Thoughts on developing a culture of philanthropy

Beyond the nuts and bolts of fundraising, one topic that often emerges when I work with clients is how to imbue the organization with a culture that supports fundraising growth.

The term we often settle on is “culture of philanthropy.”

Why does culture matter?  Management guru Peter Drucker famously wrote: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

As a strategic planning consultant, I’d be the last to tell you that culture trumps strategy.  But it’s also the case that culture is incredibly important over time.

So what is a culture of philanthropy?

Ask 10 fundraising consultants for their definition of this term, and you’ll likely get 10 different responses.

For me, it boils down to the following.  If an organization has a culture of philanthropy, then everyone in the organization, including staff, board, and key volunteers:

• Can articulate the case for giving to the organization
• Understands the importance of fundraising to the organization
• Happily serves as ambassadors for the organization
• Has at least some explicit role in the fundraising process

In addition, two other things need to hold true:

• Where an organization has a culture of philanthropy, donors are valued first and foremost for the relationships they offer, and not just for the money they donate.
• Development is viewed as an engagement process that is integrated with the organization’s programs and communications rather than operating in a silo.

This is as much an attitude and mind-set as a specific system.

So how does an organization go about creating a culture of philanthropy?

There’s no magic formula, but here are a handful of the most important steps in my mind:

• There must be leadership from the top.  The Executive Director and Board need to champion the culture and model it with how they behave.
• Everyone brought into the team must enter with clear expectations (preferably in writing) that matches up with a culture of philanthropy.
• Planning should take place that consciously evaluates how programs and communications can be used as tools to engage current and potential donors.
• The whole team must receive training so they feel confident in their ability to participate in the fundraising process.
• Fundraising plans should be developed with an aim towards strategies that maximize the long-term value of relationships with donors and not just short-term revenue.
• Cheeleading and celebration should be consciously used as tools to elevate and thank those who’re embracing the culture.
• “Violations” of the culture should receive an appropriate response.

Of course, each of these steps could be worthy of a separate blog post about how to put them into practice.

In the end, generating a culture of philanthropy from scratch is a multi-year endeavor that requires commitment.  But the payoff for those organizations who achieve this cultural transformation can be huge.