Your organization’s culture sets the tone for all that you and your employees do. A nonprofit may have a strong mission, top executives, and an air-tight strategic plan, but the spirit and longevity of your work depends on aligning your nonprofit’s purpose and core values with its practices. This happens through creating a deliberate organizational culture.
A well-defined culture spells out your organization’s core values and beliefs and sets the foundation for how your nonprofit operates. It defines how your organization’s employees carry out the work they do and determines the collective goals and ideologies of your teams.
For nonprofits, defining and cultivating a culture that is in line with your organization’s mission is crucial if you hope to attract inspired donors and keep employees energized and aligned with the goals of your organization.
“When your staff and supporters understand your organization’s core values, they’ll feel empowered to make the right decisions and you can trust them to accurately represent your nonprofit,” says Elizabeth Chung, content manager at Classy.
Create your culture before it creates itself
If you don’t proactively define your organization’s culture, it will define itself. Creating a positive organizational culture impacts all your organization’s stakeholders — from employees and clients to donors and community partners. Leaders who take a proactive role in developing and communicating their organization’s culture can create workplaces that people are eager to work for and get involved with, ensuring the fulfillment of your organization’s mission for years to come.
Establishing strong cultural values can also make hiring easier: organizations that define and prioritize their values can more easily identify and hire the right candidates for open positions.
Culture brings us together
As workplaces become more and more decentralized, creating an inspired culture that values and prioritizes the experience of employees is more important than ever.
Want to learn more about creating and maintaining an intentional culture at your organization? Join us for “The Value of Cultivating Culture” on Wednesday, August 11.
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The information contained in this article is not a substitute for legal advice or counsel and has been pulled from multiple sources.
