Hopefully, you had a wonderful holiday season – some time off, a flurry of end-of-year donations, and a chance to reset for the new year. Now it’s time to get back on track! Every company in every industry has its challenges and opportunities when a new year rolls around, and it’s time to get back to business. For those in the nonprofit sector, we offer a few tips for beginning the next year in the best possible position.
Plan to level up your communications with constituents
You’ve heard the phrase, “It’s not what you say, but how.” That’s particularly true in the nonprofit industry. Take a look at your communication strategy and give careful thought to how you’re sharing information. Ideally, you have campaigns built for support, branding strategy, and growing your donor base. Do you know where to reach those people – the best channels to leverage to meet your goals? Sit down with your team to kick off the new year, and ask them which channels they’re using, which segment of your audience you’re addressing with each, and what your objectives are for the next year. You may need to change your communication channels to make sure they’re aligned with your goals.
Create a marketing calendar
Maybe you’re doing this already. If you’re not, it’s a surefire way to improve your marketing strategy. Create a task list for your marketing team that encompasses activities across channels. Since many nonprofits work around specific events, you might want to set dates and work backward on your plans around them. Plot promotional activities, which campaign or event they support, and who is responsible. Get everyone on the same page from the very beginning. And don’t stop there. If, once you’ve got a visual representation of marketing activities, you see some gaps, plan more communication.
Choose a new organizational tool
Are you making the most of the tools that can help with your goals? Social media tools like Hootsuite or automation tools like Hubspot can help you increase successful communication and PR efforts. Perhaps you need more help with accounting or an upgrade in scheduling platforms. Make a point to discuss with each department what’s working and what’s not. Then, commit to onboarding one new tool that will help you reach a company-wide objective. Make it a practice to review needs and tools with each department at the end of the year, every year. You won’t be able to implement new tools across your entire organization, so you’ll need to prioritize, but your team will feel supported knowing you are committed to enabling them. You also don’t need to choose from only paid tools. There are plenty of free or low-cost solutions that can help you work smarter, not harder.
The new year is a fresh opportunity to set goals and then crush them! We’re excited to support you in doing so, however that looks for your nonprofit.