“Espresso, Calendars, and Sticky Notes: These are just a few of my favourite issues!”
by Amy Lazoff, Director of Philanthropy & Neighborhood Relations, Fort Wayne Kids’s Zoo
There’s one factor I really like about this time of yr that not everybody fairly understands – and that’s the sheer pleasure I expertise when choosing out a planner for subsequent yr. Sure, although my every day schedule is digital, I nonetheless LOVE a superb paper planner!
After I open the duvet of my new planner annually and see the empty pages, my mind fills with concepts of all I’d like to perform. I really like the concept of planning the work and dealing the plan. Because the chief of a small however mighty group of fundraising professionals, who find yourself carrying plenty of hats all year long, my paper planner can also be used as a management instrument.
All people will get to pick a brand new planner
One of many duties I give to my complete group is to pick a planner that works for them. Some like month-to-month solely, some need month-to-month/weekly or every day, and I simply need them to make use of no matter would be the most helpful to how they work. Then we decide a day close to the tip of the yr to fill them out. We name it our “Calendar Planning Day” and the primary yr I took my group by way of the train it was a bit of overwhelming. Now, they stay up for it and are available ready with all their notes! This present day is stuffed with plenty of espresso, our calendars, and sticky notes of each shade.
Mapping out the yr
As soon as we’re performed, we’ve mapped out our complete yr. It helps my complete group know what is going on with who and when. It helps spot any conflicts early on and ensure nothing large is lacking. That is invaluable info to have when generally your job, as a frontrunner, is to maneuver on to plan b or pivot when surprising occasions threaten to derail your plans. It is usually a invaluable instrument to have as a co-worker, to know when somebody has a giant deadline developing so you’ll be able to lend a serving to hand. It additionally prevents us from trying to do too many large or new issues all on the similar time. In spite of everything, there are solely so many hours in a day!
For my group it’s also a strategy to take our annual fundraising and stewardship plans and lay them out differently, specializing in the duties that should be performed to realize our objectives. We additionally layer in board conferences, conferences, deliberate holidays, main grant deadlines, deliberate donor engagement actions, unsolicited mail, particular occasions, and so forth. in addition to all the larger duties related to retaining these issues on monitor. These duties vary from donor studies, to attraction drafts, to print deadlines, linen and meals orders, volunteer coaching nights, when letters want up to date, and extra. It isn’t each activity we do – removed from it, however it lays out the construction for our yr. Our planners assist us simply discuss our upcoming initiatives, wants, and recap of the hits and misses as a group every week, and it additionally helps me put together for one-on-one conferences with every of my group members.
This tactic might not work for each group, however for those who’re in search of a greater strategy to plan your work, and work your plan (or coordinate the chaos), give it a strive – what do you must lose?
Amy Lazoff is Director of Philanthropy & Neighborhood Relations at Fort Wayne Kids’s Zoo and a licensed Quadrant 3 Management Coach. She leads a Nonprofit Academy coaching on planning referred to as “Plan the Work; Work the Plan.”
