Pew Charitable Trusts Reviews

Pros

Great managers, terrific opportunities to learn and advance

Cons

A great deal of structure, which may seen stuffy if you are used to a "typical" non-profit

Pros

First and foremost, I had the opportunity to work with some of the most intelligent, driven people I have ever met. From that standpoint, it can be a fulfilling place to work.

Beyond that:
- First rate benefits, including an incredible 401K match and fully paid health insurance
- Great place for home/work balance

Cons

Where to start? Working at Pew is a daily obstacle course of bureaucracy, politics and whim. Management is incredibly concerned with the idea of being embarrassed by the work. Because of this the CEO reviews everything no matter how minor. This means that the pace at Pew is incredibly slow. This also means that by the time any work is released, it has been neutered by many round of review and self-censorship. But since the appearance of good work is more important at times than actually doing good work, this is accepted by management.

Pew is an organization where managing up is more respected than managing down. The most successful people in the organization learn how to maneuver the bureaucracy and satisfy the executive office. Staff development and management seems unimportant.

Currently the Philadelphia office has been allowed to atrophy as positions are eliminated or moved to the Washington office. The belief among the staff is that the Philadelphia presence will be scaled down greatly within the next year, and since rarely does a week pass without a going away party, it's hard to argue that belief. Yet the management's response is one of denial and ignorance.

Advice to Senior Management

Trust the people. Tell the truth. That is the organization's motto. I suggest the management start there.

Pros

PCT tries very hard to run itself like a business, as opposed to a nonprofit, and one can learn many practices more associated with private firms, like a disciplined approach to investment and brand risk management. PCT is very well funded relative to peers, and once a project goes through the long and grinding approval process, funds flow. Provided an expense is justified and consistent with the goals of the project and the mission of PCT, one is very likely to be able to spend freely on research and advocacy tools on a scale that is unmatched. It is a very female-friendly work environment.

Cons

The CEO has and wields an extraordinary amount of power. She requires her approval on a vast amount of PCT business, and this slows the pace of work and is extremely expensive (though a hidden cost). When decisions are made at the top they often appear arbitrary and capricious; things that were OK for one group, project, or person are not OK for another, and explanations are rarely offered. Reorganizations are ubiquitous. Strict dress code (what is a sweater set?). She approves all promotions (even internal hires from one position to another that constitute a promotion) and they will not be considered until someone has been there for two years or maybe three years…except in those cases when she grants them for someone who hasn’t been there two (or three) years. Big Brother could learn something about brand management from PCT; it is very likely the CEO will read this post, for example. Fear of failure dominates the desire for success as the chief motivator (I am fearful right now, for example). Trust is absent. Taken together, it is difficult to say that senior management put the employees in a position to actually succeed, although everyone is well positioned to appear as if they succeeded.

Advice to Senior Management

Train your people. Trust your people.

Pros

nice office, good benefits and vacation package

Cons

growth based on seniority only

Advice to Senior Management

none

Pros

Pew does have a lot of benefits. As listed in several reviews, the package is amazing. Great 401k match, really excellent medical and good options for dependants too. Time off is generous too (for Americans anyways).

The people are very smart; there are no slouchers or idiots. If someone gets in and can't do the job, they get cut loose pretty fast.

The work itself has a lot of influence, so you do feel like you're a part of something that can and does affect change. People seem to respect you more (or at least value your network more) when you say you're at Pew.

Work/Life balance is very good. They will often allow you to negotiate for earlier or later hours to accomodate your kid's school or other responsibilities.

Cons

Where do I begin... It's like I said in the title, you have to wait until the "shine' wears off. The shine is a pun on the DC office, which has white floors, white walls, white desks, and glass everything else! It's polished, clean and don't even think about making a scuff mark. We have rules about how many plants you can have, what height they can be, how many pictures can be on which walls, etc. This level of control extends to everything here, from the dress code (no open-toed shoes for instance) to the level of review on documents.

The approval process is incredibly frusterating. Even Tweets have to be looked at by several pairs of eyes before they can be posted. Don't ever even hope to have a quick turn-around on something. "Fast" at Pew is over a month. At any point your work can be sent for a re-write, from your project director to your unit's Deputy Director, to the Managing Director to Government Affairs, then Legal then Communications then a different group of Communications to finally the Executive Office. The CEO has absolute authority and can kill a report or order major changes at her whim. She has an incredible control over everything that goes out the door, and if she thinks something is "controversial," you can expect that it will not survive her gaze.

