The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund has released a new report Beyond Fundraising: What Does It Mean To Build A Culture Of Philanthropy?

What is a Culture of Philanthropy?

According to the report, “Times have changed. Ten years ago, it might have seemed strangely out of character for a development director to say that fundraising is “everyone’s job” or to insist on sharing credit for bringing in large gifts. Similarly, if a fundraiser demanded to be part of key organizational planning meetings or sought to break down the walls between development and communications or volunteer outreach, that person might have been viewed as a maverick.

Now, what was once seen as radical is emerging front and center as nonprofits search for new and effective ways to secure resources for their work at a time when fundraising is rapidly changing. One potential shift that’s been attracting attention is developing a “culture of philanthropy.”

… 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’s about relationships, not just money. It’s as much about keeping donors as acquiring new ones and seeing them as having more than just money to bring to the table.”

The paper seeks to help answer the following core questions:

• What is driving the shift to a culture of philanthropy? The paper explores some of the forces that are causing nonprofits and the social sector to reconsider traditional approaches to fundraising – from new modes of communication and engagement to growing competition for resources brought on by the sector’s growth.
• What does a culture of philanthropy look like? The paper identifies and describes four core components of a culture of philanthropy: shared responsibility for development; integration and alignment with mission; a focus on fundraising as engagement; and strong donor relationships. It also offers key indicators to know if an organization has created such a culture.
• How can an organization get started building a culture of philanthropy? The paper offers a series of questions to help organizations and their board and staff leaders as they set out to move toward a culture of philanthropy.

The complete Beyond Fundraising report is available here.