Setting Your Nonprofit Up for Success in the New Year
Moving Forward, with Leisa Sadler, CEO of Dress for Success Sydney

Setting Your Nonprofit Up for Success in the New Year

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发布日期: 2022年12月21日
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Welcome to the latest edition of Moving Forward, a newsletter designed to help nonprofits exchange ideas and learn from one another to unlock the full potential of the sector. With the year drawing to a close, we caught up with Leisa Sadler GAICD , CEO of Dress for Success NSW & ACT , to hear what steps she recommends nonprofits take now to ensure they can step into 2023 with confidence.

With many staff taking time off in December, what are some steps you recommend organizations take in the final weeks of 2022 to ensure they wrap up loose ends before the new year?

Take a deep breath! Seriously, since many of us are finding the “finish” line a challenge right now, my advice is to prioritize. Projects will always be there, so rather than thinking you need a blank to-do list when you get back from the holidays, why not get through the items on your list that have been hanging around for a while??

It might be easier to knock down some of the smaller, not-so-interesting ones, and leave the bigger, exciting ones for the new year — then you’ll have something to look forward to!

What are some simple things nonprofits can do at the start of 2023 to set themselves up for a successful year?

Nonprofits are typically resource-challenged, so the best way to set up for success is to be realistic about what can be achieved. Focus on projects that will make a big impact with the least drain on the resources you lack.

If you have the capacity to outsource to a consultant or use volunteers to achieve goals more easily, do it! It must be about “smart impact,” which really is best achieved with effective collaboration and having the team working together rather than focusing on a range of siloed projects.

The end of the year is a time when many people reevaluate what they’re looking for from their lives and jobs. What can nonprofits do to help staff reconnect with their organizations’ missions and feel valued and engaged?

Emphasize rest and recharge. The holiday season is a great opportunity to reflect on what’s happening beyond the workplace. As we consider our own gratitude and generosity, many people’s thoughts turn to areas where others may need help, or causes that require focus and support.?

At the same time, it’s a good opportunity to think about your own values and skills, and how you might be able to use them to make a difference.?

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What items are you trying to cross off your work to-do list before the end of the year? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments.

3 nonprofit thought leaders to follow

Prakshi Saha , Co-Founder and Director of Her Adhikaar Foundation , shares some practical tips for effective community outreach.

Prakshi Saha writes on LinkedIn: "What's it like being a 21 year-old founder? Part 2: Community Outreach Drives This is my favourite part of running a nonprofit! It's also the most difficult part, I would say. Community outreach drives are not a cakewalk. I am not an expert on it but I am constantly learning and trying to be better. I thought I will share some of my insights and learnings about it. When all the women and girls surround you with their curious faces and countless queries, I patiently try my level best to answer every question. It is often very difficult to even create a safe space where they open up to you, they feel comfortable sharing intimate details about their bodies. They often tell me about their menstrual cycles, sexual history, contraceptive use. I feel overwhelmed when they actually feel comfortable enough sharing it with me because I know its not easy for them, considering the stigma and taboo. I make sure that I never share these details, even as anonymous anecdotes anywhere. I put in my best effort to respect the information they have entrusted me with. Here are a few pointers to remember if you are going for community outreach drives: 1. Dress appropriately. Don't dress up fancily. You are not going there for pretty pictures. If you stand out among the community members, they will not feel included. If you feel like an outsider, you will not be able to make them trust you. 2. Speak the local, vernacular language. Always. Even when you are communicating with your team members or volunteers, speak in the local language, instead of English. Make sure all your team members speak the local language too. This is a great way to bond with the community. 3. Don't think you are doing a favour by helping them out. Don't think you are in a superior position. As blunt as that sounds, don't have a saviour complex. Be humble and polite all the time. Nonprofits/civil society organizations and community members are equal stakeholders in the process of changemaking. 4. Listen more. Don't think you know their problems better than them because you read a few reports and research papers. Listen to them as they share about their lived experiences. Don't be dismissive of what they are saying. 5. Form a bond and build trust. Chat with them. Ask how their day was, what they cooked at home, what they studied at school! Don't just go there and distribute the products, click pictures and come back. Build the trust so that they can feel it's a safe space to open up to you. Let me know if you found this interesting or helpful!"?

