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Where are the Gaps in Your Organization's Culture of Philanthropy?
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Peter Drucker, the well-known business management expert, once said "culture eats strategy for breakfast." And, while this is among the more cited business observations, what does it mean?
It means once an organization commits to a business philosophy, everyone from the chief executive officer to the newest hired employee knows of and speaks to that philosophy. In the for-profit sector, Southwest Airlines has had enduring success by being "the low fare airline." Everyone at Southwest knows this is the goal, and works to maintain the lowest prices possible for its loyal customers. In the nonprofit sector, where charitable donations are often the largest component of overall revenue, having a "culture of philanthropy" is critical.
A nonprofit that has a culture of philanthropy regards fundraising as necessary to meeting mission objectives, has a role in fundraising for all of its key stakeholders (i.e., board, staff, volunteers, constituents), and has ample resources and time committed to fundraising activities.
In our more than 25 years serving more than 600 nonprofits, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI) has seen, time and time again, how the lack of a culture of philanthropy can erode mission programs, operational improvements, and fundraising investments. With the recent release of the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund's report
Beyond Fundraising: What Does It Mean to Build a Culture of Philanthropy?
and our own experiences working with some of the nation's leading nonprofits, we have developed an assessment tool to help nonprofits determine if they have a culture of philanthropy by concentrating on four pillars of fundraising:
- A clear and compelling case for support;
- Leadership alignment and commitment to fundraising;
- A healthy and growing pipeline of donors and prospects; and
- Systems, staffing, and infrastructure to ensure continued progress.
By taking this
free 10-minute survey
you can assess your organization's culture of philanthropy and determine more clearly the areas that need attention. Once you are finished with the survey, print your results, and review them with your board and leadership team to determine the action steps needed to build and foster a philanthropic culture in your organization.
We think you will find this survey compelling and worthwhile. We welcome the opportunity to review the results with you personally or with your board and leadership team to discuss ways your organization can strengthen its culture of philanthropy - resulting in increased fundraising and achievement of mission critical objectives.
Best,
John L. Lehr
President, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)
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Craig Shelley Published in
Stanford Social Innovation Review
On April 28, 2016, an article written by Craig Shelley, Vice President was published in the
Stanford Social Innovation Review
on attracting transformational philanthropy and leveraging volunteers to scale as
two lessons nonprofits can learn from looking to organizations beyond those with whom they traditionally identify.
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New Client Announcements
Trust for the National Mall
The
Trust for the National Mall
(TNM) is an official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to improving, preserving, and restoring the National Mall. TNM had leadership turnover at the CEO level and in the development department. TNM turned to OAI to provide immediate fundraising assistance for its annual Benefit Luncheon as well as an assessment of its fundraising strategy and operation. Working closely with TNM, OAI designed a practical business plan that now serves as a roadmap to strengthen and build the development program over the next year. OAI is now in the early stages of implementing the roadmap by providing development leadership as the Chief Development Officer, leading all development operations including major gift, corporate, and foundation giving; providing board development, recruitment, and management guidance, and support; and planning for a Gala to celebrate TNM's 10th anniversary in 2017.
Women Moving Millions
The mission of
Women Moving Millions
(WMM) is to catalyze unprecede
nted resources for the advancement of women and girls. WMM began in 2007 by inspiring women to make gifts of $1M or more to organizations or initiatives (of their choosing) that benefit women and girls. Today, more than 250 women (and men) have brought significant resources and leadership to the causes they champion.
As it looks to continue its role as a catalyst, WMM is exploring the feasibility of a $1 billion campaign that will engage many partners to engage women (and men) in many locations to intentionally give to nonprofits large and small that advance women and girls.
In April 2016, WMM retained OAI to test the feasibility of this potential campaign with prospective users, partners, and funders. Among other means of data collection, OAI will conduct a series of interviews and field an online survey to gather feedback on the proposed campaign. The analysis will deliver insight on the opportunities and challenges of the potential campaign; stakeholders' perception of WMM as the leader of this effort and the resonance of the campaign; the tools partners and users need to participate fully in the campaign; and recommendations on the structure, timeline, and resources for the campaign.
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| About Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI) Responding to the increasingly complex burdens on nonprofit leaders, OAI has developed a transformational approach to fundraising and strategy consulting. Our teams of experienced professionals seamlessly embed themselves with nonprofits to fundraise, to recruit and improve board leadership, to build consensus and direction through new strategies, and to provide executive, fundraising, and financial leadership. With offices in Washington, DC and New York City, OAI has partnered in our clients' success for 25 years, helping more than 600 nonprofits raise hundreds of millions of dollars for their causes.
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