Heifer International Reviews

Pros

The only good thing is that you are doing something to help other people around the globe. IT is near impossible to advance.

Cons

Low wages, unorganized methods, indecisive management decisions, inconsistent communication of how to key donors. Management would bump heads with one another and leave you baffled

Advice to Senior Management

Clariy amongst management would truly benefit this place. You do a wonderful thing for people but the inability to advance and lack of organization provides a different perspective

Pros

The mission and programatic work of Heifer International is among the most outstanding of NGO. It's model of community development has proven its merit and has successfully helped millions of families transform their lives. Program staff work tirlessly and successfully, but remain extemely underpaid.

Cons

The management at Heifer is woefully inadequate. Many senior managers have been promoted to positions of leadership despite their lack of experience or necessary skills to lead an organization of Heifer's scale. An environment of favoritism and cronneism prevails. Employees who speak out or disagree with senior leadership are persecuted and excluded. The organization is suffering from severe mission drift. In an effort to rationalize spending millions on a capital project (which has been discouraged by donors, staff and outside consultants), leadership has claimed public education a central element of it's mission. This is simply to ensure that Jo Luck's dream of a monumental headquarters campus be realized during her tenure. Private support for the project has not been forthcoming, but leadership has continue to push the project forward at the expense of programmatic work. The board is ineffective and non-contributing, and gives Jo Luck far to much power.

Advice to Senior Management

Take an honest look at your experience and abilities and step aside so proffessionals can propel Heifer forward. Be more transparent and honest with your donors. Put more money into the field and quit promoting this absurd capital project. Heifer is about feeding and helping people provide for themselves. Heifer is not in the museum or amusement park business and will be dragged under by the Global Village. It will be the albatrouse around Heifer's neck and will create huge operating costs that will draw funds away from programatic efforts. Provide donors with honest explanations as to how their charitable dollars are spent, rather than skirt the issue with disclaimers hidden by miniscule print and glossy photos. Find Board members that are willing to provide leadership, financially support the organization, and rein in Jo Luck.

Pros

The mission of Heifer -- to help the poor become self-sufficient through the gift of food- and income-producing animals and to protect the environment -- is excellent. The model for accomplishing that mission is sound. The people in the field (those around the world doing the actual work) are some of the most intelligent, dedicated and competent people one could ever meet.. Learning about and helping bring about meaningful economic development are incredibly satisfying. Many of the people at Heifer's headquarters are highly ethical, motivated, idealistic and capable. The respect for people of other cultures is real. The benefits are good, and if one has a good boss, Heifer can be a fine place to work.

Cons

Heifer has very few good bosses. Its rapid growth has propelled marginally capable people into leadership positions beyond their ability. Loyalty rather than ability is valued. Honest communications and, unfortunately, even ethical behavior are seriously lacking. The organization has not always been completely straightforward with its donors about how their donations are being used. Heifer is now putting the building of a "global village," which some have described as a Disneyland of Poverty, above helping feed the poor. The capital campaign has failed to raise sufficient money to build this global village, so Heifer has gone to the city of Little Rock for a $20 million bond issue. Despite Heifer's stated goal of gender equity, in some departments an attitude of sexism and favoritism prevails. Money is not always spent wisely. Turnover is very high. And those who seek to bring problems into the open are punished.

Advice to Senior Management

Resign. And that is not meant flippantly. Heifer must become more transparent, its problems are becoming increasingly visible outside the organization, and a serious house-cleaning is needed. If new management is not installed, Heifer International runs the risk of losing the trust of its donors and, therefore, of being unable to help resource-poor people. And that would be a tragedy.