The Importance of Your Reputation

How important is an organization’s reputation in today’s competitive marketplace? It is not an exact science but it is incessantly important and there is no denying it. An organization’s reputation is everything. It is fundamental to every fabric of an organization’s ability to be successful. It is crucial to recruiting board members, raising money and delivering services; once your reputation is tainted, it is very hard to recover.

So the question becomes, “how do you protect your reputation?” Here are some key principles I believe are valuable and will give you something to reflect on.

• Mission first. No matter what you do, always have the mission of the organization at the forefront of every decision. Ask yourself the question, “how does this affect the mission?”
• Be transparent. You should be an open book and be willing to share information, including financial information freely
• Communicate the good work you are doing. Other people will benefit from the knowledge of your work and gain a positive impression because of it.
• Build strong ambassadors. You can’t do it alone. Whether it is a board member or other volunteers, your network will expand and your reputation will improve because others are also singing your praises to the community.
• Listen to your clients. It helps fulfill your goals by incorporating certain expectations and suggestions that clients have of you. They are your most important stakeholders.
• Learn from your mistakes. We all make them and we can all do a better job because we have learned a valuable lesson from them.
• Be passionate. If you don’t show enthusiasm, how can anyone else get enthused?
• Be honest and forthright. There is no better way to protect your reputation than truth and honesty.
• Quality is essential. Whether it is a letter, a brochure, a presentation, a newsletter or something else, the quality must always be exemplary.
• Look and act professional. People associate you with the organization you represent. How you look and what you say is paramount to your organization’s reputation.
• Be respectful and patient. No matter how stressed and overwhelmed you are, take the time to engage others in conversations and discussions. Be open to dialogue and never be in too big of a hurry to talk or share.

Organizational success is harder to find today than ever before. There are a lot of reasons for today’s level of parody. It is our work environment, competition, economy and a saturated market that can significantly impact nonprofit organizations. A competitive advantage can be achieved by using some of these simple principles. Your reputation may be your greatest asset. You must protect it and nurture it. Not once in awhile, but every day. If you can do that, then it will add to your success and help bring others along to insure future successes. It may not be a check from a donor but it is just as important.


Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.