SAFE named 2nd best large nonprofit in U.S. to work

Written by The SAFE Alliance

SAFE is an amazing place to work. Whether you’re at our Austin Children’s Shelter Campus or SafePlace Campus, Planet SAFE or at SAFE HQ, you see it as soon as you walk through the doors.

Offices and cubes are decorated with rainbow flags, plant life, weird dolls, and posters promoting healthy relationships. Walking around, you’ll hear regular outbursts of laughter – something you might not expect from an organization dedicated to stopping abuse.

But that’s what happens when employees genuinely like where they work. They feel comfortable. They can decorate. They can take pride in where they are and what they do.

So it’s thrilling to be recognized for something we already know: SAFE is one of the best nonprofits to work for in the country.

SAFE ranks among best nonprofits to work for 2017

In an April report by The NonProfit Times, SAFE ranked number two among large nonprofits (agencies with more than 250 employees). The number one slot went to Alzheimer’s Association, a Chicago-based agency with nearly 2,000 employees.

And across all U.S. nonprofits, SAFE ranks 21st. First place overall went to DonorsChoose.org, a New York nonprofit dedicated to providing materials and supplies to classrooms in need.

To find these results, NPT looked at the top 10 key drivers for employees, including:

  • I feel I am valued in this organization
  • I have confidence in the leadership of this organization
  • At this organization, employees feel they have fun at work
  • Overall, I’m satisfied with this organization’s benefits package
  • There is room for me to advance at this organization

Employees filled out questionnaires with more than 80 questions and statements across eight categories. Organizations were then ranked by the average percentage of positive responses.

Those that made the Best Nonprofits list generally scored 90 percent in all eight categories. Those that didn’t make the cut? Closer to 70 percent.

The Best Nonprofits list is not about comparing nonprofits against one another, it’s about comparing the nonprofit to itself. That is why SAFE takes so much pride in making the cut.

SAFE is particularly proud of making the list following a major merger of two big organizations – Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace.

Kelly White, SAFE CEO, says, “We worked really hard on organizational culture, recognizing that melding of organizational cultures when merging is as important as finances and HR policies. We decided that, rather than adopt one culture or another, our goal was to move forward with a new SAFE culture. And we spent a lot of time and thought in figuring out what it would be and how to move into it.”

What makes SAFE so great?

SAFE Chief Human Resource Officer Daniel Cox Malyszka told NPT areas like a low employee-to-supervisor ratio and perks like on-site daycare make for an amazing work environment.

Specifically mentioned was a policy that allows employees to bring their babies to work for six months after returning from family leave, which more than a dozen people took advantage of last year.

“There were just babies everywhere,” Malyszka said. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with their jobs, people are like, ‘A baby!’, passing them back and forth.”

It’s true. If you find yourself at SAFE and hear a succession of “Awwww,” “So cute!”, and “OMG,” chances are there’s a baby in the office. And there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy working here.

See all of our openings at SAFE.