by Jessica Bynoe, Executive Director
Recently, I have participated in numerous conversations about building culture: group culture, organizational culture, workplace culture and community culture. One of the biggest themes in these conversations tends to be “how do we do it.” Sometimes, we just let culture happen. It shapes itself organically. Sometimes, people leave culture off the list of priorities and refuse to nurture it often leading to confusion and lack of group cohesion; which is certainly its own type of culture. In the best of times, culture is something all members of a group commit to shaping and creating to ensure a positive and productive environment.
Why is this important in the context of the “heart of our work?” Because building culture with and among Variety’s grantees is critical to the success of our model. Without co-creating values of equality, reciprocity, candor and trust, our grantees and our own team would not be able to learn from one another, ask and answer “real” questions, or be able to work in concert collectively uplifting our work. We encourage other foundations, consulting groups or affinity groups working with grassroots organizations to consider building a culture based on these values.
We understand these are big and heavy ideas to embed in a group culture, especially when that culture can so easily be defined by the power dynamics of the grantee/grantmaker relationship or a sense of competition among grantees. The key is to work with intentionality and commitment to nurture the kind of culture that works for the group. A few of the ways Variety achieves this with our grantees include:
- Treat everyone in the room as an expert. As a funder it is critical to remember that your grantees each bring unique knowledge, experiences and ideas. Each of them is an expert in one or more (probably more) aspects of the work you support as a grantmaker. Create space for them to share their brilliance with you and the other grantees. Publicly recognizing their expertise early will quickly help everyone in the group understand and respect a culture of equality and reciprocity.
- Use and encourage empathy. Many professional grantmakers have spent time “on the other side of the work” running programs and raising money. It is critical to use these experiences to inform your conversations with current grantees. Similarly, encouraging more advanced grantees to recall and share their experiences from when their organizations were smaller or struggling can help all participants understand the common experience of the work. Sharing these insights and remembering the reality of that time can help build a culture of candor and mutual respect.
- Define the space as safe and confidential. Perhaps most important when working with grantees in a convening, facilitating or learning capacity is to strongly convey the safety of the space in which they are sharing information, challenges and opportunities. A supportive learning environment can add great value to a grantee’s experience with a funder—value worth more than the grant they receive—however, if that space is not reinforced as one of safety there will be little genuine exchange to help advance the work of the grantee organizations. Walk the talk as a collaborator and problem solver with grantees rather than an overseer passing judgment is one of the best approaches to building a culture of trust with grantee partners.
Overall, it is critical to remember that whether nurtured or not, made intentional or not, culture exists in groups. As funders it is our responsibility to work with grantees to define a culture that works for everyone so that ultimately the work thrives. After all, for a funder, thriving grantees really is at the heart of our work.