On February 27, 2025,

Jennifer Rittner facilitated a discussion with Dr Sharon Counts and Sruthi Sadhujan on how nonprofits and cultural institutions navigate change while maintaining their core mission and values.

Sruthi Sadhujan, a brand strategist for nonprofits, shared her journey into organizational change, emphasizing that branding in the nonprofit space extends beyond logos and taglines—it’s a transformative process that affects culture, power dynamics, and institutional identity. She introduced a four-part framework for evaluating change:

1. Treasures – Legacy practices and traditions that hold enduring value and should be preserved.
2. Baggage – Outdated ways of thinking or operating that no longer serve an organization and should be let go.
3. Fruits – New, innovative ideas that hold promise and represent genuine progress.
4. Illusions – Superficially appealing changes that may be deceptive or lack substance.

Dr Sharon Counts, an arts and culture leader, reflected on the challenges institutions face, particularly in balancing their historical mission with the need for inclusivity and evolution. She highlighted the aging leadership structures in the arts and culture sector and the systemic barriers that prevent true diversity and representation. She also addressed the tension between legacy and change, questioning whether institutions should hold onto traditions that no longer serve a diverse audience.

A significant part of the discussion revolved around the power of naming and language in shaping institutional identity. They explored the debate surrounding the Audubon Society, which faced pressure to rename itself due to its founder’s history as a slaveholder. While some name changes, like removing ethnic slurs from geographical sites, represent meaningful progress, others risk being performative rather than substantive. Sharon and Sruthi emphasized that while words matter, genuine change must extend beyond rhetoric to include structural and systemic transformation.

Jennifer, Sharon, and Sruthi also discussed the role of strategic design in nonprofit success, advocating for a design-thinking approach to reshape institutions in a sustainable way. They emphasized the need to move beyond traditional funding models (such as memberships) toward more innovative financial strategies and partnerships.

Despite the current challenges facing nonprofits and cultural institutions, the conversation ended on a hopeful note. Both Sharon and Sruthi expressed optimism that through coalition-building, advocacy, and collaboration, these institutions can renew their missions and become stronger. They stressed that organizations must continuously reflect on their impact, listen to their communities, and adapt in meaningful ways to remain relevant in an evolving world.