An authentic organization is one where its actions, character and purpose are aligned. To be authentic, an organization must consciously build and manage trust internally and externally through having a clear purpose, strong values, meaningful relationships, self-discipline and acting with heart. Employees can help their organization be authentic by adding extra value without exploitation, seeking authenticity, meaningful work and simple rules over bureaucracy. Authentic brands and leaders produce strong results through integrity and stewardship while serving all stakeholders.

1. Authentic Organizations
Leah Eustace, M.Phil, MInstF, CFRE, ACFRE
President
R. Scott Fortnum, MA, CFRE, ACFRE
President and CEO

2. 2
Authentic Organizations
• What is an authentic organization?
• Why is it important for an organization to be
authentic?
• What can you do as an employee/ manager/ leader to
help your organization be authentic?

4. “Authentic leaders have a deep sense of
purpose for their leadership and are true to
their core values. They are people of the
highest integrity who are committed to building
enduring organizations. Authentic leaders see
themselves as stewards of the assets they
inherit and servants of all their stakeholders.
They lead with their hearts, not just their
heads, yet they have the self discipline to
produce consistently strong results.”
~ Bill George

6. An organization is authentic when its actions,
its character, and its sense of purpose are
aligned with and support each other.
CV Harquail, 2010

8. D: DIFFERENCE BEYOND DIVERSITY. I want to work in an organization
were I can be myself.
R: RADICAL HONESTY. Tell me the truth before someone else does.
E: EXTRA VALUE. Add value, don't exploit me, develop me.
A: AUTHENTICITY. Mean what you say and say what you mean.
M: MEANING. I want a meaningful job in an organization which itself
has meaning.
S: SIMPLE RULES. I want to live and work in an organization which
has created, and agreed to, simple rules, and not a fog of
bureaucracy.

10. Authentic Brands – Top 20 USA

11. Authentic Brands – Top 20 Canada

13. LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Public trust in
charities in Britain has declined since the sex
scandal centering on aid agency Oxfam broke in
February, a study has found.
Just 54 percent of respondents to a survey
carried out by research consultancy nfpSynergy
last month said they had “a great deal” or “quite
a lot of” confidence in charities, down from 60
percent in November.
March 23, 2018

14. All Are Affected

15. Rating Agencies

16. Canada’s Largest Charities & Charity Intelligence Rating

17. Trust
Competence trust - does the
organisation do what it says it will do?
Experience trust - over time, does the
organisation continue to do what it
says it will do?
Values trust - does the organisation
have the right sort of values that I
expect it to have?

18. 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer

19. Report Excerpts
• Trust in the U.S. has suffered the largest-ever-recorded drop in the
survey’s history among the general population falling nine points to 43,
placing it in the lower quarter of the 28-market Trust Index.
• Trust among the informed public in the U.S. imploded, plunging 23
points to 45, making it now the lowest of the 28 markets surveyed,
below Russia and South Africa.
• Revival of faith in experts and decline in peers. Credentialed sources are
proving more important than ever.
• 64 percent believe a company can take actions that both increase
profits and improve economic and social conditions in the community
where it operates.

21. • CEO credibility rose sharply by seven points to 44 percent after a
number of high-profile business leaders voiced their positions on the
issues of the day.
• Nearly two-thirds of respondents say they want CEOs to take the lead
on policy change instead of waiting for government, which now ranks
significantly below business in trust in 20 markets.
• Building trust (69 percent) is now the No. 1 expectation for CEOs,
surpassing producing high-quality products and services (68 percent).
Report Excerpts

24. In the past, these principles, credos or
beliefs were dictated from the top.
Now leaders must address increased
delegation and empowerment, while
maintaining consistency of brand,
customer relationships, public
reputation and day-to-day operations.
Values are the glue shaping behavior
and uniting goals.
Strengthening the Congruence of Personal and Organizational
Values. Evelina Gulbovaite – November 29th, 2017
Understand What the Company & Employees Value

25. The challenge of building trust is more acute
than ever. It’s a complex equation involving
everything from employee/employer
relationships, financial management and
corporate governance, to the quality of an
organization’s goods and services and its
responsiveness to societal issues. Have a
conscious strategy for building trust
internally and externally, and operating in the
public interest.
Consciously Build & Manage Trust in all its Dimensions

26. Great place to work
D: DIFFERENCE BEYOND DIVERSITY.
R: RADICAL HONESTY.
E: EXTRA VALUE.
A: AUTHENTICITY.
M: MEANING.
S: SIMPLE RULES
Trust
Purpose
Values
Relationships
Self Discipline
Heart
External validation
“Clients do not come
first. Employees
come first. If you take
care of your
employees, they will
take care of the
clients.”
~Sir Richard Branson

27. • Authentic organizations are successful
• Authenticity come from trust
• Trust comes from competence, experience and
values

28. Checklist for authentic organizations

30. Authenticity is the daily
practice of letting go of who
we think we’re supposed to
be and embracing who we
are.
~ Brene Brown