logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

Values in Your Organization and What They Have to Do with Raising Money: Part 1

Simone Joyaux
August 28, 2015

Shell-skeleton

 

I believe that values are the starting point of an organization, the fundamental foundation, the critical framework.

How do we found a nonprofit organization? A group of people who share the same beliefs get together to fix something…or to provide an opportunity…or to fill a gap…or…

Sure, there is often an initiator. That person is called a founder. But the best founders bring together other people—pretty much immediately. A founder never owns a nonprofit. A nonprofit is a community-based organization, owned by the community.

(Here’s an aside rant about founders: A founder doesn’t control anything! Not even the articulation of values or mission. A founder has no veto power. And once incorporated with a board, the board can fire the founder. Once of these days, maybe I’ll write about being a founder and observing other founders.)

Anyway, back to the issue at hand: values.

 

What do I mean by values?

A value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct is personally or socially preferable to another. Think of this as a shared code for behaving and operating. A value possesses intrinsic worth, desirability, and utility to the individual or group.

That’s why shared values are the most critical element for building any type of community. And your organization is a community.

Back in 1966, psychologist Louis Edward Raths formulated a seven-step process to determine values:

  1. Prized and cherished. A value is something that the individual or group prizes and cherishes.
  2. Publicly affirmed. The individual or group must be willing to publicly affirm the value.
  3. Available alternatives. A value is not mandated. One must be free to choose other alternatives.
  4. Chosen intelligently. A true value is chosen after intelligently considering the consequences.
  5. Chosen freely. Individuals and groups choose values freely after considering consequences.
  6. A true value means acting on one’s belief. The final test of a value is action.
  7. Repeated action. A true value demands repeated action in a consistent pattern.

I find Raths’ steps very powerful. Use these to test your organization’s values. Definitely use these to define your shared values in the first place.

Sign up for NPQ's Upcoming Complimentary Webinar: How does Widening Inequality Change the Work of Fundraising

Individuals have values

These values guide our actions and judgments. Our values are the standards that influence us as we make choices among alternative courses of action.

And values don’t change much or that often. Our values are relatively permanent frameworks that shape and influence our behavior.

 

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Groups have values, too

Yes, groups have values, too. And what’s an organization but a group?

Individuals get together to form a group. Typically, the group shares common interests and a shared purpose.

But first and foremost, individuals get together because of shared values. And the shared values—fundamental beliefs—aren’t negotiable.

Groups operate best through unity of purpose and action. But even with unity of purpose and action, groups can still struggle, even fall apart, without shared values. Shared values are the essential glue within the group. And, of course, that means the individual’s values must match those of the collective entity.

 

Start with values

For me, the first thing a new organization does is articulate its values. The values precede mission.

Because groups are composed of individuals, the group must articulate its values to ensure some commonality. Don’t assume that everyone shares the same values.

Group articulation allows the individual to be assured that her or his values fit well enough with those of the collective entity. Think of this as a shared code for behaving and operating. These values then provide a framework that guides the actions and judgments of the group.

 

Continue with shared values

Of course, we often get involved in organizations that already exist. Now what?

Very simple: Values serve as a screening device before hiring staff or recruiting volunteers. When I’m being interviewed to join a board, I ask about values. But mostly, I watch to see if the organization introduces its values statement before I mention it.

If board or staff candidates don’t subscribe to your values, then don’t invite them to play. Remember, your values are fundamental.

 

About the author
Simone Joyaux

Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE is recognized internationally as an expert in fund development, board and organizational development, strategic planning, and management. She is the founder and director of Joyaux Associates.

More about: FundraisingOrganizational Culture

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
Block, Bridge, and Build: A Framework to Forge a More Democratic Future
Julia Roig
Being Anchored: The Challenge of Cultural Change
Rita A. Hodges
When Can Volunteers Lead?
Jan Masaoka
US Nonprofit Sector Documents Its Own Powerlessness, but What Will We Do?
Tom Tresser
Liberatory Leadership: A Transformative Model for a Changing World
Iman Mills Gordon and Ericka Stallings
Leading at the End: Supporting Your Team in an Organizational Wind Down
Camille E. Acey

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
June 26th, 2:00 pm ET

From Performance Management to Mutual Commitment

Fostering a Culture of Joyful Accountability

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register

    
You might also like
A multi-use steel arch bridge crosses a river not far a campground.
Block, Bridge, and Build: A Framework to Forge a More...
Julia Roig
A picture of a wide outdoor public stairway that passes under a large sign that reads “Rutgers-Newark.”
Being Anchored: The Challenge of Cultural Change
Rita A. Hodges
A graphical image of four people helping each other climb a mountain.
When Can Volunteers Lead?
Jan Masaoka

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.