Coming up with strategies for fundraising can be difficult. However, if there’s a culture in place that promotes and encourages giving as a norm, an important chunk of the work is already done. That’s why it’s so important to create a culture of philanthropy, especially in the nonprofit sector. 

On today’s episode, Alia McKee and Mark Rovner of Sea Change Strategies are here to talk about their report, Inside Out Fundraising: How to Create a Culture of Philanthropy by Treating Systems Instead of Symptoms. Alia and Mark explain what it means to have a culture of philanthropy, the things that get in the way of creating that culture and how nonprofits can overcome the challenges to doing do. Listen to the episode to learn why culture is an important part of fundraising success and hear the big takeaways from their research. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode: 

• The signs Alia and Mark saw that indicated it was time to start talking about culture with their clients
• What it means to create a culture of philanthropy, and why it’s so important
• What Alia and Mark found in their research
• The primary challenges that get in the way of forming a culture of philanthropy
• Implementing “the golden trio” in your nonprofit
• Balancing facts and data with passion for a cause
• What boards can do to take pressure off fundraisers
• How fundraisers can put recommendations from the Inside Out Fundraising report into action 

Resources: 

Alia McKee

Mark Rovner

Sea Change Strategies

Inside Out Fundraising: How to Create a Culture of Philanthropy by Treating Systems Instead of Symptoms

“Fundraising has become like driving a car with the emergency brake on. The car moves, but it’s not pretty and there’s a lot of friction.” –Mark Rovner

“I think the biggest “aha!” was that only one in five fundraisers say that their organization has a strong culture of philanthropy.” – Alia McKee

“Don’t get overwhelmed with all of the change that needs to happen. Think about how you can shrink that change.” –Alia McKee