Pros
The culture of this organization was toxic.
Cons
I read a post that indicated that former employees are spreading rumors — the reality is that these are not rumors but things that actually are embedded into RAFT. There is a reason why in one year over half of the employees were fired and the org transitioned through four CEO’s. This organization has a systemically racist culture. Its CEO has always been white, a majority of the staff have been white, and those on the board in leadership positions are mostly white. Hires from other cultures and backgrounds are primarily used as tokens ... they are not individuals who are given actual decision making rights. Most staff are not empowered to feel confident to make decisions and are micromanaged. This organization could use work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. It has gone through significant turnover in staff and seriously tested legal boundaries as far as its conduct with employees are concerned. The board of directors doesn’t care about the bullying or trauma they cause their frontline staff. I have never experienced so many employees highlighting the blatant disregard that the board has had regarding their experiences. People have literally gone to the board and their grievances have been ignored. The culture of “white supremacy in nonprofits” is highlighted in everything the organization does, down to the rhetoric they use within their walls to describe low income families and title I schools. They rarely hire from within the communities they serve and do not make an effort to understand the needs of those whom they call their partners. The organization takes a top down approach and very much tells their partners what they should do and which programs to use vs. seeking the voice and advice of their constituents. If staff say anything that contradicts the board or leadership they are punished.