System 1: A Decision-Making System
One of the kindest things you can do for your team is give them clarity on who gets to decide what.
When that is not clear, every little question ends up back on your plate. That is a lot to carry! A simple decision-making chart can help. It shows your team who needs to be consulted in what types of decisions (spending, finances, program management, etc.), who makes the final call, and when to escalate.
Once your team has this, they can move forward with confidence instead of second-guessing themselves or waiting on you for everything.
💡Try this: Start small! Pick five common decisions your team faces regularly and write down who owns each one. That is your first draft right there.
System 2: A Project and Task Management System
If your team's to-do list lives in someone's memory or is buried in an email thread, things will eventually get missed, or bottlenecked and delayed. It happens to everyone!
A shared project tracker gives your whole team visibility into what needs to get done, who is responsible, and when it is due. Tools like Asana, Trello, or even a simple Google Sheet work really well for small nonprofit teams, and many of them are free.
The goal is to go from "I think someone is handling that" to "I can see exactly where that stands." That peace of mind is worth so much.
💡
Try this: Download my
Freebie Project Management Tracker (enjoy!) or try setting up your own shared task list with four simple columns: task, owner, deadline, and status. Even this basic setup can make a huge difference for your team.
System 3: A Knowledge and Documentation System
Here is a fun little question to sit with: if you took a two-week vacation tomorrow, could your team keep things running without you?
If that question made you nervous, this system is for you!
A knowledge and documentation system is basically a home for all the information your team needs to do their jobs well. Think step-by-step instructions for regularly performed tasks, where to find important passwords, templates your team uses often, and checklists for things like onboarding a new volunteer or planning your annual event.
You don’t want your well earned vacation interrupted by someone calling you to get the login information for something right? Right?!
And it does not have to be fancy at all. A shared Google Drive folder with clearly labeled documents is a wonderful place to start. (of course, for Passwords, I recommend something more secure like a shared password database tool).
💡Try this: Pick just one process you do regularly and write down every single step. That is your very first SOP (standard operating procedure) and something to be proud of!
I’ve got a video for that 📽️
And if you want to learn about a few MORE systems you should set up to make your nonprofit run more smoothly, I’ve got a video about how to do that! You can check it out here. (who’s surprised? 😁)
Try it this week 🚀
Look at your organization right now and ask yourself: where are things falling through the cracks the most?
Start there. Then pick one of these systems and take one small step toward building it this week. You do not have to do it all at once. Even a rough first version will make a real difference for your team, and for you!
