4 Reasons Why Culture is so Important in Your Non-Profit

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    The culture in each organization is different and dependent on so many factors. But it is the culture that shapes the internal operations of your organization. Culture can make or break your organization.

    Recently, while working on a white paper about how to shape your organization’s culture, I realized how extremely important culture is to every non-profit in achieving its goals and planned outcomes. That white paper will be available shortly through our online store, so watch for it. The reasons why culture is  important are:

    • Overview of the entire organization – The culture of an organization is decided by the personalities, policies, and procedures of an organization.
    • Internal balance – For an organization to be successful, its culture must have internal balance. That means that the policies, procedures, and people involved do not lean too much one way or another, but complement what the goals of the organization are.
    • Defines relationships – An organization’s culture includes how they (the staff) work with clients, other community groups, agencies, and funders.
    • Impacts communication – Each organization, depending on its culture, creates its own jargon that is unique to its organization. This means that the way the organization communicates internally and externally is impacted by its culture.

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    For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.

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    By Ingrid Zacharias, Managing Director, Envisioning the Future International, Email: izacharias@envisioningthefutureintl.ca Website: http://envisioningthefutureintl.ca/