One of the pleasures of working in the social sector is that I get to visit lots of different organizations. Almost all of them are inspiring and energizing. Each cause has its own culture. I often wonder who sets the norm for the enterprise. Does the founder create a culture that remains for years? Can a class of new board members alter the chemistry? Does one new staff member enhance or destroy the collegiality? Can a donor impose a culture on an organization? Does a partner organization have an influence? What is the role of the CEO in creating chemistry?
How have you seen your organization’s culture established? Who influences the norms?
It has been my pleasure to attend a couple of performances by the Sun Valley Summer Symphony over the past week. The symphony added a large LCD screen outside the tented pavilion so the audience sitting on the grass could see video images of the concert taking place inside the seasonal structure. The addition of a visual element transformed the experience for the three thousand people on the lawn and suddenly connected them to the experience by adding a new dimension. Originally, the screen was scheduled to be on location for the opening weekend. When it was taken away, the audience missed it and demands were loud for its return. It is back and everyone is happy- so thrilled in fact that this evening the audience sat in the rain and a little hail, watching the concert from under their umbrellas, jackets and picnic blankets. Without the screen I believe there would have been a mass exitous but instead the concert goers were more connected with the Broadway songs being sung inside the pavilion. The symphony’s season was forever altered by the appearance of the ‘temporary’ LCD screen.
What changes have you made that have been met with unexpected acclaim? What changes could you make that might forever alter the way you present your services? Are you prepared for the unexpected?
Just read a comment to a blog post in which the following idea was proposed; if there was no fraud or corruption then there would be no need for charity. Wealth would be distributed more equitably and resource readily available.
What do you think? Utopian ideal? Money does not meet all the needs being filled by the social sector but would the absence of fraud and corruption be an sufficient equalizer?
Have you wondered why endurance athletes compete in a pack? What law of attraction pulls so many people together in such a close proximity? There are some demonstrated benefits, such as drafting a competitor in a cycling race can provide 30% less work than leading. But why is it rare for us to see a marathon or stage of the Tour de France where a lone competitor strikes out by themselves at the start and attempts to solo to victory. Breakaways take place but often the attempts become more bold when the finish line is closer and the certainty of reaching it becomes higher.
How often is our strategy determined by what our peers and competitors have done? Many organizations perform an environmental scan prior to launching a strategic planning effort. This exercise can be illuminating and constraining at the same time. I frequently find organizations gravitate towards changes that competitors have made. Another enterprise hired a Director of Advancement to help them with their fundraising effort. The conversation quickly becomes, ‘should we hire a professional for our development campaign?’ Organization X will produce a unique marketing piece and suddenly replicas appear from other organizations. Mirroring another cause is human nature but expecting to standout by staying in the pack is difficult and sometimes irrational.
Is your goal to finish the race with the other organizations? Robert Egger in his book, Begging for Change would argue that this strategy can be optimal for your organization if you rely on the success of partner enterprises. It is a worthy philosophy to consider.
Are you in the race and running with the pack because it is the optimal way for your organization to advance its mission? Are you trying to standout as an organization? So when do you take over the lead? Do you even need to be in the race?
If you could ask one celebrity or person of notoriety to present your cause to a stadium of philanthropically minded patrons, who would you choose and why?
If you were unable to use numerical or financial metrics that your organization commonly relies on to demonstrate its effectivness, how would you describe your cause’s impact?
Great reminder for those of us in fundraising. I was recently speaking with an organization that asked a donor for a leadership gift. The donor has a long history with the cause and has been very supportive in the past. The individual even said the request was with her capacity range. The donor said she would consider the request but wanted to speak with her husband. After a spousal conversation the couple contributed at a generous level but many factors below what had been requested.
Perhaps the spouse should have been at the initial meeting. The donor understood the opportunity and found it compelling. The donor was unable to align her husband’s willingness to make a philanthropic investment with her passion. The enterprise realized too late that it was missing a critical decision-maker when it scheduled its original meeting.
Do you have the right people in the room when you are requesting a philanthropic contribution?
Is your cause trying to rebuild or re-establish its membership base? Have you launched an initiative to diversify your service group? Interesting and unique lessons from the transformations taking place at the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
