December was one of my favorite months when I was serving as my nonprofit’s Executive Director.
Yes, it was a busy time, but people had an extra-special giving spirit. The team enjoyed some hard-earned time off for the holidays. And it was a time of reflection and planning.
I do love planning… 🤓
Some of the decisions made in December could impact our entire next year.
That said, let’s help you capitalize on this month as much as possible!
Here are some things you might block off some time to focus on:
1. Year-End fundraising push
I debated even including this, because it’s already on everyone’s minds. But I figured it would look even more weird if I left it out!
We know that nearly a third of all annual donations come in during the month of December 😮, so there’s no getting around this one.
I recently shared a video about steps to plan your #GivingTuesday campaign, and some of those strategies apply here, so check that out!
Hopefully you’ve already got any year-end fundraising plans going, so I’m just going to drop this quick last-minute prep checklist in here for you… 😛
- Make sure your website and donation pages are up to date with the latest information
- Test your donation pages on mobile phone - if they aren’t looking good, get that fixed ASAP (about a third of donations are happening via mobile device now!)
If you are getting a late start on messaging, the best strategy is to get hyper-specific about your fundraising goals by choosing one clear, compelling ask to focus on. Need to raise $10,000 to buy your nonprofit’s new van? Will $5,000 close the gap and allow you to feed 100 more people? Get as specific as you can if you’re going for a short-term or last minute ask.
2. Reflect and plan ahead
Don’t let the chaos of December keep you from blocking off time on your calendar for some strategizing for the year ahead.
In fact, go ahead and block off a chunk of hours on your calendar right now for that.
I’ll wait.
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Good? Okay! If you’re not sure where to begin on this one, try this:
- If you don’t already have a tactical plan for 2025, start by assessing your wins and challenge areas from the past 12 months. Can you survey your volunteers, board, and top supporters to ask them what worked and what didn’t? Can you gather the team for a S.W.O.T. analysis? Awesome. (here’s how to do a S.W.O.T., by the way)
- Use your team’s feedback to hone in on the top 1-3 goals your organization should focus on for the coming year. Not 20 goals. 3 tops! (It’s hard. I knooowww. 😬)
- Starting with those 1-3 goals as endpoints, reverse engineer your steps to achieve those by writing out what you need to do or overcome to reach them. If your goal is to increase the number of people you served by 50%, what barriers are standing in the way of you doing that? (funding? Staffing? technology?) Map out your plan for overcoming those barriers to hit your goals. With a draft plan for the year in hand, continue to iterate with community and team feedback, until you have a basic direction for 2025.
3. Deepen your relationships
December is when a lot of fundraising happens, as we covered, but it’s even more important to engage your stakeholders during this time.
It’s the perfect time to reconnect with partners, funders, the people you serve, and other community organizations. 🤝
For example, you might…
- Send a year-end greeting card or kind note
- Host a virtual (or in person) “state of the organization” meeting to share wins and ask for feedback
- Highlight impacts and your stakeholders’ role in helping the organization reach them
- Just spend a lot of time saying Thank You!
This stewardship and engagement can go along way in keeping relationships strong year-round.
4. Double-check your record keeping and financial reporting
This is really a year-round thing, but December is a great time to just do some double checking to make sure you’ve got everything in order for the following year’s annual 990 filings, donor receipts, etc. 📋
The IRS covers requirements here, but we’re talking:
- Receipts for all purchases throughout the year accounted for and properly filed
- Your accounting records all reconciled nice and neat
Any prep needed to issue receipts to donors for gifts made that year, etc.!
5. Celebrate your team and your wins
One of my biggest regrets in my own nonprofit work is not slowing down and enjoying our victories enough.
I hope you learn from my mistakes on this one, and take a moment (or a lot of moments) to pause, applaud your team’s great work, and talk as a group about your accomplishments.
Oh, and don’t leave out your board and volunteers too!
They’ve worked hard this year, and their dedication deserves recognition. This work can be tough. So whether it’s a virtual holiday party, a small gift, or just a heartfelt email, showing appreciation goes a long way. 🎉 🎉 🎉
