Have an NPVA Get You “Organized” Over the Holiday Breaks

As an NPVA for several nonprofits, I have found that the time from Labor Day to Thanksgiving seems to be the busiest for the nonprofit sector. We have supported virtual fundraisers, award presentations, national conferences, board meetings, social media campaigns, and more. It’s hard to catch your breath during the fall each year! 

I usually give a sigh of relief when I get to the long holiday weekend in November, and again during the holidays in December. Not because all of my tasks are completed, but because I typically have some time to catch up, get organized for the new year, and complete long-standing projects with focus and some efficiency.

The fast pace of the fall makes it difficult to accomplish everything I would like to, so I look forward to a little downtime to focus on details, and to get ready for the upcoming year.

Here are some examples of how I typically focus my time during the holiday breaks:

A General Clean Up

This can be summed up in one phrase – scut work!  All the email folders need to be cleaned out and organized, complete with downloaded files that can be neatly saved into permanent folders.  That is followed by a trip through the drop boxes to be sure everything is addressed, accurately filed, and transitioned to the new year’s folders, and any “junk” has been removed.

This is also a great time to update client records, including vendor information, complete with account numbers and contact names. That makes it so much easier to troubleshoot when needed. I also go back through email and snail mail correspondence to be sure I have captured all the contact information and updated the appropriate databases accordingly.  

Revising Process Documents

The more I use process documents, the more I depend upon them to be spot on accurate and vital to my administrative toolbox. That’s why break time is the right time to update all those documents that need adjustments. That way I am ready, and the entire team is more prepared, to follow updated protocols.  

I also take the time to save all the documents we’ve created during the fall into templates that can be used in the future. No need to always recreate the wheel.  Carefully saving templates – and marking them clearly so they can be easily identified – will save time and resources.  

I review all accounting processes:  Restart spreadsheets where necessary, make sure all QuickBooks entries are inputted accurately, revise acknowledgement letters to reflect the new year so they stay fresh (there is nothing worse than donors receiving the same acknowledgement letter year after year.)  I also review contracts and make sure everything that needs to be renewed gets renewed.

Data Updates and Reports

A deep data dive is always in order during breaks. It is an ideal opportunity to get all the constituent databases updated, fundraising reports synced with financials, and I even do things like updating the terms on each of the board rosters to be sure we have an accurate reflection of whose term will end shortly.

End-of-year reports are completed. Awardees and program details are integrated into work plans, and the work documents for the upcoming year are drafted. I always update anything having to do with usernames and passwords, and I often review major donor or corporate partner spreadsheets for any changes in contact person or gift amount. Making sure that renewal dates are appropriately listed also makes invoicing partners and sponsors much easier.

Over the break, I research addresses from returned mail and bounced email addresses. I also try to get to those more in depth projects that require more research time than our typical work week allows. I use the time to revise position descriptions and post job openings.  We can then get a jump on the job market in early January.

Preparing for the Next Year

This is probably the most important activity of my break period. Creating the meeting manager for the upcoming year, including the development of schedules for all board and committee meetings, is at the top of the list. I schedule all zoom meetings and send calendar invitations for the entire year, allowing board members to get those dates on their calendars early which often helps us avoid conflicts.  

I continue by creating new folders for the new year, whether those be the finance folders for accounts payable and receivable, or individual event folders, or committee folders and agendas for upcoming meetings. I get a jump start on the work that will no doubt follow the break.

This would also be a time to review staffing. Do I have personnel files up to date? Do I have all contractor insurance certificates renewed? And then there is updating the time trackers and making any payroll changes that would take effect in January.

A Fresh Start

Changing calendar years requires more than just remembering to use the new year versus the old, it means having a new set of – well, just about everything ready to go for the new year. My Executive Director counts on me to be prepared, organized, and ready to start the year off right. If I use the break time effectively, we  don’t lose any time as we begin a new year because our records, data, and systems are all up-to-date and ready for a fresh start.

To learn more about how a Nonprofit Virtual Assistant can help your organization get organized, click here.