Olga Moshinsky Woltman, MS , Vice President of Organizational Growth and Engagement at The ALS Association , opens up about the emotional toll that nonprofit work can take on staff — and how she navigates it.?

Olga Moshinsky Woltman writes on LinkedIn: "Let's talk about the occupational hazards of working at a nonprofit. I am not tone deaf to compare a day at my desk to someone who handles infections diseases, fights crime, or works in a coal mine. But there are challenges. ???♀?To tell compelling stories to raise money and awareness, I have to allow myself to feel and care, time and time again. I've been calling it "method writing"? - it can take a toll. Nonprofits exist because there are so many terrible things in the world. ?? #Empathy is a gift and a curse. ??I'll be honest, I've grabbled a box of tissues when buckling in to write end of year appeals about #cancer ??I dwell on #ALS and #alzheimers after the work day is over, thinking about people and caregivers ??Talking about #diabetes is personal and cuts deep I try to reframe the work and think about the fact that the work we do makes a difference and moves the needle ever so slightly every day. And I compartmentalize, shifting thinking to fun and frivolous or burying myself in an audio book or doing something physical that exhausts the body and calms the mind."?

Jasmine N. Hall Ratliff , Executive Director of Build Missouri Health, offers her take on an article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review about the impact of unrestricted grants.?

Jasmine N. Hall Ratliff writes on LinkedIn: "?'?... in addition to impacting the recipient organizations, the grants were transformational for leaders. It affected them personally and professionally—profoundly shifting their mindsets. This matters because it shows that a different approach to giving can shift leaders’ thinking, emboldening them to dream of what’s possible for their organizations—and for those they serve—in new ways and act on making those dreams a reality."? Throughout my time working in #philanthropy I was a proponent of operational support that allows #nonprofits to just do what they do best, instead of contorting to fit the specific program responses of the foundation's goals. I still am, and this read brings new light on not only what unrestricted funding does for an organization but also its #leadership. Additional support for generous, multi-year operational grants for nonprofits is invaluable and should be increased among foundations."?
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Christine Lewis-Anderson BA,MT(ASCP) BB

Perpetual Inventory Clerk at Macy's

1 年

Very useful ?? ?? ??

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Toluwalope Daramola

Experienced UI/UX Designer | CMD, PLIDE | Founder, Menitos Projects

1 年

Well, We literally had to cancel our biggest end of year event due to inability to clarify government position on street giving. I still feel accomplished as we finally got our certificate, still giddy from becoming a registered charity foundation We have decided to repackage the controversial Street Feeding program into School Lunch Intervention, that is quite a lot of vetting and fundraising to get done before school resumes in January It is taking a lot of will power not to take on more than we can effectively execute

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Christine Lewis-Anderson BA,MT(ASCP) BB

Perpetual Inventory Clerk at Macy's

1 年

Thanks for posting ??

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Louis Diez

Founder, Donor Participation Project & Annual Fund Toolkit

1 年

Something to prepare before the end of the year that might sound dumb: Have a plan for voicemail / email / phone lines over the Holidays. Not being able to reach someone will not only make you lose gifts, but also undermines trust which is the basis of philanthropy. - Have an inventory of every published phone and email account, including general ones - Where possible, forward voicemails to email or to a designated cell phone - Assign people to cover the forwarded lines over the break - Tell your staff to set up an out-of-office message on their emails and voicemails. Include a link for more information on end-of-year giving ** You have a webpage with end-of-year giving information, right??! - Share these instructions with any non-development lines in your organization. If you're at a large nonprofit, make sure your main helpdesk knows what to do if they get a call about making a gift on December 31 Hope this helps!

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