Celebration builds community.

I don’t mean just celebrating the end of a campaign or a transformational gift.  I’m talking about frequent celebrations with your whole team – your board, your philanthropic partners, your colleagues.

Celebrations are a way for members of your community to come together to honor what you’ve done and where you are going.  They create unity and a sense of shared commitment that fuels the motivation tank, which goes a long way to driving campaigns and building partnerships.

Organizations that retain their vitality are rich in celebrations, both formal and informal. Shared meals, rallies, parties and small celebratory acts can all become a part of your organization’s fabric.  Joyful rituals. I read about one human rights organization that ends many of its board meetings by having each person write a letter to a political prisoner and then share those letters with each other before sending them. This act is both an important ritual for them and a shared celebration of their work.

To make celebrations happen, someone from your team has to own the celebration agenda.  And it can’t be the new junior guy.  The Celebration Czar must wield some authority.  Otherwise on Cupcake Tuesday nobody shows up.  Not so festive.

A community that doesn’t celebrate is in danger of becoming just a group of people who get things done.

Do you have a celebration ritual?  Tell us about your last one.