Excellent community work; terrible place to work - Anonymous employee United Way Employee Review

2.0
Aug 16, 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

United Way Ottawa really did do a lot of good for people in our community. Staff are given summer hours (every other Friday off) to compensate for all the mandatory overtime during the campaign year. The people working there were usually very friendly and wonderful colleagues.

Cons

Management's treatment of staff was very poorly handled. Staff were paid badly, expected to work long hours and volunteer over and above regular hours. Education and experience were not matched with pay or responsibilities: many jobs that required highly skilled and educated people stated in their descriptions that they required only high school level education (and were paid accordingly). During changes in the workplace, all change was communicated terribly to staff, which resulted in a lot of anxiety and discontent among staff.

Explore other reviews about United Way

5.0
Apr 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

People were very nice and cooperative

Cons

Not any that I would speak of

2.0
Jun 18, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The mission is meaningful and the work itself can be deeply rewarding. Colleagues are talented, dedicated, and genuinely care about the community they serve. For the right person, that camaraderie carries a lot of weight.

Cons

Over the past two years, this organization has undergone significant and painful change. A revolving door of senior leadership, including the abrupt loss of key executives, created instability that trickled down to every level of staff. Layoffs followed, and then a steady stream of voluntary departures that leadership appeared either unable or unwilling to address meaningfully. Under new leadership, nearly every quality-of-life benefit that made nonprofit-level salaries feel worth it has been reduced or eliminated: fewer sick days, increased healthcare costs, loss of Summer Fridays, loss of Thanksgiving week, and a shift to more required in-office days. The cumulative effect is an organization that asks a great deal of its staff, in salary sacrifice and mission commitment, while systematically withdrawing what made that trade-off feel fair.

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