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director

steward

camp director

camp counselor

The Trustees of Reservations

The is a wonderful organization, but I'm afraid that upper management has lost its connection with its employees, both seasonal and full-time, and its every day donors and property guests. It has begun to focus too heavily on wealthy donors and we are seeing properties and programs suffer as a result.

My job was eliminated for financial reasons just as I was starting for the season. Rest assured, I'm not bitter as I've been proud to stand behind this organization's mission, but I'm quite honestly disappointed in where they're headed. I was expected to do a lot with very, very little funding, to no fault of my manager who helped me as best as possible (I have no complaints about my direct manager whatsoever). Similarly, I was given very little support by anyone but my direct manager, who could really only do so much. Most of the issues I ran into were former donors or acquaintances of the organization that were also extremely unhappy with where it's going. I put a lot of effort in for very little return because, sad to say, I think The Trustees has tainted its brand in many communities, including mine.

I can only hope that upper management will begin to see what they're doing. As I said, I'm not bitter about my position being eliminated, but I firmly belief that the decision, in addition to other decisions being made in recent years, are being made hastily and are not taking into consideration the "small man," i.e. the donors that renew sustaining memberships religiously, regularly attend events, walk properties often, and volunteer. A lot of money from big donors can only get you so far when you don't have enough people to enjoy the work you're spending the money on.

The Trustees of Reservations property Appleton Farms in an incredibly beautiful property that benefits the land, animals, and the community. The ground level staff are extremely knowledgeable about the mission and are extremely talented. In the recent years, the Trustees have shifted to a corporate model and have shifted their focus to their Boston offices. Due to this, the focus has been drawn from the increasingly neglected properties and ground-level staff. The president has expressed on multiple occasions that the Trustees can find someone to replace us if we are unhappy. They have been increasingly unwilling to work with and communicate with most staff resulting in massive turn over. I truly love what I do and the people that I work with, but it has become very hard to work with upper management and it is truly disappointing.

What is the best part of working at the company?
A shared dedication to protecting nesting shorebirds created a tight team environment

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Worked during Covid summer of 2020, and boaters from NJ ridiculed beach staff for wearing masks when near visitors.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work was outdoors and although it was mostly solo, there was great camaraderie with staff and rangers.  Culture was warm and public service oriented

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Check in to ranger hub, get assignment, radio, check weather, check map for latest nests, go out to monitor beaches via ATV, log observations in journal.  Cover extensive beaches, return to base in 4-6 hours. Refuel and clean vehicle, update maps and log data entries.

my day at work starts at 10 am and ends at 4 pm. I would come in and help my co worker by picking up from breakfast. then we would wait for the guest to check out if we had any people checking out that day. then my co worker and I would go start to clean the rooms and when we where finished we would come down stairs and start doing the laundry. then at noon we would take our lunch break. I have learned how to take reservations and check the guests in and out of the rooms on the computer. I love my co workers there is only three of us. the are very nice and friendly and caring. I like the management  I can talk to them about anything. the hardest part of my job was when I first started and had to learn how to check people in and out. the most enjoyable part of my job was everything I loved working for the trustees of reservations

A hard place to review. The locations are amazing, location management probably OK, great coworkers, the job was overall good. However, the admin staff ensued a stressful work environment where we had no idea who was going to go next. You'll probably only work at The Trustees for a year or two, either because you found a job with more hours or were let go seemingly at random. Simply put, advancement was so rare that it seemed a policy to not allow anyone to do anything more within their position's construct. Can make one suspicious of their own manager. A lot of side-stepping, though. Again, the job can be great and scenic, but do not stop looking at those job boards.

As with many Nonprofits working in a budget is very difficult. I felt the amount of work given to a skeleton crew was extreme. Interns felt they were worked like slaves. Breaks were not given for bathroom even in extreme heat. The pressure to perform from management was unbearable and ultimately not maintainable. It was stressful, full of pressure, and many days unbearable. I felt my talents were not utilized. I felt dismissed, unheard, and underappreciated, and overworked in menial tasks below my expertise. I felt I was hired at a position far below my experiences and treated like a beginner even though I have over a decade of experience in the field. I felt management made my job intolerable. 

The Trustees has a wonderful mission and purpose, and there are so many dedicated, experienced people working on the front lines every day... And yet this is still a very dispiriting place to work.

Culture-wise and operationally, it's basically a soulless corporation masquerading as a nonprofit. Fundraising is the only name of the game, and everyone not directly involved in that effort is treated like a second-class citizen, even if they have decades of experience in their field. And for as long as I've been here, there's been no effort to change the culture. At this point it's clear it's never going to happen, which is a tragedy. 

Worrisome lack of transparency in Fundraising, lack of open information sharing with Board Members and donors, worrisome relationship between corporate office in Boston and regional “boots on the ground” staff, disturbing trend of churn in the fundraising staff under current management.  Lack of proper stewardship for donors.  Fundraisers who do not leave of their own accord, or agree to the lack of honest and transparent, donor-centered, work ethics will be terminated within a year.  

The position and work environment at The Trustees was great for the first 2+ years, but then there was a change in the Finance Dept Managers along with a relocation of the dept from Beverly, MA to Boston, MA. We work moved into a much smaller workspace with a longer commute, the same compensation and a dept managers who didn't value input from the staff.

The job responsibilities included journal entries, reconciliation of bank  and other G/L accounts, daily interactions with site managers at our 100+ recreational locations and the postings of weekly revenue.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Helping her protect beautiful places in Massachusetts, working with your hands and we’re going people the same mission.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The pay - benefits are not great. Upper management makes the money and doesn’t understand what it takes to
Be on the ground!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture is good. Every day is different there’s some great people to work with.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Managing the public, working . With volunteers to send initiatives are fun.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Manager 8 salaries reported	$72,125 per year
Director 2 salaries reported	$132,000 per year
Steward 4 salaries reported	$20.44 per hour
Camp director 3 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
Camp counselor 3 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour

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