How long does it take to change culture?

We all know it. We all hear it. Leadership loves to talk about change. Employees love to ignore it. Talk can be very cheap. If we are honest however, we all know it is true. While we love to talk about change, it is inevitable. The real question is what we will do about it. Will we lead it or will we be a victim?

The biggest challenge is knowing the right time to change. Often, by the time we realize we need to change, the moment has passed us by. The worst possible scenario is that others’ realize it before us and beat us to the punch. Rather than being strategic, we are impulsive and reactionary. Our perceived competitor builds a website that does X and we have to do it to. Why? Maybe they have just wasted a ton of money. Mimicking others is not a strategy.

Are you inspired by the possibilities enabled by technology or overwhelmed? Are we keeping up with the digital disruption that is exploding all around us or are we getting left behind? Have you seen what a three-year-old can do with an iPhone? Does that intimidate you? This is all very disruptive. We know it and our donors know it. The difference could be that our donors are embracing it and are frustrated what we are not.

As a nonprofit, is someone else about to displace us in the marketplace? Are we staying up with the pace of change with technology or are we about to get left behind? Do we have strategies, systems, processes, and protocols in place that will recognize that this is disruption? We need to assess opportunity, and we will need to facilitate the testing of Ideas. Is this my job? How much time and resources that I control am I devoting to it quarterly?

These are very serious questions. They need to be answered now. From the point of view of our mission, is this a case of only the strongest surviving? What will happen if the pace of change is so fast that our donors adapt and change before we can? This is the reality we all need to face. We all know the role that technology plays in our personal lives. Do our digital properties at work match up to our personal experiences?

This might be a time for humility. Is the economy really our problem? If our nonprofit did well before the downturn of 2009 during bad economic times, why didn’t we do well during the downturn turn of 2009?

All nonprofits are facing disruption. Have we been displaced in the marketplace and simply don’t know it yet? There are nonprofits who are thriving and growing.

Over 40% of the companies that were at the top of the Fortune 500, in 2000 were no longer there in 2010. Who are some of the top companies today that weren’t on the list 10 or 20 years ago? I talked with a nonprofit leader recently that illustrates this perfectly I think. They probably aren’t on anybody’s list of top nonprofits. They are a $5 billion dollar international nonprofit. They have a laser focus on the digital world. Their marketing is absolutely unified. Why doesn’t anyone know about them as a leader in their sector?

So as a nonprofit, we have established a presence on Facebook and Twitter. And so? Is the donor experience and relationship any better than it was before? Perhaps so or perhaps not. Do we know?

It is not about the technology. It is all about loyalty, engagement and an amazing donor experience. By those measures, how are we doing today compared to last year?

This may be about our survival. It could take more than a presence in new channels to improve the overall experience and relationship with those who can support us the best. It may take more courage than we think. It will certainly take more persistence to break through the resistance. In the end, it could be about how we work with our leaders and we’re back to you about how you personally lead.

Are you leading a movement towards empowered and donor – centric culture? Are you setting in motion real nonprofit transformation?

You have a special path you can follow. We can set in motion the change that opens the door to an improved experience both inside and outside our nonprofit. We can lead the change we need our nonprofit to experience!

Michael Wilson is a Partner and Global Practice Leader for Fortium Partners. Fortium has over 40 partners. FORTIUM is dedicated to understanding and applying all things digital. A technology leadership services firm focused on providing world-class resources to clients with the most complex issues. FORTIUM serves nonprofit, public and private companies across a variety of industries, placing expert project teams and operational leadership resources in technology-related roles. FORTIUM resources usually have 25 or more years of experience, most recently in a senior leadership role.

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