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private:futurefounders
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https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=1165707
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Oct 30th, 2020 12:00AM
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Open
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Open
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Future Founders
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Chicago, IL
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Truly a Rollercoaster of Emotion
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Everyone on staff is smart and capable, creative and ambitious, passionate and hard working. And they know their stuff. If you’re working directly on Program, you will have tons of student time and the opportunity to focus on creating ~your~ direct impact. There’s lots of room to experiment with different approaches to the work, but not much direction or support in terms of how and where to channel your efforts.
That said, literally everything in the "Powerful Non-Profit with Terrible Leadership" review on this page is 100% accurate. I have read that review so many times that I almost have it memorized. It grounded me when I felt like I was losing my mind. I especially enjoy:
- “Without any prior experience ... Mr. Issen has run Future Founders with corresponding ineptitude.”
- “Meetings are scheduled and cancelled on a whim; employee roles and expectations are altered with a similar lack of consideration.”
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You may be able to contently, productively, and even successfully work at Future Founders if you relate to the following:
You are forever and 100% justifiably confident in your ability to perform. You’ve cultivated a special brand of patience: you refuse to sweat the small stuff, you compartmentalize misinformation, and you suspend disbelief. You expertly navigate prolonged indecision, in fact, you’ll chat about a two point agenda for as many hours. You are internally motivated, yet you go with the flow, wherever it may go -- Kathmandu, ice cream, the Election, whatever! Who cares?!
You think work should feel “like a family.” In fact, the idea of Michael Scott (The Office) as a manager doesn’t stress you out because he seems like a pretty nice guy and a fun leader. Also... you might think that labor unions are a nuisance and that everyone has an equal shot in this life, regardless of color, creed, or credit score. As long as a person works hard enough, they can get anything they want -- or at least whatever they deserve. Look, you’d assert, at the end of the day, the ”system” (whatever THAT is, am I right?) is fair and just. Except taxes are stupid and dumb.
Before the pandemic, you’d find guilty pleasure in sternly addressing a waiter about the 20 minutes you had to wait after ordering for the appetizers to arrive. You might even let yourself feel thrilled if these comments result in a free dessert or (even better) a discount.
Personalities aside, and as my favorite verse in “Powerful Non-Profit with Terrible Leadership" explains, Future Founders is not what it could be. FF’S mission attracts amazing people… incredible mentors, great volunteers, awesome founders, super cool students, and WOW can you even believe these fabulous staff?! They are incredible, yes, but there’s no infrastructure, no policies, no strategy, and very little communication. Unfortunately, leadership (e.g. CEO and Board) is unwilling or unable to see these issues as solvable and therefore worthy of investment.
What matters most to Scott is what Scott thinks -- not the mission, not the students, and certainly not staff. I hope that the board will take action by implementing a little structure to operations and a little specificity to mission delivery -- for the sake of the organization, the people it purports to serve, and the ~**~ staff (past and present) who do their best, given the circumstances.
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-1.0
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NEGATIVE
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-1.0
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NEGATIVE
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3.0
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1.0
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5.0
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1.0
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5.0
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4.0
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1.0
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1165707
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Open
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I've told you what I think and I don't think you cared to listen.
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0.0
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[]
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REGULAR
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No
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No
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2.0
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Feb 20th, 2021 09:27PM
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Feb 20th, 2021 09:27PM
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Future Founders
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Consumer Services
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General Retailers
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private:futurefounders
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https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=1165707
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Jul 13th, 2017 12:00AM
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Open
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Open
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Future Founders
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Chicago, IL
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Amazing company, amazing staff, meaningful work
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The tightly-knit staff work very closely together and operate very much as a team. The culture is very flexible and trust-focused. They only hire the highest quality people.
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As a nonprofit (and a small one) the whole team usually ends up participating in fundraising to fund the next year's programs. (This spans all nonprofits though.)
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1.0
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POSITIVE
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1.0
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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3.0
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3.0
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5.0
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1165707
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Open
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Keep making Future Founders a phenomenal place to work.
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0.0
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[]
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REGULAR
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No
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Yes
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2.0
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Feb 20th, 2021 09:27PM
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Feb 20th, 2021 09:27PM
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Future Founders
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Consumer Services
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General Retailers
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private:futurefounders
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https://www.glassdoor.com?employer_id=1165707
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Jan 21st, 2016 12:00AM
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Open
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Open
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Future Founders
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Chicago, IL
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Powerful Non-Profit with Terrible Leadership
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Future Founders is a non-profit organization that helps develop young entrepreneurs through a variety of targeted, age-appropriate programs. Flexibility and pay are the main pros of working at Future Founders. As with all non-profit jobs, the services you provide in order to assist others make the work worthwhile; the students, volunteers, and partner organizations involved are all fantastic.
List of Pros:
-Extremely competitive benefits and compensation relative to similar jobs in the non-profit sector
-Great group of dedicated volunteers, students, and partner organizations
-Autonomy within a given role
-Great place to develop connections in the entrepreneurial community
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To call the leadership team of Future Founders, principally the CEO, Scott Issen, "unqualified" would be a drastic understatement. In the "founder's story" he repeatedly tells, Mr. Issen says he "never wanted to be an entrepreneur" and was simply given the namesake program in his previous role at the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (now 1871). Without any prior experience managing people, volunteers, or programs -- let alone an entire organization -- Mr. Issen has run Future Founders with corresponding ineptitude.
At Future Founders, priorities change at a moment's notice, and the organization's goals are a constantly shifting landscape. Follow through is non-existent. Meetings are scheduled and cancelled on a whim; employee roles and expectations are altered with a similar lack of consideration. Even semi-annual reviews, critical to the growth and support of any employee, are pushed aside for months on end. Mr. Issen uses the volatility of the entrepreneurial community as an excuse for his complete lack of consistency, clarity, and care.
Though Future Founders delivers fantastic programs to an overlooked, deserving population, the wholesale failure of it's leadership make it impossible to recommend to prospective employees.
List of Cons:
-Inconsistent and unqualified leadership
-Lack of substantive feedback and support
-Unclear goals and responsibilities
-Absence of appreciation from supervisors
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-1.0
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NEGATIVE
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-1.0
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NEGATIVE
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2.0
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1.0
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3.0
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1.0
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1.0
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4.0
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1.0
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1165707
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Open
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The management of Future Founders should seriously consider addressing the aforementioned gaps, failings, and inconsistencies in order to increase their impact on the Chicagoland entrepreneurial community, their passionate volunteers, and -- most importantly -- the deserving students they serve.
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0.0
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[]
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REGULAR
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No
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No
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2.0
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Feb 20th, 2021 09:27PM
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Feb 20th, 2021 09:27PM
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Future Founders
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Consumer Services
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General Retailers
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