Culture eats strategy for breakfast

Abstract

Generally, a culture of philanthropy is one in which everyone – board, staff and executive director – has a part to play in raising resources for the organization. It is about relationships, not just money. It is as much about keeping donors as acquiring new ones and seeing them as having more than just money to bring to the table. And it is a culture in which fund development is a valued and mission aligned component of everything the organization does. Peter Drucker famously wrote that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Drucker was not saying that strategy is irrelevant. Nailing down what a culture of philanthropy is will be essential if nonprofits are to make a significant shift in how they think about and approach the work of fund development. A rapidly evolving digital landscape is transforming the ways we communicate, work, socialize, and, yes, fundraise.

Topics & Concepts