As I See It: Values Empower Success: Here’s to Yours in 2024!
Whether or not you believe in New Year’s resolutions, I hope you don’t miss the opportunity for a fresh perspective this month.
One place to start is to take a closer look at your values, a critical component of an organization’s identity, and a great way to consider what success can look like throughout the next year. First, does your organization have documented values? Whether or not the answer is yes, consider the following questions:
When you interact with other members of your team, from the board room to program implementation, are there consistent characteristics, behaviors, or guiding philosophies evident?
How would you define the culture of your organization or of your department? Read more about a culture of philanthropy
In the decision-making process, what factors are given the highest level of importance?
An organization’s values are the fundamental beliefs and principles that act as its compass, influencing how individuals within the organization interact, make choices, and work toward common goals. Understanding and defining values are foundational steps for any nonprofit, and directly impacts what success looks like, from mission alignment and strategic planning to organizational culture, stakeholder engagement and measurable impact.
Likewise, values play a significant role in fundraising effectiveness by influencing your strategies and relationships. Defining and communicating concise values with donors allows you to build trust, tell impactful stories, differentiate yourself in a crowded nonprofit landscape, and ultimately to acquire and retain donors, utilizing practices that follow best practices.
Your values lay the foundation for your organization’s success. Last year, the M. Gale team went through an introspective process to assess and update our company’s core values. We identified an overarching value of relationships. We believe that together, we are stronger. Other M. Gale values include collaboration, abundance, knowledge, expertise and accountability. Having added great clarity for our team, these principles guide our internal policies and processes, work deliverables, communication standards, indicators for success and team expectations.
As you think about whether it’s time to reassess and document your shared values as an organization or team. If it is, consider adding the following ideas in your discovery and documentation process:
Assemble a Cross-Functional Team.
Review Mission and Vision Statements.
Conduct Stakeholder Interviews or Surveys.
Facilitate Group Discussions and Workshops.
Analyze Organizational Culture.
Identify Past Successes and Challenges.
Create a List of Potential Core Values; Group; Categorize and Prioritize.
Craft Clear and Concise Statements.
Integrate Values into Organizational Processes.
Communicate Core Values Internally and Externally.
Conduct Periodic Review and Adjustment.
Live the Values!
M. Gale is available to help coach, facilitate and communicate your organizational values. To discuss how to get your process off the ground, reach out to me at Laura.Hutyra@MgaleAssociates.com.
As Vice President, Laura Hutyra is a results-driven leader focused on M. Gale team collaboration and operational goals across all of the company’s departments. Laura also serves as a consultant to help clients navigate organizational and fundraising solutions that maintain mission promises. She is a seasoned campaign fundraiser, with experience managing multi-million dollar campaigns.
