How to Build a “Get It Done” Culture
- Tom Iselin
- Mar 20, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
This blog and video outline how and what is needed to build a "Get it Done!" "Do Something" board, staff, and organizational culture.
How to Build a “Get It Done” Culture
Today kicks off a new series on one of the most important drivers of nonprofit success: creating a Get It Done culture.
You can hire brilliant, passionate individuals, but if each person is operating in their own silo—focused only on personal passions without a shared sense of mission—you’ll end up with fragmented efforts, inconsistent progress, and no unified team momentum.
A high-performance nonprofit requires a unifying culture that aligns everyone around shared beliefs, shared values, and shared responsibility to fulfill the mission.
Winning Teams Understand Culture
Think back to your younger days:Maybe you played on a championship soccer team…Maybe you performed in a top-tier band…Maybe you competed in debate, dance, or theater…
If you were ever part of a winning team, you remember the feeling:Team spirit.Shared goals.Hard work.Accountability.A coach who pushed you—but also believed in you.
That combination created something magical: A culture where people worked hard individually and collectively to succeed. Winning fueled motivation. Motivation fueled more winning. And the joy of it stuck with you.
Nonprofits Are No Different
Each nonprofit sector is like its own sports league—with:
Rules
Regulations
Regional levels
Competition
A shared belief that good work makes a difference
Some nonprofits win more simply because they have a star player—a charismatic founder, a powerhouse board member, or a gifted fundraiser. Others win because they have a great “coach”—the executive director who inspires and directs. But even star players and great coaches don’t guarantee championships.
Consistent winning requires culture.
Culture is what separates a one-hit-wonder organization from a long-term, high-performance nonprofit.
Culture: What It Is and Why It Matters
Your mission tells people what you do.Your vision tells people where you’re going.But your culture tells people who you are.
Culture expresses:
What your nonprofit stands for
What your team believes
How people behave
How people work together
What level of excellence is expected
A clear, well-defined culture becomes the bedrock of a high-performance nonprofit. It unifies hearts, minds, and actions around a shared purpose. Without it, even the best
organizations stall out.
The reality?Very few nonprofits take the time to define their culture.That’s why so many struggle, stall, and never make it to “championship level” performance.
More Ahead in This Series
In the next episodes, we’ll dig into the tactics, structures, and habits required to build a Get It Done culture—one that produces consistent excellence year after year.
Until then… create a great day. Hooyah!
Takeaways
Great people alone don’t guarantee success—you need a unified culture.
Culture drives team spirit, motivation, accountability, and performance.
Nonprofits function like sports teams: star players help, but culture wins championships.
Mission = what you do. Vision = where you’re going. Culture = who you are.
Few nonprofits define culture, which is why many stall as they grow.
Summary
A Get It Done culture is the backbone of every high-performing nonprofit. While talented staff and passionate volunteers matter, true success comes from a unified, intentional culture that shapes beliefs, behaviors, and teamwork. Just like championship sports teams, nonprofits must build and nurture the cultural foundations that inspire people to work hard, collaborate, and pursue excellence. When culture is strong, your nonprofit becomes unstoppable.
Tom Iselin
Rated One of America’s Best Board Retreat
and Strategic Planning Facilitators
About the Author
Tom Iselin is recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on high-performance nonprofits. He has built nine sector-leading nonprofits and two software companies, written six books, sits on multiple boards, and has been rated one of America’s Best Board Retreat and Strategic Planning Facilitators. His work on nonprofit strategy, board leadership, and culture has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.
Tom is the president of First Things First, a firm specializing in board retreats, strategic planning services, fundraising strategy, and executive coaching for nonprofit CEOs.
Board Retreats & Strategic Planning
If you’re looking for a board retreat facilitator or strategic planning facilitator who has been in the trenches and understands real-world nonprofit challenges, Tom can help your board gain clarity, build alignment, and create an actionable plan that improves performance and impact. His sessions propel organizations to the next level of performance and impact . . . and they're fun!
Board Retreats and Strategic Planning Services:
858.888.2278
