the kitchens. A nonprofit with its own multi-billion dollar piggy bank, no need to fundraise, and enough money to go after its wildest dreams. What could go wrong? Well, everything. Pew is exactly what's wrong with letting one person make all the decisions.The CEO regularly turns on the smart people she's hired to advise her when they begin to threaten her death grip on the institutional reins. That's when she pushes them out. The Board, kept deliberately far from the people doing the work, are no help. The resulting power vacuum allows tyrannical management personalities to flourish. No one cares how you manage down; it's all about managing up. If yoi work at Pew, forget about your career aspirations, your professional development, your need for creativity or validation. You are now in service to the queen. At one point you will realize that about 60% of your job is catering to the whims of an obsessive-compulsive control freak. But don't believe me. Believe the people who are leaving in droves-- I think the turnover rate is close to 30%. I would have left a lot sooner, but the job market took a dive soon after I realized that it was a dead end job. If you must work there, do your time, get some experience, and then get out before your soul is entirely sucked out of you.

Viewing 4 - 6 of 432 Reviews

Glassdoor has 450 Pew Charitable Trusts reviews submitted anonymously by Pew Charitable Trusts employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Pew Charitable Trusts is right for you.