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Powering Nonprofit Success Through Participatory Processes:

Did you know that organizations prioritizing participatory processes and deliberately decreasing barriers see a significant increase in program effectiveness? This Fall, I’m excited to delve into how this framework powers real-world success through our three-part webinar series, Insights for Impact!

On September 18th, Dr. Inderjit Vicky Basra, President and CEO of the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center, and Jessica Raymond, former Chief of Staff of the YWCA, joined Sharity Global Expert Anne Miskey to offer real-world examples of ways participatory processes elevated their organizations’ mission and impact. Dr. Basra emphasized the importance of including direct and indirect experts in decision-making conversations. She noted, “…layered communication makes the change.” When those in the community who experience the challenges your organization strives to address work alongside those with academic or professional experience in key areas, your organization can begin to affect systemic change. Jessica added, “When we talk about advocating for people and engaging their voices…here is the mic! You sit at this table, you tell me what you need from us, you make the decision…”

Key takeaways from the conversation included:

  • Write equity into your policies and procedures.
  • Avoid “tokenizing” the community you serve. Ensure that if you ask something of your community members, such as asking them to share their stories, you are developing and strengthening a mutually beneficial relationship with them.
  • Identify ways your organization may connect direct experts, those with lived experience, with donors, elected officials, and other community leaders and influencers.
  • Engaging all voices allows you to review and evaluate the impact of your programming with an open mind and heart.
  • Give credit to all the experts helping you execute your mission. Whenever possible, compensate and recognize direct experts, those with lived experiences, for their work on behalf of your organization, just as you would an indirect expert with academic or professional experience. 

Dr. Basra summed up the importance of engaging all voices when she described the success her organization has had with connecting survivor mentors with the recently rescued. “[Survivor’s] concepts around hope look very different because they’re sitting across from somebody, that at some point, was in the same space that they are in…Their survivor-mentor becomes a beacon of hope!” Anne added, “The little ways you can connect your donors in real ways to people” will bring about transformation.

Watch The Full Video Now

By Teri Yanovitch

 

When the culture within an organization has a strong foundation, it can survive the chaos and tumult that surrounding external factors may be inflicting. This includes non-profit organizations especially.  Many times non-profit organizations are so reliant on the fundraising for that particular year that it is difficult to make long-term plans.  As strategies change to keep up with the current external factors, it is easy for the culture to get lost in the shuffle. However, culture is a way of life and should be so deep-rooted in the organization, that there is never a question about what the organization stands for and its direction. 

 

If you are a leader and are looking to sharpen your nonprofit organization’s culture to keep it engrained in your DNA, here are four ways:

 

1. Beliefs – Make it very clear to everyone what are the beliefs and values of the nonprofit. This should become a part of all communications from each level of leadership.  Senior leadership should develop an elevator speech that they can recite by heart and refer to constantly when communicating with staff, volunteers, donors, sponsors, etc.   Online communications, written communications, water cooler conversations should all be used as opportunities to reinforce these values and beliefs.  Start communicating the essence of these beliefs in the interview process and continue methodically forevermore through various media and meetings.
2. Language – How people communicate within a nonprofit organization is very revealing of the culture. The use of jargon words internally creates a sense of belonging to a group. How everyone refers to the recipients of the nonprofit sends a message. Use of first names, surnames, prefixes can set a tone. Tolerance for curse words or no tolerance for curse words sends a message of the culture.
3. Behaviors – Clearly defined behaviors of how staff should treat clients, co-workers, and volunteers must not only be communicated, but also role modeled from Day One of the on-boarding process. Non-negotiable unaccepted behaviors must also be plainly defined so everyone understands exactly what will be forbidden. Leaders must be willing to call out and address unacceptable treatment or behaviors when observed even though some may feel that since it is a nonprofit and not a business, leaders should be more tolerant.  Not!  The culture is whittled away every time an unacceptable behavior is glossed over and the individual is not held accountable.  Culture is more important than any one person.
4. Traditions – Traditions give a sense of familiarity, belonging, and history. Milestones met, accomplishments, celebrations or holidays, are all opportunities to reinforce the culture. The tradition itself can be serious or light-hearted. For example, one nonprofit celebrates staff birthdays by having everyone sign the card of the birthday person with a short note of why they are special to the group.  Another nonprofit has all the staff bring in a bag of candy during the holidays and share in making gingerbread houses that are then put on display in the front foyer to their building. 

 

Beliefs, behaviors, language, and traditions are all four ways a leader can cement the desired culture into the nonprofit organization. The stronger the culture, the stronger the organization can have a measurable long-term impact on the clients they serve as well as their communities.