Living the Mission by Integrating Values into Organizational Culture and Practices
Most nonprofits thoughtfully incorporate core values into their mission statements. Common values for these organizations include service, collaboration, integrity, effectiveness, respect, sustainability, innovation, and ethics. This mission articulates what and who the organization serves; values describe how it serves. These values guide actions. As leaders, embody values in interactions with staff, vendors, donors, and the community. Encourage all staff to incorporate the values into their day-to-day activities.
Values guide decisions across the organization. When all departments and employees embrace and practice these values, a powerful congruence emerges. It strengthens the fabric of the entire organization. Values then become more than just aspirational words. In grounded organizations, values are lived experiences embedded in the practices and culture. Values are evident in all processes, words, and actions. When teams genuinely embody the organization's mission and values, the organization operates as a unified entity rather than a collection of disconnected departments. This unity fosters greater stability, resilience, and the ability to pivot and respond to change when necessary. Cohesion is visible in day-to-day actions. Stakeholders, donors, and the broader community can quickly discern when an organization is authentically aligned with its mission. They can also see when it is not. The consistency of actionable values builds trust. Trust attracts support and investment.
Aligning practice with organizational values means that leadership demonstrates these values both outwardly to clients and community programs and internally to staff. I worked for a company that painted the values on the conference room walls. While aesthetically pleasing, the words were as flat as the paint. Within the organization, leaders berated, criticized, and ignored staff. When there is a disconnect between organizational values and actual behaviors, as in these examples, it erodes trust and staff morale. I have watched staff try to work around leaders to avoid confrontations. These adaptive behaviors are not healthy or efficient in the workplace. The way leaders treat staff is just as important as the way employees treat the community they serve.
One of the most beautiful aspects of working in a nonprofit organization is that staff place a high value on serving others. We spend a significant amount of time with our coworkers, which naturally leads to the development of interpersonal relationships. While it is essential to maintain professional boundaries, it is equally important for us to connect on a human level. Supporting our colleagues is another way the organization demonstrates commitment to values.
When a staff member experiences a loss, the death of a family member, offer grace and compassion. Celebrate each other’s individual successes. Acknowledging significant life events, like a child's college acceptance, the birth of a new child, or an upcoming wedding, fosters a healthy work environment. Make space for these human experiences.
Values also promote a learning environment within the organization. People make mistakes. When employees are counseled rather than punished, they gain experience, grow, and change. Effective leaders invest in their people. Recruiting, retaining, training, and supporting skilled staff is expensive. In today’s transparent employment market, where organizational reputation impacts recruitment, treating staff well is essential. Protecting and promoting employees' welfare aligns directly with advancing the mission.
When everyone lives the mission and values in the day-to-day activities, the organization becomes more than just a group of people who show up at the same time and place each day. The goal is to become one thing. The whole is greater than the sum of all the parts. This is impossible when individuals have competing goals and operate in a silo. Most organizations have a hierarchical structure. When communication flows in both directions and across departments, the organization is better able to respond to changing environments and create cohesion within the workforce.
Even if your mission statement does not include the word' collaboration,' most nonprofit organizations achieve better outcomes when leaders solicit and value feedback from department directors and managers. Do not wait for your staff to hear about new initiatives or programs before they are included in discussions. Best practice is to include the administrative and frontline staff in all changes or additions to programs. Usually, the people performing the work are the best people to know how to implement a new process or program. The closer someone is to the process, the better suited they are to solve the problem. When you incorporate others into the solution, people are more likely to view change as a positive experience. By involving key staff, the organization remains aligned with its values as it grows and changes. Shared decisions also reflect living the mission.
Every day, employees make decisions on behalf of the organization. Help staff see that values are the rubric for evaluating potential actions. The organization’s internal controls and standards of conduct help to keep honest people honest. The values ensure consistency and single-minded actions. In this way, the values and missions become a touchstone. Employees can operate more independently and achieve positive outcomes when they make decisions that align with their values.
A nonprofit organization belongs to its mission and community, not to any individual leader. New leaders may bring personal agendas that may or may not serve the organization's best interests. A strong, value-driven model limits the potential for an individual to derail the organization's trajectory. Culture and practices help the organization to stay grounded in the mission. The values promote longevity and protect the organization from a personality-centered tenure.
Alignment with values also dictates how an individual resolves conflict. Every conflict is unique. When leaders negotiate and seek mutually beneficial outcomes, it fosters respect from staff. When employees feel safe in the workplace, they are more likely to share ideas. Advocate for many points of view. Encourage new and creative solutions. This is good for the organization.
Incorporating the values into the administrative departments is equally important as the program departments. Invite the staff within administrative departments to articulate the best way to reflect values in their practices and procedures. Here are some suggestions for incorporating organizational values into the finance department. I personally have used these. They are good accounting practices that reflect the values of the organization I have worked with.
Honor all agreements with vendors, employees, and funders
Assign responsibilities and deadlines to each finance department staff member to meet the department’s reporting requirements to the organization.
Produce accurate financial information on behalf of the organization.
Create an environment of collaboration, teamwork, respect, and positivity.
Seek a high level of responsive customer service for all departments and external stakeholders.