"The Why of Everything": How Vicki Cummings Draws On Experience to Ignite Change
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“Part of the process that I take both individuals and the organizations through is: what’s driving you? What are the underpinnings of the energy that makes you want to do this work?” - Vicki Cummings
Vicki Cummings is a passionate, creative and visionary entrepreneur with 30 years of expertise in generating organizational change. She also happens to be the force behind the BC Alliance’s upcoming three-workshop series, Igniting Change, which will help your organization set and accomplish values-based goals.
We sat down with Vicki to talk about the formative experiences of the past, how she found herself building a new life in Vancouver in the present, and how she helps arts organizations look toward the future.
Tell me a little bit about yourself that I couldn’t learn from reading a bio.
I have recently moved to Vancouver from Toronto and I’ve spent probably the better part of 30 years working within the arts and social service sectors within major fundraising roles. I have shifted the focus of my work into more organizational capacity-building, and trying to foster and ignite cultures of excellence and leadership within the arts space.
What precipitated your move from Toronto to Vancouver?
A little bit of serendipity, and an opportunity landed in my lap. I was ready for a major life change, and a geographic change and I decided I would take the plunge and come here. And I am so thrilled to be here! I love the moderate climate and I love the mountains, I love the ocean and I’m starting to get settled, and I’m starting to make some connections!
Talk to me about the workshop series. There are other workshops out there that are about strategic planning and organizational growth. What’s your secret sauce?
This is realty going to start with the vision: the why of everything. If anyone out there is a follower of Simon Sinek, which I am, understanding why. Why are we doing this? Why is it important? Why is it relevant? Why is it urgent? Being able to answer those questions for ourselves in the context of our organizations really is the starting point because it provides the focus that we need in order to then be able to think more strategically about, okay, this is the kind of organization we want to become. This is the direction we want to be going. This is why we’re doing this, why this is really important. Now let’s shape the how and the what so that those two elements are in service of this bigger picture.
And we want to make sure that there is clarity and alignment with everybody. Everybody sees themselves in this vision: “This is who I am. This is what I bring. And I’m going to help the organization move this forward, as well as move myself forward”. So this is very much a yin and yang of personal and organizational, a blending of that.
Part of the process that I take both the individuals and the organizations through is: what’s driving you? What are the underpinnings of the energy that makes you want to do this work? And that becomes the foundation of it. Then, when you’ve got this big compelling vision, we need to make sure that you have all the tools, all the physical and human resources that are gonna help you. And if you don’t, how are you gonna acquire them? Who else can you collaborate with in the community who has those skill sets?
The series of workshops is designed to take people through that process. First, let’s be clear about the vision. Then, let’s look at the tactics and the resources so we put our best foot forward, so we’ve got the best opportunity of achieving what we want to achieve.
Your workshop series is called “Igniting Change.” You mentioned that you’ve changed career paths, moved across the country. What role has change played in your own life?
Change has probably been the thread throughout my life and certainly my career. When I got out of university, I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do. My father had recently passed away, so I was lost, a little bit, and I stumbled into working with London Life as an insurance representative. I loved working with my clients but the industry just didn’t feel like a fit. And I then stumbled into the charitable sector and fundraising, and that’s really where I felt home. I felt like I was close enough to community to see the impact of the work.
And I loved being in the arts. I started out with the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and then I had the privilege of working with the National Arts Centre, and that’s where I really learned about fundraising – the craft of fundraising. But I was feeling like again, I needed a change. There was this tug I was feeling to move out of Ottawa, where I’m from. And so I had an opportunity to move to Toronto with a larger non-profit. I really came to understand issues of community, poverty, homelessness, issues with youth, newcomers. It was really an eye-opening experience, [and it] really gave me a much better appreciation for issues of community, social determinants of health and then how the arts intersect in all of that, and the role that they can play in helping shape policies. And that’s where I’m at now, I’m at this space where I’m really wanting to see how I can take all of my experiences, learning, expertise, to help change outcomes and possibilities.
I guess because I’ve gone through so much change and transition — in the arts and social services, working in large organizations, small organizations — I have experienced a lot of the challenges organizations struggle with. And so I bring that lens to wanting to help create a process for how organizations can begin to address some of these issues, particularly smaller non-profits that don’t have a lot of resources, don’t have a lot of capacity for training. What can you do to change the outcomes, to be able to achieve some of the impacts you want to make in the community with the work that you’re doing, whether you’re an organization or an independent artist? That’s what’s fuelling the workshops… pardon the pun.
What does a culture of leadership and excellence look like in the arts?
A culture of leadership, to me, is that everybody has the opportunity to lead from where they are. It’s a personal choice to lead. It’s a state of being and doing. So from the top down, [a culture of leadership means] this is possible for you. It doesn’t matter where you’re at in the organization. It’s not about the title. It’s how you show up, how you bring your best self into the context every day and are focused on the direction that we’re going. That creates that culture where everybody feels like they have a voice, they can contribute. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m bringing an idea to the table and everybody’s going to agree with it, but I have the opportunity to do that. At least I know that there’s the safety in my space to do that. Because that doesn’t always exist, and we leave a lot on the table when we don’t leverage all of the knowledge and experience and expertise that our organizations have in the context of their human resources.
What’s your favourite movie, book and food?
My favourite movie, oh my gosh, there are so many. The one that popped into my head is Victor/Victoria. Favourite book, I would have to say… my favourite book right now is the one I’m reading right now, it’s called Getting to Maybe. My favourite food? My homemade nachos. [laughs]
Thanks so much to Vicki Cummings for taking the time to share her story with us. If you’re interested in harvesting more of the fruits of Vicki’s wisdom, her three workshop series, Igniting Change, starts in March.
On March 17, bring your new strategic plan to life with From Purpose to Impact. On March 31, Alignment of Resources will help you leverage at-hand resources make your goals even more tangible. And Culture of Leadership & Excellence will align your decision-making to activate those goals on April 14.
Participants may register for each workshop individually ($45 BC Alliance members/$85 non-members), as a suite of two ($75 members/$115 non-members), or for all three ($105 members/non-members). Please contact info@allianceforarts.com if you’re interested in this special pricing.
Register for Igniting Change at our Workshops page today!