This level of distrust has a significant trickle-down effect. Almost everyone at Pew feels that they aren't good enough. The culture has a unique way of making you question yourself, making you doubt your professional worth. It takes a while to get to this point though, so you don't really notice it until after a year or two. As a part of this culture, staff promotions are hard to come by. No matter what you do or how much you do, it's often comes to be viewed as part of your role, even if it is above your pay grade.

It's also very political here. "Who likes you?" is just about the most important question. Promotions are pretty much only given to those that are in their department head's buddy circle. This place can get pretty clique-y.

Assistants are often treated the worst, and management doesn't realize it. They are often loaned out to other groups without being asked. They are also asked to do pretty mindless tasks. No, they don't get coffee, but they do print things and put them on people's desks (even though the person has equal access to the printer.) If an assistant has a good manager, then he or she will be given substantive work and allowed to grow their skills. Unfortunately, there aren't near enough good managers to go around.

Advice to Senior Management

Give staff more respect, particularily the Junior staff (assistants and associates.) Create CLEAR paths to promotion (not time limits). Right now Pew is bleeding talent because of the lack of forward mobility. Be more open with staff. Just because something isn't "need to know" doesn't mean that it's not "deserve to know."

Pros

Pew hires smart, hardworking people. The vacation/sick/401k package is very good.

Cons

Morale in Philadelphia is low because the CEO has been moving the office piecemeal to DC for the past few years. Employees across several departments are being told that their positions are being eliminated or that their jobs are moving to the shiny new DC office. Decisions are all made behind closed doors.

Pros

Benefit package is wonderful (amazing 401k match and health benefits). Incredibly smart and talented staff. the Trusts provides an opportunity to work on a range of important issues.

Cons

Huge variation in salaries within the same staff level. If you came from the non-profit world, you are penalized with a low lateral salary offer (compared to your for-profit colleagues, you are likely to be getting paid much less). Very few opportunities for growth. Essentially, the Trusts hires incredibly talented, smart people, and then stops them from doing good work at every turn. The institution is incredibly bureaucratic--the CEO reviews almost everything, and there are about 5 other layers of review (all "anticipating" her feedback) before anything gets done. (Note that not following one of the rules in the building, like only having one plant and hanging your coat in the closet, is one of the few times you will get a very swift response from someone). Too many layers of approval and a fear of failure paralyzes a lot of good work. One of the biggest problems is the inability of directors to manage. They hire incredibly smart subject area experts, but many of them are controlling or lack effective communication and delegation skills. Their subject expertise doesn't translate into strong management or the ability to nurture innovation.

The Trusts generally doesn't invest in staff. For example, the design of the new office is designed for looks, not function or staff satisfaction. Very few opportunities for staff growth or development. Most of the work (and stress) falls on the directors/managing directors, and the managers and below are just stuck with the stressful aftermath of poor delegation.

I don't know how they will be able to sustain the organization given the growth. The bureaucracy and declining staff morale have gotten worse over the last few years. The place is still run like a foundation with a staff of 50 and the growing pains are chasing staff away.

Advice to Senior Management

"Trust the people?" Try trusting your staff.

Pros

The delivery of information to help make decisions (environment, politics, healthcare, culture), is first class. Employee benefits are some of the best you can get.

Cons

The environment is very political, almost all major decisions are made by CEO. Opportunity to advance in your career is difficult. Philadelphia is being down-sized.

Advice to Senior Management

Allow decision making to funnel down to levels where knowledge and experience make sense. Provide better career paths in all areas of the company.

Pros

Vacation time amazing, and incredibly generous 401k match. The Trusts provides a 2:1 match for all donations. Fully covers medical and dental.

Cons

As great as the benefits are, they can't trump the incredible frustrations that come from working at Pew. Micromanagement abounds. Staff try to find workarounds, but at the cost of morale. Project budgets should allow for huge wins. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it is just good PR. The staff are incredibly intelligent and hardworking, but the pressure of perfection creates a tense management and poor working conditions. I sincerely hope they are able to adapt to the growth and recognize the potential of the dollars, but that will involve a shift in management style.

Advice to Senior Management

Give staff the flexibility to use their considerable talents--they will deliver even bigger wins. It doesn't have to come at the cost of the Pew culture--strong, empowering management isn't incompatible with the traditions of the Trusts.

Pros

The benefits are really good.

Cons

Culture of micromanagement. If you stay too long you'll lose the ability to reason and make decisions.