How do I do "due diligence" for a job in a small organization?

March 2, 2017 9:12 AM

In the wake of current events, I'm considering a move into more advocacy-focused work. I'm being considered for a position with a relatively young, very small non-profit in an advocacy area I'm new to (and don't have a lot of contacts in). Before/during/after the interview, what should I do to figure out the organization's bona fides?

Other than the information about things like office culture, the work, pay, etc., I want to do my due diligence on whether the organization is respected, good at what it does, aligned with good advocacy positions. (I.e., I don't want to accidentally put a big red flag on my resume for people actually in the field.) Obviously, the organization has its own spin on how great it is and the work it's doing, but I don't want to just blindly accept whatever they say. So how do I do due diligence, especially as I don't really know anyone in the field to ask in person about whether they've heard of this organization and what they think of it? Google searching mostly leads to their own materials, although I did find an endorsement of their work from the Unitarian Universalists, of all things....

Or, as a broader question: I often see advice for job seekers to make sure they do their due diligence on an organization during the interview stage and certainly before accepting an offer. What does this "diligence" entail, particularly for small organizations in reputation-based fields?

posted by alligatorpear to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Best answer: You could see whether they have any red flags on Charity Navigator. There does tend to be some lag in the info reported there so for a new organization there may not be much to go on.

Ask questions about work processes just to see whether there ARE any. Also whether any of the principals' family members are employed there. Is there an employee handbook? Do they cover expenses such as your professional licensing fees or continuing education expenses? Not so much because you necessarily want those to be covered but to see whether they're developed enough as an organization to have policies on these kinds of issues.
posted by lakeroon at 9:54 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

On rereading your question I see I didn't really address your reputational questions. One idea would be to connect with someone who would be sort of an expected collaborator, like if this was a clean water group, talk to someone who lobbies for clean air about whether they show up at the right hearings, are respected by regulators, etc.
posted by lakeroon at 10:22 AM on March 2, 2017

Best answer: Look for coalitions that work on the issues they cover and see whether they're members or leaders of those coalitions. If they work well with other groups, that's a good sign of both a decent organizational culture and that their advocacy positions are not unpalatable to others in their field. If they're cozy with (e.g.) industry or politicians that seem to be working against their advocacy goals, that may be a bad sign.

If your city or state has decent lobbying disclosure requirements, you can also look up their lobbying record to get more insight into who they've been meeting with and if it seems like they're making effective choices to you.
posted by snaw at 10:25 AM on March 2, 2017

Best answer: In addition to charity navigator, look at guide star. Google for news articles on the org and its key officers. Do they receive grants from reputable foundations? Where else have key officers worked and where have key officers moved on to?
posted by bunderful at 10:25 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]