Pros
There is really only one positive aspect, and it sets MDA apart from other non-profits: the amazing families you get to meet and work with on a regular basis. It is one of the only nonprofit organizations that has direct interaction with the families it serves, so it truly allows you to feel immersed in the mission and culture of helping others. It is the driving force behind everyone who has stayed for as long as they have; it is the one thing you find you miss when you are no longer there. Hand in hand with this aspect are the clinics that MDA is a part of. Every clinic I was able to go to observe seemed like the staff were just amazing to work with and was of great benefit to the families.
Cons
Let me preface by saying I have absolutely no animosity towards the organization. My review is simply stating facts while I worked there. How it impacts your decision, is solely up to you. Having worked my way up for many years, I must admit that the cons far outweigh the pros. 1. Your hours are long and uncompensated. You have dozens of events you manage each year; you are classified as exempt in any position that requires regular "after hours work" (even if it doesn't meet the State Labor Board's exempt classification requirements for your state). Your workload, in any given week, far exceeds your work hours (again, why you are classified as exempt). Your compensation is sub-par (it only takes a little research to figure this out), merit raises are non-existent (maybe after years of asking or advising you have another offer and they don't want to lose you), and performance evals don't even assist in helping you with better compensation or raises (they are rarely even completed according to the own HR timeline). 2. While a small handful of upper management who are still there are actually great leaders and managers, the vast majority are not. If you have any issues related to your direct management, best of luck. You will be expected to manage your managers. HR is of no help at all either; I'm not even sure why they have this department. It would seem as though no one in upper management wants to take ownership of management they've hired that have become a problem. It may directly relate to no one in HR to doing anything other than to let the people who are the problem know about it without addressing how it will be fixed. 3. What vacation you do receive, has restrictions on when you can use it. Management can and does expect (at times) that you put the needs of the organization before your own personal trips, birthdays, anniversaries, events, etc. As such, "being flexible" is a job requirement and occasional nights and weekends means "many." 4. Despite all this, if the mission is strong enough to keep you there for several years, your retirement options are non-existent. You might as well pay into your own private plan. For years they didn't offer anything, and then they offered a plan where there is no company match: not even 1%. (This might be a little different now for upper management). Although, depending on your compensation level, investing in any plan could prove to be problematic (unless you are upper management). 5. The majority of money raised is at the local level: that means it's all on your tiny office to make this happen. For many years, despite economic downturns, almost every local budget was raised. It clearly demonstrated that management was focused on only one thing. Not just sustaining company funding, but fighting harder for every dollar to be had. Need I say where the majority of this extra money is raised? 6. While there are career opportunities, as people often quit or are let go, there is no rhyme or reason as to how you can get promoted. Some people are offered the job internally, while some have to apply like everyone else. Others are encouraged to strive for more and work harder when the position is filled, but then told they don't see them as a good fit once the position is open. Some people who get promoted are the ones that do the least amount to contribute to their team; most that end up leaving are some of the best the company has ever had. 7. My last point is truly the most disappointing of them all. While the company says it is there to serve the families, it doesn't want to acknowledge problems that the families bring to their attention. When families start to notice that things are slipping, there are clinic issues, MDA staff are overworked and treated poorly, or their local management behaves or speaks unprofessionally towards them: this should be addressed expeditiously and provide some sort of resolution without being deflected. Instead, in my time there, I have seen letters be dismissed without responses and phone calls not returned (that truly warrant follow up). Families were left feeling that as long as they are helping at events, nothing else really matters.
