Culture of Philanthropy: What Is It? & Why Is It Important?
Creating and sustaining a thriving philanthropic program is an aspiration of every development professional. But doing so is especially difficult in today’s fast-paced environment, where critical partners have fragmented days and diverse understandings of philanthropy.
Development leaders can dramatically impact how their organization approaches philanthropy and build a deeper philanthropic culture and tradition.
Meet with our donor engagement strategist to discuss how fostering culture of philanthropy can transform your fundraising program.
What is a Culture of Philanthropy
A culture of philanthropy is a crucial part of a hospital’s or organization’s overall corporate culture. Essentially, it defines the attitude an organization holds toward philanthropy and fundraising. Therefore, an organization with a strong culture of philanthropy embraces both a patient-centered and a donor-centered environment. Within this framework, everyone understands that charitable giving and fundraising are absolutely critical to the organization’s success.
Consequently, within such a culture, everyone becomes an ambassador. They advocate for the hospital’s services, for the spirit of philanthropy, and for the vital efforts of fundraising itself. Furthermore, all donors are treated with genuine respect and honor, regardless of the size of their contribution.
Why is a Culture of Philanthropy Important?
Fundraising is the oxygen that lets the rest of the organization not only survive but thrive. It’s the glue that unifies your teams, your goals, and your aspirations into one holistic mission and it provides a solid base for your organization to launch from.
An organization steeped in philanthropic values and culture is a living force. It’s powerful, sustainable, and opens the door to new possibilities.
How Do You Build a Culture of Philanthropy?
Building a culture of philanthropy doesn’t happen overnight. It needs to be built from the ground up. Or, in organizational terms, from the leadership down. Creating a philanthropic culture is three-pronged: organizational culture, importance philanthropy, and the link between philanthropy and fund development. Organizations need a good understanding of these elements to succeed in building a philanthropic culture:
Organizations with strong philanthropic cultures are also keenly aware that their culture belongs to every individual, every department, and every volunteer. To excel at this, there are some things that every organization can do.
Mission, Vision, & Values
An organization’s ability to share its mission and vision aspirationally is crucial. Ultimately, this story must be told in a compelling and relevant way. It also needs to show the urgency of the organization’s goals. After all, every organization has a story; so, tell yours and share it widely.
To truly create a philanthropic culture, your mission, vision, and values must be clearly defined. More importantly, they need to be top-of-mind for all your stakeholders. Everyone in your organization needs to embrace this vision: knowing who you are, where you’re going, and why you do what you do.
To ensure your mission, vision, and values are top of mind:
- Put them on your website.
- Design posters that are placed around the hospital.
- Add them to your email signatures.
- Begin team meetings with them.
- Put them on your donor wall.
Organizations with the most sustainable philanthropic cultures know donors consistently give to compelling visions as they hold their own. Donors have the same aspirations for impacting the world as the organizations in which they invest. Because they feel deeply connected to the impact that these organizations are having, they see the organizations as a type of extension of themselves. And organizations with the deepest culture of philanthropy see their donors in this same manner.
When your entire organization lives by your mission, vision, and values, it will be the catalyst for connecting your organization to the community.
A Community with Integrated and Intentional Communication
An organization with a strong culture of philanthropy fosters a truly connected community. However, many organizations mistakenly separate their donors, foundation staff, physicians, board members, and volunteers into individual silos. Consequently, communication often flows only within these separate groups, rather than freely between them.
Philanthropy acts as one of the most effective accelerants for achieving a commonly held vision. Therefore, when members of every stakeholder group commit their resources and time to achieve that vision, and openly explain their reasons, it naturally draws others to join the mission.
To accomplish this, all critical stakeholder groups must possess the same information about the organization. Ultimately, this happens through consistent and widespread communication. Organizations with deeply abiding philanthropic cultures, for instance, tell their story consistently throughout their entire organization:
- In buildings and across the campuses.
- In marketing materials and social media.
- On donor walls.
- Across all communication channels.
Viewing Donors As Partners
Organizations deeply serve their communities. They also prioritize employee well-being. However, truly philanthropic organizations do more. They deeply care for their donors’ needs.
Donors are more than just funding sources. They are vital partners. They help achieve the organization’s vision. Meeting donor needs is a top priority. It’s as important as caring for employees. All groups are critical for success.
These actions help make donors true partners:
- See donors as philanthropic investors. They seek partners with shared goals. They want to create positive change.
- Become an expert on your philanthropic partners. This is key for development professionals.
- Be a philanthropist yourself. Give to causes you value. Learn from your own giving experience.
- Build relationships with donor partners. Connect with their advisors.
In successful organizations, donors are partners. They are never just funders.
Stakeholder Alignment and Engagement
When everyone in an organization aligns around common goals, it becomes easier to show how philanthropic partnerships complement other efforts and resources to achieve a shared vision.
Nurses, who interact with patients daily, can offer insights into a patient’s interest in giving, helping to focus fundraising efforts. A positive patient environment is crucial, but a trusted community where referrals to fundraising can be made from anywhere opens many donation opportunities.
Physicians are healthcare’s frontline. Their commitment to the organization’s mission and patients means they truly understand how philanthropic investment changes lives and can communicate this authentically. Training physicians on how to respond when a patient expresses a desire to give, or how to recognize cues to ask, is key to their involvement. Patient-physician relationships are fundamental in identifying grateful patients and their giving potential.
Involving clinical staff, perhaps through a clinical liaison role (like a retired physician or administrator) within a foundation, can generate strong staff engagement. Building these internal relationships is similar to cultivating relationships with prospective donors.
Employees can be empowered as ambassadors of the organization and its philanthropic culture, boosting fundraising. This also improves morale, productivity, retention, recruitment, and skill development. When employees are engaged and believe in their work, it’s more than just a job; they genuinely care about the difference they’re making, which is a huge asset.
Development professionals significantly impact an organization’s culture, building a broader and deeper philanthropic tradition.
In a thriving philanthropic environment, all key stakeholders approach each day with a spirit of abundance, knowing there’s enough to meet their own needs and to help meet the needs of others. They understand exactly how their mission accomplishes this and confidently discuss why they dedicate their lives and resources to this vision. When this happens, lives are saved and changed—not just those the organization serves, but also those providing the services and those making philanthropic investments to achieve the vision.
Next Steps to Creating a Culture of Philanthropy
At BrookGlobal, we become your partner to help accomplish building a deeper philanthropic culture. Our methodology of creating engagement systems (Mission Centers, Donor Centers, Strategic Vision Centers, History to Vision Centers, and more) provides a process and tools for development professionals to more clearly articulate your organization’s vision. Then we work with you to build understanding and alignment around that vision so philanthropic investment can accelerate your organization’s success.
Talk to a donor recognition expert today and see how we can help you build a strong philanthropic culture at your organization.
For more information on creating a culture of philanthropy, check out the blog below:
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