Pays well but the organization has stalled - Marketing AARP Employee Review

2.0
Jan 11, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation is on the high end for a nonprofit The organization is financially stable

Cons

The membership offering has remained virtually unchanged in the past decade with very little innovation, which is why membership growth has effectively stalled out for years and years. It is two separate print publications, a bunch of discounts that are easily found and beat elsewhere, and a bunch of junk mail. There isn't really a compelling reason for people in their 50s and 60s today to pay for and join AARP. Most employees know this so it is like working at a restaurant where everyone knows the food is sub-par but the tips are good. AARP is focused on boiling the ocean, but aside from lobbying (which it is truly good at), most of the offerings/events/programs/content are dated, watered down, easily obtained elsewhere, and subpar in quality of execution. Employees will say they love working for an organization with a mission, but ask them to define what AARP is and why it is relevant in the world, and you'll get dozens of wildly different answers. The org does know its founding and history, but it doesn't truly know what it is today or what it wants to be in the near future. There is an odd culture where nobody ever talks about something not going well. Everything is reported out as being a success and everyone is thanked and praised, regardless of the truth. You could spend $25,000 bringing 1,000 people to a free webinar and it would be considered successful. The org's culture and morale have struggled during the pandemic, with teams walling off into their silos more than in the past and nobody knowing what anyone else is doing. Executive leadership is also sitting on a workforce that even pre-pandemic had extraordinarily long commutes even for the DC area (plenty of people living way out in the far suburbs and exurbs) and after 2 years of working from home the long-commuters are really pushing back on the idea of commuting 4 days a week, though as of this writing the return to office is postponed. This is a decent place to work with many kind people and good pay, and it was good to me while I was there, but all of the strong talent has been leaving lately for a reason.

Explore other reviews about AARP

5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

great benefits even for interns like free lunch, reimbursed parking, hybrid work. good opportunities to network, hone your skills, and potentially get a permanent role within the organization.

Cons

long onboarding. lots of hr training.

4.0
Jun 30, 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I was able to take on multiple responsibilities, like research and volunteer engagement, with consideration of my time and workload from school.

Cons

At times, I felt like my work wasn’t as important or could’ve been done by my supervisors, especially when projects were close to completion, they would be altered but I understand it was for time efficiency.

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