Building a Culture of Philanthropy From the Inside Out

Why would a nonprofit launch its biggest fundraising campaign to staff before going public to potential donors? Because program staff are not just employees — they are the most important stakeholders.

This may not seem like an obvious step in the nonprofit sector. After all, you need donors — lots of them — to fuel a successful campaign, right? But I learned the value of prioritizing employees early in my career. At my first job in Seattle working for the Nordstrom family, I saw what it meant to treat employees as the center of the business. The Nordstrom promise of legendary customer service wasn’t a slogan; it was built on actions. Employees were trusted, empowered, and celebrated. The result? Customers felt it — and business thrived.

From that experience, I carried three lessons that apply everywhere — including nonprofits:

1. Employees are your most important stakeholders.
2. Values only matter if actions match them.
3. When employees feel empowered, the people you serve feel it too.

So when we prepared to launch Breakthrough’s largest accelerator campaign, I quietly but firmly advocated that staff should be the first audience before we went public.

Why Staff First

Nonprofit employees may not be major donors, but they are mission-critical stakeholders. Before going public, our staff — the people who deliver on Breakthrough’s promise every single day — needed to know the vision, feel the excitement, and see their role in it.

On September 5, during our all-staff meeting, we made them the very first audience with an official campaign launch.

Building Excitement from the Inside Out

We designed the launch as an experience, not just an announcement:

• Energy on arrival: “First Gen” foam fingers and temporary tattoos at every table.
• Connection to strategy: a clear link between the campaign and our strategic plan.
• Behind-the-scenes preview: a first look at the campaign video, capped with a thank-you from our Campaign Co-Chairs directly to staff.
• Active participation: a QR code survey for staff to choose meaningful ways to engage.

The results spoke for themselves: within minutes, 30+ employees completed the survey. The top response? Volunteering at campaign events. From tattoos to foam fingers, the message was clear: this campaign belongs to all of us.

Lessons in Staff Engagement

Launching internally first wasn’t symbolic — it was strategic:

• Ownership fuels advocacy: Employees who feel part of the story become its most authentic messengers.
• Unity strengthens culture: A shared launch moment fosters pride and alignment.
• Momentum builds outward: Excited staff spark excitement with students, families, donors, and the community.

The credibility of any public campaign is amplified by the energy of the people inside.

What’s Next

The staff launch was just the beginning. We quickly followed up with everyone who completed the survey to keep momentum alive. In the weeks since, employees have engaged as volunteers at a key in-home campaign event — bringing donors, staff, and students closer to the heart of our mission in meaningful ways.

On October 1, we will take the campaign public with a special event at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. By then, the foundation will already be strong — built on staff who understand, believe in, and are ready to champion this work in true partnership across the organization.