Software Engineers - please don't fall for the fake reviews - Software Engineer JustGiving Employee Review

1.0
Feb 7, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is decent (they've had to introduce some incentive) London office is alright

Cons

Low-skilled engineers have worked their way into higher positions, which has created surely one of the most dysfunctional engineering departments in London. You might ask how that happened, and according to present/past colleagues it took place sometime around a few years back when Just Giving changed hands to American ownership. What you now have is a collection of loud (and extremely defensive) 'old crowd' engineers who continuously blame each other and others for failure. If you don't believe me, try raising a pull request and see some of the comments you get - it truly is stunning. There's critical hostility with even basic concepts like Separation of Concerns completely misunderstood. Expect virtually zero innovation and for things to be done "the way they always have, because we know other things don't work". This is the perfect company to swallow the worst of the engineering talent in London, for anyone with any skills or ambitions, please do look elsewhere in the substantially more attractive market. London is full of great tech firms. That's exactly what I'm doing, don't waste your own time like I wasted mine.

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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