The Nonprofit Fundraising Solution

CHAPTER ONE

WHY ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE IS CRITICAL

YOUR NONPROFIT PROBABLY SEEKS TO realize a vision for a better society—everything from ending the AIDS epidemic, to building permanent housing for the homeless, to preserving Native American culture. There are a multitude of missions, yet each is inextricably bound to one simple truth; namely, that adequate revenue is essential to accomplish it. In fact, an organization's ability to raise revenue and to spend it effectively is among the most important signs of its sustainability.

There's a line in an old German play called Schlageter that goes, “Whenever I hear the word ‘culture’…I remove the safety from my Browning [pistol]!” While I trust you don't hold such extreme views about the topic ...