So much promise and the potential to do good work but very demoralising to work here.
Pros
Really lovely, talented, well-meaning people who care about animal welfare and want to make a difference, if only they were given a chance.
Cons
Terrible management. The problem with this organisation is that there is too much talking and not enough doing. I have never seen so many strategic meetings and talkfests with people making plans in countries they know little about. The plans then disappear into the ether with little follow-up. The other problem is that the senior management seem uninterested in or disconnected from grassroots program activities. They work in the stratosphere of strategic planning and seem uninterested in engaging with the middle and lower levels in a serious way (unless people all happen to be meeting in an exotic location for a strategic meeting). One wonders how senior management are able to think strategically when they don't have a firm grasp of what is happening on the ground. There seems to be little recognition of the talent bank that exists at WSPA. They attract highly experienced and well-meaning staff that get wasted on ineffectual projects or end up leaving out of frustration. There is no coherent policy framework and the matrix management system defies logic. The other concern is the poor management of donor funding. There is a lot of waste and little financial accountability or monitoring and evaluation of programs. This is related to the organisation's lack of experience or knowledge of some of the countries in which it operates. The organisation would also benefit from more transparency in the way recruitment, promotions and transfers and poor performance are managed. There seems to be a WSPA elite, an inner-clique, supported by technocrats or experienced campaigners that don't get the respect or recognition they deserve. If you want to make a difference, do not work for this organisation.