cul-ture noun \ˈkəl-chər\
A way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization.
Source: Merriam-Webster.
In the social sector we are talking a lot about culture shifting these days. It also happens to be one of the most important outcomes I promise when I work with any organization.
Why change your culture? And even more importantly, how to make the culture shift stick?
First the WHY.
Because you want to increase:
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- Agency visibility
- Program reach or impact
- Dollars raised each year
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, as we know, doesn’t work. So making an effort to cause NEW outcomes takes conversation and planning. Different communication, accountabilities, and actions are what will allow you and your organization to achieve new outcomes.
Actions to cause a culture shift:
1. Everyone (board, committees, volunteers, staff) acknowledges that a specific percentage of your organizational resources come from gifts, grants, volunteering, and other goodwill.
2. Share the opportunity for everyone to exhibit thanks and appreciation for others’ generosity.
3. Everyone helps in follow-up activities and stewardship of funders, donors, and volunteers. (This means taking time at board & committee meetings to make calls, draft thank you notes, know the faces of top donors. . . create an environment for participation from many.)
For the full list see: Ten Behaviors: Creating a Culture of Philanthropy from my friends at Toscano Advisors.
And how to make this culture shift really stick?
For the best answer, let’s look at Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath. Here’s an infographic of the overview of their best-selling book. Notice my favorite topic and change-making action (storytelling) is listed here:
Click to download the full-size PDF.
Make this coming year one of culture shifting. Make it fun and make it lasting. Whatever you choose. . . do things differently so you achieve new and better outcomes. Isn’t that what were all about? Making a bigger difference?
