New Years Resolutions for the Non Profit Sector

As the calendars turn to 2017, it’s a natural time for reflection and goal setting that will make a lasting impact on how the next 365 days turn out. These resolutions are not lost on an organizational level, as it provides an incredible opportunity for deliberation and situational analysis. This time of year is specifically chaotic for non-profit organizations who are still reeling from their end of year and holiday giving campaigns, left to sort through the mess as a new year unfolds. With that in mind, I wanted to take a moment to provide three resolutions that I think can be applied to most non-profit organizations as the sun rises on the new year.

Look back (to move forward)

Broadly stated, there is incredible value in looking back at the past year(s) and taking note of what went well, what failed and what could be done differently in the coming year. This is a rare opportunity to reflect on past mistakes and see where your approach began to fade or fail. Harvesting 2016’s data is a great place to start. What was the churn rate of your donors? Did your impact grow or fade through difficult political waters? What did your organization do to spur innovation and stay relevant to the times? The answers to these questions and their follow ups will provide important insights on how to begin to navigate through 2017. What is most crucial here is that this information is not hidden in the ED’s lock box but instead shared and sifted through with stakeholders (employees, volunteers, donors, the population being served) and reflected on together.

Take a hard look at your strategy.

The first issue here will be that most confuse mission and strategy. A mission is what your organization is doing and often includes why you’re doing it. Good mission statements are specific and targeted but most mission statements end up broadly stating the organization's intentions (often to remain eligible for certain grants). What I feel is an important question to answer in the new year is: “How are we accomplishing our mission.” Although this may seem banal at its face, the answer to the HOW question is something that often changes year by year. Organizations must iterate and innovate to stay relevant and impactful, which requires significant pivots in strategy and processes. That’s where this 2017 resolution comes in. Make a commitment to look at your strategy and truly analyze the details that come to the surface. How sustainable is your revenue structure? How are you demonstrating your processes to donors? What could roles be added or removed to improve the bottleneck straining your impact? What skills can we add to our staff to help us maximize our capacity? As with the first, this is a great exercise at an Executive level but even better when it involves your entire staff and stakeholders. Bring in outsiders to take a look in to challenge your assumptions, as the most obvious issues/solutions are often overlooked because we are too close to the problem at hand (see This is Water).

Re-invigorate your employees.

Nothing groundbreaking here. The holidays typically serve as a great break for employees to spend time with family and loved ones, which usually results in a productivity boost in the early weeks of January. Odds are that you showed employee appreciation through a holiday party or bonus of some kind but this resolution extends well beyond the first days of 2017. Nonprofit employees are typically the most underappreciated (and underpaid) of the bunch and although resources are always tight, there needs to be an effort to keep them engaged and excited about the work at hand. When’s the last time each manager sat down with their employees to ask about their career goals or aspirations? What would creative solutions in work hours allow employees to spend more time with their families? If the B Corp framework was applied to your organization, specifically the “Workers” Section, how would you perform? When’s the last time you got a read on what motivates each of your employees?The answers to these questions are often tough realities that seem impossible to solve and address. However, the effort required to ask these questions and become more engaged is well worth the time. Give your employees an avenue to communicate and find ways to get them engaged and onboard. You’ll see their productivity make leaps and bounds.