The Elements That Make Up a Get It Done Culture

Tom Iselin
Mar 20, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

This video and blog provide a detailed overview of the "elements" and "facets" required to build a "Get it Done!" culture. This one of the most important videos to watch in the "Culture" series.

The Elements That Make Up a Get It Done Culture

What Culture Really Is

Culture is the outward expression of how and why a nonprofit operates.

Board culture = how and why the board operates.
Staff culture = how and why staff operates.

Culture is abstract—like happiness or beauty. Easy to recognize. Hard to define.You’ve walked into toxic offices before:

Long faces
Furrowed brows
Smirks instead of smiles
Tension
Rudeness
Stress
People emotionally checked out

You feel the unhealthy culture the moment you walk in.

That’s not what culture should be.

Culture Answers Fundamental Questions

A healthy culture clarifies:

What does it mean to be part of this organization?
What does it mean to be on this board?
What does it mean to be a staff member or volunteer?

Your mission tells people what you do.Your vision tells people where you’re going.But your culture tells people who you are—What you stand for. What you believe.How you behave.

If you don’t have clarity on who you are or what you stand for, it becomes nearly impossible to fulfill your mission or reach your vision.

Why Culture Matters So Much

Many nonprofits limp along year after year because they lack a defined culture. Without one, an organization misses the unifying force that binds hearts, minds, and actions to fulfill the mission.

A strong culture becomes the prevailing spirit that guides everything you say and everything you do.

Choosing Your Cultural Elements

When defining culture, you must decide what elements you want to include. These might be:

Distinguishing style and character
Shared values and interests
Habits and customs
Normative practices
Ethical expectations
Shared successes

But for a Get It Done culture, nothing is more essential than these three:

Guiding beliefs
Standards
Behaviors

If you build your culture on those three elements, you’ll be on solid ground.

Defining Your Culture Through Facets

Once you choose your elements, you must identify your cultural facets—the specific words and phrases that symbolize the culture you want to build.

Host a brainstorming session with your board or staff and ask:

What type of culture do we want?
What words best describe it?

For a Get It Done board culture, examples of facets might include:

Excellence
Accountability
Honest communication
Teamwork
Productivity
Empowerment
Impact
Fun

Imagine a board culture that embodies these traits—one that takes action, raises money, collaborates well, communicates honestly, and enjoys the work along the way.

The Core Cultural Questions

When creating a board culture, the core questions are:

What does it mean to be part of this board?
What guiding beliefs should we follow?
What standards should we uphold?
What behaviors should we model consistently?

Answering these questions makes your culture intentional instead of accidental.

Whittling Down to the Essence

You may brainstorm dozens of cultural facets, but the key is to identify the handful that define the essence—the ethos—of your culture.

Once you’ve defined the essence, you can draft a culture statement.

Creating Your Culture Statement

A culture statement is a simple 2–3 sentence narrative that captures your chosen elements and facets. It describes who you are, what you stand for, and what you believe.

Once written, share it widely:

Put it on your wall
Include it in your annual report
Add it to your board agenda
Discuss it at strategic planning sessions

Now your organization will have three defining statements:

Mission: What you do
Vision: Where you’re going
Culture: Who you are and what you stand for

What could be better?

Takeaways

Culture expresses how and why a nonprofit operates—not just what it does.
A strong culture unifies hearts, minds, and actions around fulfilling the mission.
Cultural elements (style, values, customs) shape identity, but guiding beliefs, standards, and behaviors matter most.
Cultural facets are the specific descriptive terms that symbolize your desired ethos.
A culture statement becomes the narrative anchor for who you are as a nonprofit.
Mission = what you do. Vision = where you’re going. Culture = who you are.

Summary

Culture is the defining backbone of a high-performance, Get It Done nonprofit. While mission and vision outline direction and purpose, culture clarifies identity—what you stand for and how you show up. By selecting key elements, identifying cultural facets, and creating a clear culture statement, your nonprofit can build a unifying ethos that drives engagement, accountability, teamwork, and lasting impact. When culture is defined and championed, it becomes the spirit that permeates every action and elevates everything your organization does.

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!

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