EXP — From Crisis to Championship Culture
EXP — The Opportunity Engine · 16 employees · 30 days
Summary
When EXP—The Opportunity Engine, a youth education nonprofit—came to Give River, the pandemic and subsequent layoffs had left their team exhausted, disconnected, and struggling with rock-bottom morale. Give River designed a streamlined 30-day Season focused purely on peer recognition in Slack. The results were unprecedented: 100% team participation with double-digit improvements across every metric—wellbeing support (up 14%), recognition frequency (up 11%), connection to colleagues (up 17%), and mission alignment (up 10%). The CEO reported that the Season became "the catalyst for a real culture shift" that continued building momentum throughout the year, with the team becoming more open, collaborative, and willing to pitch in.
The numbers.
What they said about the work.
“Give River was the catalyst for a real culture shift. Our team became more open, collaborative, and willing to pitch in — and it even raised the passion for our mission, which was already high. We had 100% participation in our first Give River season, and the impact was undeniable. The experience sparked lasting culture change and inspired us to launch a second season.”
The Challenge
EXP was in crisis mode. The organization had been hit hard by compounding challenges:
Before Give River:
- Pandemic impact: Team exhausted from navigating COVID disruptions
- Layoffs: Recent workforce reduction left survivors demoralized
- Rock-bottom morale: Energy completely depleted
- Disconnection: Team members felt isolated from each other and the mission
- Burnout epidemic: Employees struggling to find motivation
Key Pain Point: “Our team was in a really tough spot. The pandemic hit us hard, then we had to make layoffs, and our team was just… exhausted. Morale was at rock bottom.”
Key Takeaways
Best for organizations that:
- Are recovering from crisis (layoffs, pandemic, major change)
- Have burned-out, disengaged small teams
- Need rapid culture transformation (30-90 days)
- Want measurable proof of impact
- Seek high adoption rates without forced participation
- Need simple implementation without overwhelming features
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