What's your plan for the new year? What do you have in store for your nonprofit organization?

Well, we've got some balloons, silly hats and flat champagne…

No, what are your plans in terms of operations? What are you doing to further your mission in the next 12 months?

The same we've always done: raise funds and bring more people into the fold.

Perhaps you should look into more specific goals, since everybody does that. If you have specific goals for your nonprofit, you can actually achieve those results. Developing some resolutions around constituent relationship management (CRM) can help you do that successfully.

You should focus on your supporter relationships in 2015.

Well, then, what would you suggest?

For all the efforts you made in bringing donors into your organization this holiday season, you're probably wondering, is it worth it? Are the amount of money you raise and people you enroll enough to help you grow? Or does it feel like you didn't receive all that much money despite a lot of new people delivering funds to you?

How many people donated this holiday season? How many didn't?

Those are quite a few questions, so I'll just say yes to all of them.

Well, let's be a little more concise by posing a single question: Have you earned more donors and money than you have lost this past holiday season?

When you're working in a nonprofit, make no mistake: You're working with a lot of people all the time. Even if your cause isn't directly affecting somebody, you're dealing with many individuals and groups who have a stake in what you do or your intended mission. You're building connections with people every day. The question is: Is your entire organization capable of making those same bonds and building on them?

What relationships do you have with the people who support you?

It's great that you've been receiving a lot of donation for this holiday season. However, you know that after the holiday season is over, it's back to the usual business of focusing on the mission. The thing is, you get a lot of your money from the holidays. In fact, according to the Network For Good, one-third of all online donations are made in December. The only other time you'll be able to raise as much money is either through consistently scheduled annual or semi-annual fundraising, as well as if a timely event makes your cause a more urgent priority, like after a natural disaster.

Considering it's the holiday season, it only makes sense that people seem more than willing to give money to their favorite cause or charity. Their donations help you pursue your organization's mission by funding operations, run campaigns that raise awareness for your cause and expand your outreach. With that said, people donate for various reasons other than to provide you help. One reason is that, quite simply, giving feels good. When running your holiday campaign or any other fundraiser, make sure your supporters are happy making a donation. This seems obvious, but this sort of thinking will help ensure they feel more inclined to give more with greater frequency. You're building a relationship with the constituent by making them feel good, and when you use nonprofit CRM software to manage their donations and support, you can make them feel better.

Giving makes people feel warm and fuzzy

Studies have consistently shown that donating money to a charitable cause is heavily tied to positive emotions, including happiness. The Non Profit Times recently cited a study by Harris Interactive on people's emotions when they donated. The results showed that 60 percent of people who donated felt hopeful their contribution is making a difference. Forty-eight percent stated giving makes them feel satisfied, while 43 percent said it makes them excited.