Community Economic Defense Project Reviews

Terrible leadership who gaslight, lie, manipulate, and pretend to be interested in diversity.

I am honestly surprised by this company and the way it operates while claiming to be an anchor in the community. They are so focused on clients, or at least appear to be, that the well being and treatment of employees seems to be an afterthought. Out of all the jobs I have worked, this was by far the worst experience. The reality behind the scenes was completely different from the image the organization presents to the public. The workplace culture often felt more like a high school social hierarchy than a professional organization. Advancement and influence seemed to depend heavily on being part of the "in crowd." Important decisions were made by leadership, but opportunities for growth, input, and recognition did not always appear to be based on merit or performance. The organization also struggled with communication and consistency. Processes often felt disorganized, expectations changed frequently, and employees were left to navigate unnecessary confusion. Interactions with leadership and colleagues could be unnecessarily abrasive, creating an environment that felt more confrontational than collaborative. What surprised me most was the lack of professionalism in internal communications. I witnessed lengthy Slack discussions dedicated to criticizing elected officials and political administrations, often filled with profanity and unprofessional language. My concern is not about anyone's political beliefs. I do not expect everyone to share the same views. My concern is that this type of conduct was openly accepted in a workplace environment with little regard for professionalism or decorum. I would not recommend working here in any capacity. In my experience, you are likely to spend your time at an organization that does not genuinely value its employees instead of finding a workplace that invests in their growth and development. One of the most disappointing aspects was the lack of opportunities for internal advancement. I have never worked for a company that seemed so reluctant to promote from within. Time and time again, positions were filled by external candidates rather than giving existing employees the opportunity to grow into those roles. I also came across reviews suggesting that roles were sometimes created for favored individuals, and from what I observed, there appeared to be truth to those concerns. There were instances where certain employees seemed to be retained through newly created positions while others faced layoffs or limited opportunities. Whether intentional or not, it created the perception that favoritism played a role in organizational decisions. Perhaps most concerning was the lack of stability. Frequent changes, inconsistent communication, layoffs, and uncertainty about organizational direction made it difficult to feel secure or confident in the workplace. Employees deserve transparency, fairness, respect, and opportunities to advance based on their contributions. A company cannot truly serve its community while neglecting the people who do the work every day. Unfortunately, that was my experience here.