July is that rare, quiet stretch on many nonprofits’ calendars: a perfect time to shift gears from the daily chase to the longer stroll. It’s the ideal month to stop reacting and start planning. Use these weeks to get under the hood of your operations: check your fiscal health, audit how things really went this past year, and make sure your upcoming goals actually align with your mission. Whether you’re tightening up grant calendars, smoothing out reporting workflows, or finding new ways to collaborate across departments, this is about preparation, not just reaction. If you put in the administrative rigor now (like setting those internal deadlines early!), you’ll be setting yourself up to hit the busy fall and winter seasons with greater focus and a lot less stress.
Whether June 30th marks the end of your fiscal year or the end of your quarter, now is the time to review and revise your strategy. Gather your team to evaluate your progress against your development plan and work out what’s NEXT.
Week 1. Review your fiscal situation
GOAL: Have a clear view of where you are and where you are going.
- Assess where revenue fell short of expectations. And why. Send follow-ups to funders for feedback where possible.
- Assess expenses and budget. Were restricted funds correctly applied? Have you allocated program budget funds correctly? Are the right staff recording the right things to the right accounts? How much staff time is paid by allocations in program and project budgets? Is everyone on track with tracking?
- Set a goal for funding diversification. Pick one area that you are not currently fully leveraging (Individual donors? Major Donors? Sponsorship?), and set a small target and take the first steps.
- Listen to your team’s ideas, thoughts, and perspectives on why you are where you are.
TIP: Check that all your platforms are reconciled and the data is correct in all of them. This will help reporting, applications and meeting those targets!
Week 2. Review your grants calendar for the next 12 months
GOAL: Understand what funding is likely, what is possible, and how to stay on track
- Enter repeat funding opportunities into your project management tool
- Update any excel trackers
- Set check dates for expected opportunity openings
- Set known/anticipated submission dates (one week ahead of the real thing!)
- Visit repeat funders’ websites to check for continued alignment with your mission and their focus
- Schedule meetings with current and potential program officers
- Review reporting dates and assignments to make sure nothing gets dropped
- Prospect for funders whose focus aligns with your mission, check LinkedIn for mutual connections, and get an introduction
TIP: Check in with your funders BETWEEN reporting and applications to stay updated on their changes too. