Catholic Medical Mission Board Reviews

Pros

Very family friendly, encourages work-life balance (their mission is maternal child health after all) with very generous time off including Catholic holidays, vacation leave, sick days, personal leave, and public holidays, not to mention option for occasional remote work for many staff. Small size allows all staff to assume different roles and new experiences if interested in doing so. Very mission-driven organization, which permeates throughout departments and locations, moreso than most in this sector in my opinion. Although a Catholic FBO, it has a very diverse workforce including many women and minorities in top leadership positions and is data-driven (it was founded by a New York doctor a century ago who lost his wife and child to disease).

Cons

Wall Street location is a commuting inconvenience to some, although the Manhattan location is a pro in other ways (e.g. networking events). Some benefits If career advancement is important to you, you may find opportunities limited due to small size of org (most people here are in it for the mission).

Pros

People are driven by their desire to serve women and children living in poverty, spirit of entrepreneurship, leaders care for staff professionally and personally, , opportunities to visit programs, lean and efficient, opportunity to grow (I began my journey as an intern and have been given many opportunities to grow since then)

Cons

We work really hard but the work is fulfilling and the people are supportive and kind, in recruiting we need to ensure the people we are choosing are the right fit

Pros

Great mission. Very ambitious and miraculously saw some good growth.

Cons

Managers did not know how to manage. Very disorganized and there was very little trust and communication among senior management. Very political and WAY too much turn over; almost 20 people in my short time, and since leaving there have been many others. Keep in mind there were only about 35 in our NYC headquarters. Those who have been there a long time weren't of much help.

Pros

Exciting and relevant mission, strategy and programs with lots of new faces around the office. Field staff are inspiring to work with when you get the chance to interact with them and the international volunteer program is really good. The office culture is pretty relaxed compared with most other places I've worked. Most colleagues and leadership seem committed and seem like they care about you as a person, and the CEO usually has an open door and makes a point to try to get to know everyone.

Cons

Disjointed teams without a clear culture... complaining, underperformers and defensiveness tend to overshadow the good work being done or stop progress in its tracks. For an organization that is depending on the success of a lot of internal changes, many teams are surprisingly risk-averse and lack creativity and the ability to execute.

Pros

- The office is closed during Christmas week - Flexible working arrangement - The staff at the Long Island City warehouse are lovely and get the job done

Cons

A very weak and not professional leader leads to a shaky financial situation. 3 years after implementing the new program, they still can articulate and show results of the program. For an organization that claims love and respect as their values, they treat its employee very poorly. The management fired highly experienced and professional staff all the time so that their inexperienced close-knit can still have jobs. Nepotism - bypassing formal recruitment process by bringing in friends as volunteers and consultants, and later hire them as full-time staff. The innovation team actually lacks vision, leaderships, experience, strategy, and professionalism. They are highly inexperienced and do not have a solid understanding regarding the global health landscape, marcomm, and fundraising. They rely on Google search to help do their jobs or find a new “innovation” Does very little work that actually helps the beneficiaries. Most money raised from donors is spent on the ridiculous amount of management salaries and benefit as well as “marketing” as opposed to actually funding the program and ground work. That’s why they still unable to show significant results of the “program” It is infuriating that the board members choose not to care and close their eyes

Pros

To be in a place where there are shared values, with people motivated to work to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged and poorest people in the world in places like the South Sudan, Haiti, etc., is a great feeling.

Cons

This is a turn-around of a 100-year old non-profit. The old, sleepy guard was replaced a few years ago, and a new team is at work executing a new plan. It takes time to turn a large, moving ship with legacy systems and new systems both requiring resources. There is much work to do, and it requires a particular type of person to be comfortable working with one foot in the old, and one foot in the new.