The founder and president of Organizational Sustainability Consulting, Dr. Ari Betof advises senior nonprofit executives on institutional effectiveness. Recently, Dr. Ari Betof published an article that discusses the importance of first impressions from an organization point of view.

First impressions matter. This applies to interactions between humans and interactions between a human and an organization. From the moment a client begins interacting with an organization, he or she forms an impression of it.

Large institutions may have difficulty cultivating positive first impressions between their employees and clients. However, the Boston College (BC) Cadigan Alumni Center has excelled at creating good first impressions.

When people enter the alumni center, the first person they meet is Maureen McGrail, BC’s Director of First Impressions. McGrail’s title is the result of the college’s intentions to build a joyful work culture that recognizes employees and builds engagement. This environment helps create a positive first impression of BC.