Save the Children US reviews

Decision process for management seems a little ad hoc sometimes. The organization needs a reliable stream of undesignated funds for its programs. Year to year funding is to volatile.

- it seems the finance department is a mess, there is a lack of leadership. When you have folks in management roles for 20-30 years, innovation and change go out the window - no, these aren't even allowed at the door. Many new people come in, but they are also the first to leave. Either these "lifers" need to switch to another department for a while or start an exchange program with other NGOs, to get some fresh blood in there, but nothing will change until the senior finance folks change - and sadly, it doesn't look like any of 'em will leave soon. Westport isn't exactly the HUB for NGOs, ya know. Forget it if you are a woman! The top finance folks will use the passive-agressive behaviour technique to force you out. You could have great ideas, but if the senior managers are the ones responsible for the idea: forget it. B-Level managers DO NOT hire A-level staff here. It's more like C-level managers though and they ain't hiring anyone who will outshine or outperform them. - Get rid of the conflicts of interest and nepotism. This ain't a family business. Husbands and wives working in the same department - come on. Uncles, cousins, sister-in-laws being hired or brought in from overseas? There are many many qualified Americans who can do the work.. Oh yeah, it makes it hard to have a disagreement with a co-worker if her husband is your boss: can you say conflict of interest????!!! Cut the nepotism and put a conflict of interest policy in place - Lack of transparency: people are given promotions or new positions without a new position being advertised. As for hiring, if you are in a clique, don't worry about applying for new positions because you can earn a new position even if you aren't qualified. you just have to be in the "clique." - Lack of follow up from HR when one interviews for a position. You usually find out from the Announcment Page when someone has been hired for a position for which you were interviewed. HR needs to get back to candidates BEFORE announcing who has been selected to fill a position. - Lack of direction with this whole Save the Children International thing - there has been such a lack of communication from mangement downwards; lack of planning; there are plans in place, but the senior management doesn't want to share with staff - like they feel empowered by holding information. Managers don't work with employees to get them into other positions (probably cause they are looking at protecting their own jobs) - Performance Evaluations - they have a quota of how many people can get each rating. So regardless of how highly your supervisor may think of your performance, if the senior managers don't want you to get a high rating, you ain't gonna get it. year after year, my supervisor comes back to apologize that his/her evaluation of me what rejected because the rating was too high. - Misuse of funds - when you see photos of children who look like they are starving, don't think all your donations reach them...there are $60,000 + vehicles being purchased for employee use to take their children to/fm the private schools or $4,200/month homes being rented, swimming pools that need to be cleaned; best thing is to designate your contributions to a specific cause