Today I had the opportunity to speak with Gayle Carpentier, Chief Business Development Officer at TechSoup Global, a large and growing nonprofit based in San Francisco, with offices all around the world. TechSoup Global was founded in 1987 on the belief that technology is a powerful enabler for social change.

I asked Gayle several questions about the culture and atmosphere at TechSoup.

“Professionally,” Gayle said, “it is a very open environment. People are listened to and we almost never say no to any good idea.”

“Personally,” she continued, “the environment is even better. We are treated like people, rather than just cogs.”

She went on to tell me how the organization was very supportive of her during a difficult time in her life when her husband became sick and passed away a couple years ago. She mentioned that the organization will work with an employee to support different schedules and work arrangements.

I asked her whether employees are encouraged to think creatively and use their unique talents. She said, “Yes, definitely. In fact part of our hiring criteria is that our employees lead robust external lives. We demand more of people than to simply go about their business.”

“What I enjoy most about working here,” Gayle says, “is the opportunity to work with bright and clever people. I have my best conversations with people around me at work.”

When asked what the organization does to keep it employees happy, Gayle described a culture where each employee’s needs are important. Sure, they have all of the usual benefits, such as a health plan and a 403b (the nonprofit equivalent of a 401k), but TechSoup goes beyond that.

“They look first at the person,” Gayle says.

Rather than putting systems in place to keep up morale, she describes a more organic approach, where any time an employee might be struggling, someone will step in to find out how they can help.

I asked Gayle what makes TechSoup different from other companies out there. She responded that “people are not tied down or held back by the corporate structure.”

Since TechSoup is a nonprofit, people are able to focus on service first, and profit second.

The more I reflect on that statement, isn’t that they way all companies should be?

See more posts by Justin Carboneau

Latest posts in the Corporate Cultures series:

• Corporate Cultures: New World Library
• Corporate Cultures: TechSoup Global
• Corporate Cultures: Learn Out Loud.com
• Corporate Cultures: Institute for The Psychology of Eating

Corporate Cultures