Grameen Foundation Reviews

Every now and then I check back on GF to see if they're afloat anymore. Funders see through the BS and know that the organization is a shell of what it used to be. GF is burning through its assets and reserves to stay alive. Morale was as low as it could've been. People's friends and coworkers were getting chopped left and right. The organization completed its third round of layoffs in as many years. HQ offices are nearly empty, now only housing CEO and junior staff. CFO? CDO? COO? Forget about it, they got laid off or quit. Look at the 990s. The executive team is different every single year. Vacant positions go unfilled (no funding) & are either absorbed into other positions or, more often, the work that the position was responsible for is not done. There is no diversity of thought, in any way imaginable. Everyone thinks the same. Staff who are still around lament the same things and all tow the same complaints. Others are written off as not being culture fits. What culture?? HR (consisting of one male) is basically non-existent and, when around, arrogant and offensive. Disastrous people management. The organization is in crisis mode, and a culture of gossip and rumor spreading has taken hold. Product of exceedingly low morale and all mid-level managers being laid off. Shame on those who still work there and perpetuate this while selling a mission of growth and future promise to external partners. GF has suffered chronic financial mismanagement dating back to before the merger. Take a look at the annual reports and 990s for proof. What funder would support that? There's no CFO. Financial administration staff down to just a few people. Stupidly, stupidly high overhead and a total mismanagement of unrestricted resources. Spending in organizational reserves-- real revenue/expenses far in the red. Executive management continues to globetrot on the exhaust fumes of sold assets while junior staff don't have a budget for office supplies. I strongly recommend anyone looking at GF as a partner in any way-- a consultant, employee, funder-- to stay away from this train wreck.

Grameen is top-heavy. There has been effort to slim down the number of senior leaders pulling in bigger salaries, but the pendulum swings back to the top-heavy side pretty quickly. Meanwhile, there are far too few lower level staff to keep the place running smoothly. Far, far too few. And the pay system for these lower level staff is confounding. In some departments, you are likely to be paid fairly in relation to your talent and productivity. In others, you may be paid way less than market rate for your skillset even if you are a top performer. Obviously this leads to low morale, high turnover, and consequently the exacerbation of problems around staffing. It's hard to make money for an INGO these days, and Grameen is not immune to the hardships, but in order to be the lean org it pretends to be, it's got to stop hiring "big thinkers" who don't want to roll up their sleeves.