Pros
Ashoka is a well known nonprofit amongst social entrepreneurs. Life at Ashoka is worry free and responsibility free. You can start your own initiatives easily (just don't expect for them to stick around once your gone), and can work on projects that would require years of experience at other organizations. The people are truly great on a personal level -- I loved the extended chats and debates and we could pretend it was work related (even though it never was)
Cons
No efficiency, no organization, no understanding of budgets, no concept of analysis, no respect for experts or doers. If you are a dreamer and just like to talk about things, you'll love Ashoka. If you actually like to execute plans, or evaluate programs, or accomplish anything, Ashoka will be your hell. Basic operational procedures are lacking. Want to know how many employees are there? Good luck -- no one actually knows. Want to know what Ashoka actually does? Wow -- if you figure that out you should let the CEO know. I'm still baffled years later. Staff turnover is technically unknown, but hovers around 40% a year. Why? Pay is extremely low, even for nonprofit standards. Employees are not valued -- the mentality exists that everyone wants to work at Ashoka so what's the loss of another person? And when that person leaves, don't expect any knowledge transfer. There is no documentation here. Everyone is an entrepreneur so everyone is encouraged to just do things their own way -- great, but sometimes things actually work and should be kept and spread. Don't expect onboarding -- there isn't any. Day one you'll walk in and not have a desk or a computer, and no one will ever offer training or to explain what you do. Final word of warning: if you actually get hired (and it will take 6 months at least to get through "Process"), review your salary carefully. They will knock 10% off and withhold that until the end of the year to make sure you meet your performance goals. You'll get the money, but let's be honest -- it's a bonus, not your salary.