Cultivating Culture | Applied Wisdom for Nonprofits
Episode 01

Cultivating Culture Podcast

You will never change an organization's culture just by telling employees that the culture needs to change. You must take deliberate action to create and nurture the culture you want.

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Take deliberate action

You will never change an organization's culture just by telling employees that the culture needs to change. You must do something — take deliberate action. Develop processes collaboratively by inviting input from all stakeholders. Make real changes and communicate them — not just once, but repeatedly and consistently. It's every team member's job to "walk the talk" and commit to building a great enterprise.



A values-based culture

To lead a nonprofit through changing times, remember why the organization exists and what it stands for. Be conscious of the culture that you want and use every opportunity to create and nurture it.

Culture Matters. It’s your core organizational asset and establishes whether your nonprofit is just good or if it becomes great.

— Jim Morgan

Cultivating Culture chapter information

Culture Matters. It's your core organizational asset and establishes whether your nonprofit is just good or if it becomes great.

— Jim Morgan

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Cultivating Culture

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Cultivating Culture Toolkit

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8 Practical Insights for Nonprofit Leaders

01

Cultivating Culture

You will never change an organization's culture just by telling employees that the culture needs to change. You must take deliberate action to create and nurture the culture you want.

02

Respect and Trust Your People

To successfully lead a nonprofit you must cultivate a culture of trust and respect. Trust is born of respect, and it is the foundation of all good management.

03

Bad News is Good News

Always listen for and seek out signs of trouble. Use porpoising to gather information at all levels of your organization. Bad news is good news if you do something about it.

04

Develop Court Sense

In the nonprofit sector, court sense means understanding the environment that impacts your organization. Look up, look forward, and look around to anticipate problems and adjust your strategy.

05

The Whole Job

Your nonprofit has specific functions and processes, as well as regulations it must follow. A weakness in any operational area can negate successes in others.

06

Prioritize and Focus

Nonprofit boards and staff teams must prioritize and focus on the most important decisions and tasks. Taking time to plan creates a useful rhythm and routine.

07

Book It and Ship It

Planning is essential, but success comes from implementation. Book It and Ship It means making a decision, putting it in motion, and managing the consequences.

08

Who's Got the Monkey?

To create a culture of accountability, reinforce individual ownership of problems. Make sure responsibility stays clear and always ask who's got the monkey.