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7 Common Traits Of Culture Leaders

Culture is a serious concept in the nonprofit sector: a culture of caring; a culture of trust; and, a culture of getting things done. Culture works in a lot of ways.

And then there’s that other culture: fundraising. It might not seem like a fit with the concept, but without fundraising there won’t be much “culture” of any kind at any nonprofit.

Speaking during the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Fundraising Conference, Jay Wilkinson, founding CEO of PaymentSpring, said that culture is a journey and not a destination, and he offered his look a set of seven questions that mark the common traits of culture leaders.

It’s a matter of self-assessment.

* Does our leadership team walk the talk? It’s a matter of showing, not telling.

* Does every employee participate in fundraising efforts?

* Does our organization value learning and growth?

* Is our leadership team transparent about all aspects of the organization? Build trust through transparency.

* Do our leaders embrace change? If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.

* Does our leadership listen more than it talks? Always listen first.

* Are our employees the biggest believers in our mission?