How do you prioritize tasks in non-profit program development?

1 Align tasks with goals

The first step to prioritize tasks is to align them with your program goals. What are you trying to achieve with your program? What are the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that guide your actions? How do your tasks contribute to these objectives? By clarifying your goals and aligning your tasks with them, you can focus on the most important and impactful activities and avoid distractions and irrelevant tasks.

2 Assess urgency and importance

The second step to prioritize tasks is to assess their urgency and importance. Urgency refers to how soon a task needs to be done, while importance refers to how much a task matters for your program success. You can use a matrix to categorize your tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, urgent but not important, important but not urgent, and neither urgent nor important. Ideally, you should prioritize the tasks that are urgent and important, delegate or outsource the tasks that are urgent but not important, schedule the tasks that are important but not urgent, and eliminate or minimize the tasks that are neither urgent nor important.

3 Estimate resources and time

The third step to prioritize tasks is to estimate the resources and time required for each task. Resources include human, financial, material, and technical resources that you need to complete a task. Time includes the duration, deadline, and frequency of a task. By estimating the resources and time for each task, you can plan your budget, schedule, and workload more realistically and efficiently. You can also identify potential gaps, risks, and bottlenecks that may affect your task completion and adjust your priorities accordingly.

4 Use tools and methods

The fourth step to prioritize tasks is to use tools and methods that can help you organize and manage your tasks more effectively. To-do lists are a simple way to list tasks and check them off as they are completed, while calendars are useful for tracking deadlines, appointments, and events related to the tasks. Additionally, project management software can be used to plan, monitor, and collaborate on tasks with team members and stakeholders. Lastly, prioritization techniques such as the Eisenhower matrix, MoSCoW method, Pareto principle, or RICE score can be used to systematically rank tasks based on criteria such as value, effort, risk, or impact.

5 Review and adapt

The fifth step to prioritize tasks is to review and adapt your priorities regularly. Non-profit program development is not a linear or static process, but a dynamic and iterative one. You may encounter changes, challenges, or opportunities that may affect your tasks and goals. Therefore, you need to review your priorities frequently and adapt them to the changing circumstances. You can use feedback, data, and evaluation to assess your progress and performance and make informed decisions about your priorities.

6 Communicate and collaborate

The sixth and final step to prioritize tasks is to communicate and collaborate with your team and stakeholders. Prioritizing tasks is not a solo activity, but a collective one. You need to involve and consult your team and stakeholders in setting, reviewing, and adapting your priorities. You also need to communicate your priorities clearly and transparently to avoid confusion, conflict, or misunderstanding. By communicating and collaborating with your team and stakeholders, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page, aligned with the program goals, and committed to the program success.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?