So what happens after December 31st?
Maybe you finally take a day or two off.
You deal with tax receipting and acknowledgement letters left over from December.
You respond to social notifications that accumulated while you took time off.
You try to dig out from under an over flowing inbox.
You think about getting around to some of those back burner projects.
Here's something to consider -- you built up a lot of momentum in the last quarter of 2018. What if you play your cards right in the first 90 days of 2019 (heck, even throughout the year) and keep this momentum going?
The key is planning now.
I know you're up to your eyeballs in work right now, so hear me out.
Putting together your 2019 plans now means that you can start the year with clarity. You'll know your goals and you'll know the key projects that will help you reach them.
Knowing this can help you set boundaries with your time so that you can work on the right things in 2019.
Successful fundraising and communications planning includes setting better boundaries with your time and schedule.
That's right. It's time for all of us -- fundraisers and communications professionals alike -- to take a hard look at what we are doing. Because really, how much time do we spend each week doing things that actually help us make progress towards your goals?
I'm over here nodding my head because there was a time when my schedule was chock full of busy work that made me feel like I was getting stuff done. But the reality was that all the busy work prevented me from getting to my most important work.
By taking a different approach to planning and implementation, that changed. And that process started by me asking these three questions.
1. Did I make progress on my most important goals this year?
2. What helped me make that progress? (E.g. tools, people, habits, resources, etc)
3. What hindered my progress? (E.g. tools, people, habits, resources, etc)
Before we close out 2018, take 10 minutes to reflect on these questions. Then, ask yourself -- What key learnings can I take with me into 2019?
What key fundraising or communications learnings are you taking into 2019? Check out these 3 questions to pinpoint your key learnings.
Planning is the foundation of a successful fundraising or communications program. Join me next week for our next budget friendly training to debrief 2018 and solidify your 2019 plans.
