Revitalizing the Organizational Culture at Camp Fire Camp Fire Sunshine Central Florida needs to revitalize its organizational culture in order to overcome financial and resource challenges presented by the current economic climate. Carmeli & Tishler (2004) describe organizational culture as an “intangible element” that has “an important role in creating an organization’s value.” (p. 1259) Jaskyte (2004) warns that nonprofits must “understand the cultures of their organization and seek to develop values and practices that are supportive of innovation.” (p. 164) Camp Fire Sunshine Central Florida, the local branch of Camp Fire USA, is a non-profit organization offering programming for children ages three to eighteen. The organization is run
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Staff and volunteers are not competitive with each other; personnel work cooperatively to complete tasks, manage programs, and serve the community. This easy-going atmosphere allows the organization to focus on its mission to provide youth with an inclusive, nonthreatening environment. In this respect, this characteristic of the organizational culture is complementary to the services being provided. There is some level of competitiveness needed, however, in terms of competing with other nonprofits for donor dollars, in order for Camp Fire to survive the current economic climate. (Gordon, 1991, p. 397) This is indicative of the organization-environment relationships that Gordon discusses in his article, “Industry Determinants of Organizational Culture.” His research indicates that “companies depend on the resources allotted to them by their environments for their survival and effectiveness.” (Gordon, p. 398) In this case, Camp Fire depends on the generosity of their volunteers with their time and the generosity of their donors with their money. In an environment where there are less volunteers and less donor dollars, Camp Fire must become more competitive with other local charitable organizations in order secure their fair share of these resources. This must be done in a manner that does not disrupt long-standing relationships between the organizations. For example, since Camp Fire receives some of their funding through United Way, it does not behoove them to compete with United Way for funding from local businesses. However, Camp Fire could consider competing with the local Boys and Girls Club by advertising programming offered by its organization that is not matched by the
Staff and volunteers are not competitive with each other; personnel work cooperatively to complete tasks, manage programs, and serve the community. This easy-going atmosphere allows the organization to focus on its mission to provide youth with an inclusive, nonthreatening environment. In this respect, this characteristic of the organizational culture is complementary to the services being provided. There is some level of competitiveness needed, however, in terms of competing with other nonprofits for donor dollars, in order for Camp Fire to survive the current economic climate. (Gordon, 1991, p. 397) This is indicative of the organization-environment relationships that Gordon discusses in his article, “Industry Determinants of Organizational Culture.” His research indicates that “companies depend on the resources allotted to them by their environments for their survival and effectiveness.” (Gordon, p. 398) In this case, Camp Fire depends on the generosity of their volunteers with their time and the generosity of their donors with their money. In an environment where there are less volunteers and less donor dollars, Camp Fire must become more competitive with other local charitable organizations in order secure their fair share of these resources. This must be done in a manner that does not disrupt long-standing relationships between the organizations. For example, since Camp Fire receives some of their funding through United Way, it does not behoove them to compete with United Way for funding from local businesses. However, Camp Fire could consider competing with the local Boys and Girls Club by advertising programming offered by its organization that is not matched by the