We’ve nearly made it to the finish line! As we wind down from a busy and hopefully bountiful year, take some time to get organized and refreshed before 2023 comes in quick.
1. Honor Your Wins
It took a lot of elbow grease and tenacity to get here. While it’s important to analyze
performance and plan ahead, we first want to just invite in gratitude for another year full of
growth and learning.
We’ve already started our reflections, and would like to share a few wins our team feels extra
good about:
We got more consistent about sharing on our blog and social media
We provided high-quality marketing and management services to our world-changing clients
We took space to spend quality time with our families (lots of nature time included)
With so many end-of-year tasks circulating, we understand that taking time to do this can be
difficult. Our tip: Carve out a couple of hours to go to your favorite local coffee shop or bookstore
(we love Changing Hands here in Phoenix), and get journaling.
2. Create your Roadmap
Now that you’ve taken time to celebrate, it’s time to integrate. How will you bring these lessons
into 2023?
Start broadly by looking at the entire year. If you’re doing this for your personal goals or for your
organization, using a visual roadmap can make it much easier to keep track of all you set out to
do.
These roadmaps can evolve as you do, just make sure you’re not overwhelming the calendar
with projects that distract from your main objectives.
And, if you need help setting your nonprofit’s goals, we found a great starting guide from
Constant Contact that shares how to set SMART Goals and fit them into your marketing plan.
We would also be happy to have a conversation on how we can guide you through this journey,
as well as implement your marketing tactics.
3. Evaluate Your Accounting Functions
Think BIG clients Sechler Morgan CPAs share great recommendations for ways to sharpen up
accounting functions, especially for nonprofits. According to Sechler Morgan, a good first step is
to create policies and procedures for the monthly cutoff of recording vendor invoices and
expenses.
This tip can also be modified to apply to personal and business finances. Plan end of month
check-ins to look at all income and expenses, and set boundaries around how you want your
cash to flow.
Setting your finances up for success means regular maintenance and goal setting.
A survey of 8,000 American employees shows that even high-income earners can be living
paycheck to paycheck, according to Willis Towers Watson. The past couple of years have been
hard on many, but we’ve seen how diligence in accounting function can save both nonprofits
and individuals from financial turmoil.
4. Analyze Your Website & Social Media
This tip applies for the nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs in our community.
Your story is an integral part of your brand, so it’s important to prioritize analyzing key
messages and performance. Instead of looking at just engagement rates and follower growth,
consider compiling community feedback that speaks to our brand’s core mission.
Questions to answer include:
Are your core messages resonating with your target audience?
How has your target audience evolved?
What platforms are reaching our target audience?
How can we utilize our top-performing content for next year?
And, where do we need to dedicate time/resources for additional content assets for next year?
5. Lessen Distractions
Staying organized ultimately takes mindfulness and boundaries. If you’re giving all your time to
whatever notification pops up on your phone or computer, it’s going to be hard to maintain this
intention.
Harvard Business Review shares that organizations that build a culture around minimizing
distractions will enjoy the compounding benefit of a focused workforce and will leave their
people feeling less stressed and ultimately more fulfilled.
Look at where you and your team may have been fragmented this year. What or who is the
culprit? And, how can you and your team communicate boundaries and needs more clearly next
year?
We foresee 2023 as a year of strong connections and building community, and we look forward
to hearing how these organizational tips help you get the most out of the New Year. Cheers!
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