Put the Strategy Back into Planning: Five Tips for Building Your Nonprofit’s 2025 Roadmap to Success

It’s there, somewhere in the back of your mind, buried under the flurry of activity we call the fourth-quarter fundraising push: the prospect of a new year, and with it the important job of updating your nonprofit’s strategic plan. The last thing I would do is suggest that you dive into 2025 planning while your team’s every moment is laser-focused on a strong close-out to 2024. 

What I will do, however, is plant a few ideas for making your next plan more strategic – ambitious yet workable, and more aligned with your vision for the future

  • Who’s on First? (Evaluate Your Team)

Take a good hard look at your team’s performance over the past year. Are there talents that are being underutilized? Are some staffers being stretched too thin while others are struggling to stay busy? Where have you seen gaps? Think creatively about where non-traditional strategies like fractional staffing might smooth out the rough spots.

  • What’s on Second? (Evaluate Your 2024 Results)

The numbers will tell a story. Which campaigns achieved or exceeded their goals? Which ones fell flat? Compare your investments of budget funds and staff time against results – not just dollars raised but new donors engaged as well as repeat donors who renewed their support. Be willing to let go of strategies that aren’t up to snuff, even if they have been in place for a long time.

  • Success at the Top (Assess Your Board Leadership)

Is your board operating as effectively as it could? Are the members engaged in ways that help your nonprofit move forward? Is it time to recruit new members? Expert assessment and board training can get your board moving in the right direction. 

  • Clear Out the Old (Consider an NPVA®)

Get your house in order. Make sure your books are ready for the transition to a new year, and that tax filings and independent audits are on track. Bring gift acknowledgments up to date so that your donors have what they need for tax purposes. Pro tip: an end-of-tax-year report can also be an opportunity to thank donors, reminding them of the impact of their support and setting up cultivation for your next ask. A More Than Giving Nonprofit Virtual Assistant (NPVA®) can be just what you need to clear the decks for a new year. 

  • Ring in the New (Consider a Consultant’s Perspective)

When you are working so hard toward a singular mission, it is not unusual to lose sight of the larger picture. A seasoned professional can bring diverse experience as well as a broader perspective to your organization. It can be enormously helpful to have a new set of eyes on your progress to date and your plans for the future.

These “planning to plan” activities can help set the stage for a better planning process. Clarity about what is, and isn’t, working – board engagement, staff effectiveness, campaign success (or lack thereof) – will help you determine the most promising strategies. 

A new year offers opportunities to re-tool your approach. With a critical eye toward the past, and a creative one pointing to the future, you can help ensure long-term progress for your organization.

The More Than Giving Co. can help you help you “get your house in order” for 2025
Schedule a call today to learn how we can help.

Vicki Burkhart