BIG’s Blog: Is Culture Important?

When I talk about culture, I’m not talking about classical music or fine wine, but about the culture of your fund raising group.

Of course, the culture of your fund raising group is intimately connected to the culture of your organization and each organization has a unique culture. But, the fund raising group’s culture is intimately connected to those special people that support your organization – your donors.

What is the culture of your fund raising group?

You can have all of the state-of-the-art tools and technology and a great plan, but then a lot of other fund raising groups have that as well.

Your fund raising plan is what you do, but your fund raising group’s culture is who your people are. At the end of the day, in fund raising, it’s about your people.

Did nonprofit organizations and fund raising groups pay attention to culture 20 years ago? The answer is the same as the commercial business world and that is that all great organizations have always understood how important culture is . . . because the culture is the people of an organization. And since nonprofits, unlike commercial businesses, aren’t selling a product, it really comes down to how the people of your fund raising group passionately connect.

Going forward, as your fund raising organization begins to engage younger cohorts; the passion that comes from your people will be what attracts new donors or not.

-Mike

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