The decline of a once-great company under new owners - Anonymous employee JustGiving Employee Review

2.0
Jan 2, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Meaningful work, most evident at the annual events ceremony. Passionate colleagues who care, at least at ground-level. Interesting tech.

Cons

The disruptive start-up culture of innovation and autonomy has been replaced with a stuffy corporate mentality, favouring process and rules over development and flexibility. WFH and remote working are being severely limited and/or scrapped. Longevity is rewarded over ability so progression opportunities are severely restricted. The Blackbaud international management team cobbled together to run JG since the acquisition lack understanding of the market and consumer brand, so the proposition is no longer competitive or appealing. The competition (GoFundMe, Facebook Causes etc) offer a better product at a lesser cost. The people-before-profits mantra of the founders has been abandoned in the pursuit of shareholder returns - incidentally Blackbaud share value has dropped from $95 down to $60 in the last 12 months. Many departments (IT, marketing, CS) that report into the corporate overlords will undoubtedly be near-shored to Charleston and Texas in 2019. Expect the London office to be reduced in size dramatically in the coming months.

Explore other reviews about JustGiving

5.0
Sep 25, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I worked for the U.S. operations (prior to its sale), which meant I had the opportunity to visit the UK office on several occasions and work with many team members. Here are some of the reasons I loved it: -- JG is the pioneer in online fundraising. They have been doing this since before it was fashionable, before the majority of people realized it was a brilliant idea. -- Zarine is energetic, magnetic, just all around awesome. And she truly believes in the company -- I worked in a role that allowed me to interact with charities, fundraisers, and donors. It was such a privilege! I learned so much, and was able to help these great causes raise money. How cool is that? -- Everyone has a voice. We were encouraged to speak up, have an opinion, be bold.

Cons

The senior management team really pushes the idea that the company is flat, but *they* have titles and senior roles and therefore don't always understand how hard it can be to be a mentor to more junior hires, and yet not have structure. This lack of structure also means there isn't necessarily a clear career path. For some, that's a deal breaker. It wasn't for me.

3.0
Jul 18, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

JustGiving has done amazing work in the UK over the past 17 years. They were recently acquired by Blackbaud which has been described as the Death Star. We'll see how the transition goes or if they'll be able to keep their independence.

Cons

JustGive was acquired by JustGiving and my leadership role was eliminated. I was pushed into business development but not given the resources I needed to succeed.

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JustGiving Response
8y
JustGiving exists exclusively to help charities raise more money, by connecting them to people who care. By joining Blackbaud, JustGiving will be able to serve its customers and users even better for years to come, and generally fulfill the company’s mission to grow the world of giving, faster and at greater scale.
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