Culture building. A topic that tends to be a bit of an enigma at any business. In the nonprofit sector specifically, culture building is daunting and confusing, not to mention, seemingly costly.
What a lot of people don’t know is that culture is the lifeblood of any organization. If your nonprofit’s culture includes beige walls, cubicles and minimal days off, you still have culture. Sure, it may not be quite as exciting as the startup down the street that has a slide from their second floor to the first floor, or your friend who gets free beer at work but still culture none the less.
Good culture starts with getting your employees on board, not necessarily spending more money on a la carte work perks like the free beer or big extravagant retreats. Culture catalyzes staff engagement and strengthens leadership. Beth Kanter explains the multiple facets of good culture in this episode of the podcast, including staff mental and physical wellness, burnout prevention and how a small shop with a minimal budget can create a physical workspace that fits the culture you’re trying to build.
Just like every person has their own scent (some people are well-perfumed while others straight up stink) every nonprofit has their own culture. Some are good, while others straight up stink. I don’t mean that the low-budget nonprofit needs to create a line for expensive culture perks or else their culture will stink. Good culture creates the work environment and community that breathes productivity and mental wellness.
The physical workspace and perks are just one part of the equation. Culture also includes intangibles like attitudes and mindsets. It includes communication between employees and the different hierarchies at your organization, work freedoms, and even the style of meetings your organization conducts.
Our January issue of the Nonprofit Hub Magazine will dive even deeper into the topic of culture building. Subscribe today and get the newest issue, hot off the press, just days into 2017.
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