Give Something Back Reviews

I worked at Give Something Back

Pros – Inspiring management. If all company's shared this business model, America and the world would rejoice in a utopian society. The business model is based off the same model as Paul Newman's salad dressing. Attending the donation event functions are a lot of fun. Seeing the needy being handed $500 - $25,000 checks is amazing.

Cons – I bet everybody reading this post thinks I work for the company. I used to. If you can manage a territory and cold call F2F every business in your territory, and can sell office supplies (same inventory as Staples or Office Depot), then you can be successful here. Unfortunately it didn't work out for me, but GSB was a great place to work, I enjoyed my time, management was great because at its heart its a small family business doing good for the community.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep the sales force inspired and incentivized (sp?).

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Give Something Back full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Company profits really go back to nonprofit organizations. This company was started with a great idea and has kept that part of the company pure. Decisions about who gets funding are democratically decided with ballots going to customers and employees annually. That's pretty cool.

Cons – Some of the Directors play favorites. CEO has trouble making decisions.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Give Something Back full-time for more than a year

Pros – The business model is fantastic and has the market opportunity for the company to grow into something special. The people are great to work with as co-employees have an heart of gold. Provides some beneficial support and training.

Cons – Communication and transparency could use much help. Leadership, management style, and culture is stuck back in the 80's. Almost no growth opportunities from within and the compensation is not aligned with the market or their job description. The overall company provides a adequate place to earn a check just keep you off the poverty level. It can be toxic to the spirit for any hardworking person with a good heart.

Advice to Senior Management – Begin to look at your people as assets and not just another person that does not seem to fit your expectation. Reinvent your leadership/management perspective by allowing yourself to accept open feedback to what employees desire. Release the authoritative perspective and approach to you drive growth initiatives. In the end your impact will not be determined on conventional results!!!

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Give Something Back

Pros – They give back to the community. You get the "good" feeling of helping others out.

Cons – If you weren't a "favorite" of upper management, your life span at GSB was going to be short, for as long as they got a few sales out of you. Take forever to hire and then train, but not quick to assist when customer relationships were in danger, and even quicker to fire, instead of helping our their employee.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Give Something Back

Pros – I genuinely felt as if I was doing something important and worthwhile for the community. I was happy to come in to work. The managers treated the employees great, in fact because of he size of the company it felt like a family.

Cons – It is not a place for you if you desire career advancement. This company is not bad in fact it is one of the best places I worked but it definitely has to fit with what you are looking for and the type of person that you are.

Advice to Senior Management – Provide growth opportunities for employees. The president should not be concerned so much about the day to day operation of the company but instead set the strategic goals and then have the team execute. This is one of the main reasons the company has not grown.

I worked at Give Something Back

Pros – The company had a real good family atmosphere. The commitment to the community is tremendous and their B corp status is a unique business model that adds to the lure of the company.

Cons – Because the company is not very big and expansion is the not the priority of the company finding other position with in the company and or advancement is very difficult and almost none existence.

Advice to Senior Management – The philosophy of the company is great, I would say continue to work on the internal culture of the company and modernize the work structures.

I worked at Give Something Back full-time

Pros – Donation and I met people who really cared about thier job and community

Cons – Some people were too involved in gossip

Advice to Senior Management – More training provided to staff.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Give Something Back

Pros – well working environment for interns and exp people

Cons – nothing specific for engineering guys

I have been working at Give Something Back full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Philanthropic mission of giving back to the community.
The Employees

Cons – No Career Path at this time for Sales

Advice to Senior Management – Make decisions quicker

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Give Something Back full-time for less than a year

Pros – Small community donations each year.

Cons – More smart, good people come and go at this company in 1 years' time than you'll see successfully working long tenures at other companies. People who thrive in other environments fail here, yet the leaders never look inward and ask themselves, Why? Why do good people keep leaving or 'not working out'?

I met many overworked, unhappy staff who were looking for other jobs. Many others were blindsighted by firings that came without warning. I think the company had approx. 50 new hires (that's 50% of staff) in 2011/12, but yet they never look at this huge HR failure in terms of management - they just keep hiring and firing in an endless cycle, blaming the individuals for not succeeding.

As someone else pointed out, there's also a sense of juvenile 'cliques' in management: some pretty unprofessional behaviors, with much more drama than necessary - or that's seen at other companies.

Advice to Senior Management – Hire an outside consultancy to perform an in-depth analysis and then take their advice. Consider changing out top managers whose results don't warrant the loyalty given them.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company