World Vision International Reviews

Pros

Great work-life balance and my immediate supervisor is fantastic.

Cons

Impossible to get things done

Pros

Massive opportunities for growth and development
Strong values and commitment from leaders
Family-friendly environment - very flexible working arrangements

Cons

NGOs move very slow compared to corporate environments - requires lots of patience and persistence

Advice to Senior Management

Keep driving toward a professional, business focused ministry. Develop strong connections with leaders working for you so message is aligned

Pros

Staff for the most part was great.

Cons

Neptism, managers discrection are the biggest problem World Vision has. The company is riddled with staff that are related to one another. They do not train thier manager to have any people skills whatsoever. They are really great at telling you what you do wrong, there are not at giving accalades. They are not good stewards of donor money. Managers and executives purchase equpipment that they do not need for thier job. There is no trainning offered and again if you ask for training it was at the "managers discretion". There is no accountability many staff get away with not working while others have to pick up the slack. There is a lot of do as I say not as I do.

Advice to Senior Management

The problem is that even if you were to give advise they would not take it. Employees should be able to assess thier manager every quarter for performance just like staff.

Pros

Benefits are great once you become perm. Some of the people are great!! But like in all things you only remember the bad experiences.

Cons

Poor management. Leaders hear but don't listen. There is a lot of nepotism a lot of wrong people for the job. There is no room for growth. They say they want people to take the initiative and when they do they get thier hand slapped. Your told by management that they want to hear your concerns but in reality they don't really want to know there is problems and nothing gets done. There is a lot of resentment and animosity. It seems as if managment puts employees against eachother. Focus on the subject not the delivery.

Advice to Senior Management

Actions speak louder than words. There is a lot of talk and no action. Leaders should really look at what kind of example they are showing. There is no personal accountablity.

Pros

Job satisfaction in serving others. The best colleagues in the world. A persistent dissatisfaction in the status quo, and a corresponding effort to consistently improve.

Cons

Internal politics, inefficiencies of the federal governance model.

Advice to Senior Management

Really listen to staff, and trust them with information.

Pros

Work for something you believe in. Be connected to a global network of 30,000+ employees. Develop spiritual life as part of job. Good people.

Cons

Organization is in transition. Growing pains as it tries to professionalize. Tough transition for people coming from business to non-profit culture.

Advice to Senior Management

Develop people internally more.

Pros

Great Christian organization filled with encouraging people.

Cons

Slow process and change timelines

Advice to Senior Management

Innovate

Pros

Compared to organizations in the same field World Vision does a superb job of taking care of its staff and providing them with good benefits. The salaries outside the US, particularly when combined with expatriate benefits, are quite good. It is a good place to start your career but its probably best to move on to other places if you want to maintain professional standards and hone your skills to a level that others (outside World Vision) will find acceptable.

Cons

It is a Christian organization and at times it seems that unqualified Christians as opposed to qualified, professional non-Christians are hired. This is particularly true in the field offices and is also true of some of the people who rose through the ranks and are now in senior management positions. In addition, most of the people have not worked outside World Vision therefore you see the same ideas, same management styles and same development approaches being recycled over and over again. World Vision tends to separate itself from other organizations that work in the same field, therefore, you have fewer opportunities to network with non-World Vision people. Minimal sustainable impact in the field - this is unfortunate as World Vision has a ton of resources. These resources, combined with qualified people and good, progressive strategies can be put to better use.

Advice to Senior Management

To make sure that all staff are qualified for the positions they hold. This means that they are not only Christian, as per World Vision requirements, but also educated to an acceptable level. Stop looking inwards and look outside World Vision and see what other organizations have to offer - learn from others. Be less tolerant of sub-standard work and unprofessional behavior at all levels - starting with senior management and going all the way down to those in the field. Passive aggressive behavior is tolerated within World Vision - it is a part of World Vision's culture. This needs to be addressed as it does not create a healthy working environment. Provide professional growth opportunities to everyone, regardless of whether or not they are in senior management. Some offices interpret World Vision policies inappropriately - for instance, threatening to fire those who do not attend devotions. In some offices, particularly in the field offices, staff are cowed and bullied by management and those in senior positions. This leads to workplace bullying and should be addressed. World Vision has HUGE resources and these can be put to better use by addressing the above issues.

Pros

This is a great organization for individuals looking to make a difference in the world. They do amazing work in third-world countries and focus on issues affecting children - HIV/Aids, poverty, lack of education, etc.

Cons

Despite doing amazing work, this is not a place for someone looking for promotions or advancements. Salaries are also lower than the for-profit world and also compared to some other not-for-profit organizations. Middle and senior management is very mission focused and not employee focused. My department's director actually had the gall to give our team Holiday cards with a note saying that she donated money to WVI in lieu of giving each one of us a gift or holiday lunch!

Advice to Senior Management

Improve performance review process; reward staff for their performance; do some compensation surveys to callibrate where WVI falls in the not-for-profit space.