Pros
The company is busy providing as many services and resources as they can to nonprofits throughout Washington State, and elsewhere in the country. There have been some great achievements from the organization, including the acquisition of GiveBIG and products such as the Five Elements Assessment. Most of the staff bring a wide skillset and enthusiasm for the nonprofit sector, and are able to use their time at 501 Commons to become even more skilled in their work, whether as an administrative assistant, consultant, or program manager. Additionally for most staff, schedules are flexible; many are able to work from home and have control over their calendars, which enables parents to pick up their kids from school or gives wiggle room for unplanned issues (e.g. car broke down, inclement weather). What’s more, if you advocate for yourself you can take advantage of professional development opportunities and pursue areas where your strengths benefit both you and the company.
Cons
Staff turnover is high; this is a complicated issue but much of it boils down to poor compensation, bad benefits, and problematic management. There is a well-known difficult staff member who practices gatekeeping and fosters a toxic work culture, and there is a significant barrier (largely in communication) between leadership and the rest of the organization. Salaries in some departments are not competitive for the region and there are some sizeable disparities among colleagues. As a result of limited resources and low morale, stress levels are often high, teams are not mission-driven, and every other staff person will claim they are overextended. It is also noteworthy that employees tend to leave the organization in batches (i.e. exodus) after 1-3 years. It is worrying that, as good of resources as the company provides to nonprofits, 501 Commons does not lead by example.
