Last week, Amy gave us a fantastic checklist for donor outreach. As a lover of checklists, to-do lists, and all things organization (seriously, I’ve even set up Gantt charts to organize family activities!), I think it’s great to have clear, actionable steps as we enter important parts of the fundraising calendar.
While we dive into our CRMs, prepare appeals, and connect with our donors before the close of 2024, it’s also important to think about our own well-being and resilience as fundraisers. We’re still in a high-turnover profession, and busy times can be risky times for our mental health.
Plus, if you’re anything like me, the pressures of work are compounded by the pressures of everyday life this time of year. Raising money while preparing for the holidays and creating magic for our families can be exhausting, to say the least. Don’t forget these valuable steps to make sure you enter the new year rested, refreshed, and ready to keep moving your mission forward.
Take Your PTO: Yes, I’m starting with the most obvious step first, but it’s easy to forget to take our time off as we enter the new year. Even if you can’t use PTO over the holidays, now is the time to figure out when you’re going to set aside time away from work. Whether you plan to travel or stay home, make sure you have time set aside to remove yourself from the daily grind.
Unplug: This is the one I really struggle with. Set aside time so that you can be truly off work. It’s easy to fall into the trap of checking emails late into the night and spending those hours away from the job absorbed in the next day’s challenges. Your email, text messages, and voicemails will still be there for you in the morning. Try to be as deliberate as possible about making your time off work as time that is truly off work.
Take Stock: What are you proud of over the last year? What would you like to accomplish in the year ahead? What are the areas of personal and professional growth you would like to focus on in the next year? Try not to think of these things like New Year’s resolutions, which we can quickly forget, but instead, as guiding ideas that you can refer back to over the next year. This is a great time to establish a direction for yourself and be deliberate about personal growth.
Find Your Community: We all need places to vent, process, and collaborate with like-minded people. It’s great to have other fundraisers and nonprofit professionals in your corner who will understand the unique challenges you face while helping you come up with creative solutions to the challenges you’re facing. Find groups like AFP or informal meetups of local fundraisers so you can build your network and cultivate a community of support.
Establish Self-Care Rituals: Develop activities for self-care that have a consistent place in your daily schedule. For me, that means carving out 30 minutes a day for yoga: this allows me to shift gears mentally while building in movement that is invigorating and energizing. Whatever you do, establish activities that allow you to step away from the daily grind and take care of yourself.
If you have other suggestions for self-care, we’d love to hear them!
Our team of Nonprofit Consultants works with fundraisers and nonprofit professionals to achieve fundraising goals while helping staff build cultures that lead to staff retention and growth. If you want to talk about self-care or need help achieving fundraising goals, we’re here to help!
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