Pros
Flexible, high-energy, high-integrity, grounded in community, customer oriented, constantly learning and improving, and entrepreneurial team. The org actually has people and performance values it tries to live up to and implement and “joyful productivity,” is one of them! Although on a tight non-profit budget, the org sends team members to conferences and organizes staff outings that are still mission focused (for ex: a food tour where staff gets to bond and see local businesses and eateries and meet the owners behind the businesses). Every staff member gets a professional headshot. (See the team link on the about us page of RisingTideCapital.org. Birthday cakes are sacred and the entire team signs cards. There is a strong culture of checking in with people and making sure people are doing ok. Team takes regular responsibility and ownership over a culture of professionalism with a strong emphatic bend.
Cons
Inundated with work; can feel like drinking from a fire hose; intense pace; hard to slow down and integrate lessons learned; under-resourced in some critical areas of need (like most non-profits experiencing growth). Admin, Finance, HR and Fundraising are minimally staffed and stretched. Programs are growing and there is difficulty staying ahead of the growth. Structure is shifting and while change is a constant, it can also feed into uncertainty. Attempts to stabilize and create a sense of security can sometimes feel like slowness to adopt to change. This is great for people who are entrepreneurial, like being professionally challenged and thrive in a changing environment.