Starting the year off right

Here are the top suggestions from the Bacon Lee & Associates team in our Checklist for Starting the Year Off Right. As you review it, please let us know of other tips that can boost nonprofit success.

Checklist for Starting the Year Off Right

  1. Pull up your list of the top 25 donors to your organization last year and make a plan no to thank each of them personally.
  2. Decide now to read one good book on fundraising this year.  Mike Bacon’s pick for 2011?  Soon to be published Donor-Centered Leadership by Penelope Burk.  Another intriguing title:  Forces For Good- The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant.
  3. Pick an affordable training conference in a location near you.  Make sure that the sessions covered help you in your professional development.  Commit to attend the conference and build it (and the time it will take) into your calendar.
  4. Be sure your January letters say 2011 not 2010!
  5. Take the quiet time at the beginning of the year to review your board policies, by-laws, standing rules of order and any administrative policies.
  6. January is also the best time to go through files.
  7. This is a good time to update your resume.  Don’t forget to add all of the previous year’s successes and new responsibilities.  Keep a vitae that includes all of your speaking engagements.  This exercise will assist you when you apply for the CFRE certification or recertification.
  8. Compile a list of the 10 top potential donors that you have wanted an opportunity to meet.  Set a goal of making that happen in 2011 and begin a strategy to accomplish it.
  9. Update your Case Statement for annual support.  Include 2010 achievements and 2011 challenges.
  10. Identify 10 current donors with a high probability to give significantly more than they do and plan three ways to cultivate each of them.
  11. Review your web site from a donor’s point of view.  How easy it is to make a gift?  Is all the information accurate?
  12. It’s never too late to dive into social media.  What new application will you learn this year?  Pick at least one and become an expert.
  13. Remind yourself at the start of the year and every day you are leaving a legacy.