Well, it’s 2023. As we ease into this new year, now is the time that many of us are setting new year's resolutions, such as moving our bodies more or spending more time with loved ones. Setting new year resolutions doesn’t have to only apply to your personal life! This is a great time to do a “systems check” of your nonprofit. What’s worked well? What hasn’t? What happened in 2022, and what do you want to be different in 2023?
Keep reading for resolutions and assessment areas you can use to have the best 2023 possible for your organization.
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Nonprofit New Year's Resolutions Best Practices
Before we jump into resolution specifics, let's take a moment to look at some tips and best practices for creating effective New Year's Resolutions.
Be realistic with your nonprofit's resolutions
It's important to be realistic when setting New Year's Resolutions for your nonprofit. Just like when it comes to a personal New Year's Resolution, you want to set your organization up for success. It would be unrealistic to set a goal of running a marathon in the coming year if you've never run a mile and don't have much time to train. Similarly, it might be a bit unrealistic to set a goal of raising $1 million in recurring gifts if you don't even have a recurring giving program yet. However, if that's your long-term goal, you can set some New Year's Resolutions that move you in that direction!
Rather than setting a specific financial goal, perhaps it's more realistic to set a New Year's Resolution of establishing your recurring giving program and enrolling at least 30 regular donors in the next 12 months.
No matter how you decide to approach your New Year's Resolution, ensure it's a realistic and reasonable expectation to set for yourself, your team, and your donors.
Only set a few specific resolutions for your nonprofit
You may have a laundry list of potential New Year's Resolutions in mind, but it's more effective to choose just a few strategic resolutions. This prevents you from spreading yourself (and your team) too thin.
Tackling too much at once can be frustrating, daunting, and even exhausting. It can be incredibly challenging if you're setting goals that require creating new systems or changing current patterns.
Be gentle with yourself and reasonable about the amount of time, energy, and effort your goals will require over the coming year. It's better to start small and add more goals than start with great ambition and get bogged down early.
Don't repeat past failures–but DO repeat successes!
Contrary to what might seem logical, it's not always helpful to make the exact same New Year's Resolution year after year.
Psychology professor Richard Wiseman says, "If people think they can do it, they probably can, but if they've already tried and failed, their self-belief will be low."
If you decide to set the same resolution as a previous year, set aside some time to evaluate previous attempts and results. What will you do differently this time to work toward a different outcome?
Surprisingly, it's very ok to set the same New Year's Resolution if you enjoyed some success in the last 12 months but didn't quite hit 100%. This could be an excellent opportunity to continue building on the progress and momentum you already have, rather than diverting attention elsewhere and potentially disrupting progress or reverting back to old ways.
As a wise nonprofit mentor, Joe Ho, once said, "One year of success is a surprise, two years is a success, three years is a pattern or habit." Consider keeping the same resolutions this coming year if you're enjoying a surprise or success but want to ensure it's an established pattern or habit.
6 Nonprofit New Year's Resolutions to Consider
1. Use your database more effectively in fundraising
When used correctly, data can be a fundraising game-changer. Make 2022 the year you clean up your database and ensure everything in your CRM system is accurate. This can be a time-consuming process, but it will surely pay dividends.
Create a system or routine to maintain your CRM system regularly, so your data gives you year-round organized, actionable information. This ultimately leads to stronger relationships with donors and increases the return on your fundraising investments.
2. Diversify your funding streams
Cultivating very diverse funding sources is one of the best ways to create more stability and predictability in your organization. It's also a practical way to reduce financial stress.
One potential revenue stream to consider is an e=commerce store. An e-commerce store can be a steady source of year-round revenue for your organization. Adding e-commerce capabilities diversifies your funding sources and raises more money for your cause or programs. In addition to the consistent revenue, it is also a strategic way to make your nonprofit more visible because it helps you spread information about your message and work.
With the Soapbox Engage Shop app, you can easily create as many products as you need, instantly upload sales to your CRM, discover which marketing efforts are driving the most sales, and more. You’ll be boosting your revenue to support your mission in no time.
3. Keep your website fresh
Your website gets cluttered throughout the year. Set aside time to review the entire website. Make sure the most important and relevant content is front and center. Either move all older website content to an archives space or make it inactive.
Don't delete the content as you never know when it might come in handy later, but there are easy ways to move it away from the public eye.
While you're sprucing up your content, take the time to make sure all your links work (especially donation links) and do a general website check-up to make sure everything's ready to go for another year of success.
Once you've updated all your web content, create a system to regularly update and share new content on your website, blog, and social media platforms. Many nonprofits find "content calendars" helpful to guide their content throughout the year and ensure they're communicating with followers regularly (in addition to newsletters, appeals, and other content).
4. Diversify your board of directors
Your board is a powerful influence on the direction and success of your organization. Over time, nonprofit boards can become homogenous and only represent a small portion of the community you serve or exist in. 2023 could be the right year to diversify your board of directors.
Take some time to evaluate the community you're involved in and assess what might need to change so your board better reflects that community. After all, your board members should serve as an effective fundraising and management structure and a voice for those you serve.
5. Boost your donor retention strategies
Donor retention is a crucial piece of overall fundraising success. It's cheaper and more effective to retain the donors you already have than to constantly attract new supporters. Additionally, the longer donors stick around, the more money they tend to give.
A higher donor retention rate also means a longer list of people to contact for appeal campaigns. And many nonprofits find that when they actively engage supporters and improve their overall retention rate, their pool of major donor prospects gets bigger, too.
The Soapbox Engage Donations app offers powerful marketing data that can help you analyze what’s working and improve your donor retention strategies.
6. Add virtual fundraising and hybrid events to your fundraising calendar
Most of us started using virtual fundraising strategies as a temporary alternative during lockdowns and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s clear now that virtual fundraising and hybrid events are here to stay. And many nonprofits are enjoying great success with virtual and hybrid fundraising events because they can reach a larger audience with less overhead.
If you haven't already done so, incorporate virtual and hybrid events into your overall 2023 fundraising strategy. Not only will it help diversify your events, but you'll also reach a broader audience and keep up with the digital trends. You can use the Soapbox Engage Events app for all your online event management needs.
While there are countless resolutions you might set for your nonprofit this year, the most essential key to success is to be specific and intentional with your goals. Choose one or two focus areas to really excel in rather than spreading your attention and resources too thin.
Don't forget to pause and celebrate all you accomplished in 2022 as you turn your sights on the year to come! And here's to a great new year!
Here are three more resources to help your nonprofit grow in the new year.
- Practical Self-Care for Development Professionals: Another excellent New Year's Resolution might be cultivating a healthy self-care strategy. Self-care doesn't just allow you to be at peak performance longer; it can actually increase your performance, sense of balance, and overall wellness. Check out this blog for some excellent self-care ideas for development professionals.
- 5 Nonprofit Grassroots Fundraising and Advocacy Campaign Best Practices: Nonprofit advocacy and fundraising campaigns offer your supporters different ways to get involved in your mission, attract new donors, and expand your network. If your organization is considering incorporating these strategies into your fundraising campaigns, this blog has some insights to help you plan a great campaign!
- Making the Right Fundraising Ask: Smart Strategy for Successful Appeals: Even if you've crafted a compelling appeal and an inspiring story, you know the wrong ask amount can cause even the best appeal to fall flat. Asking for too much or too little can have devastating impacts. It's critical to personalize this part of the fundraising process, and this blog will help you do just that!
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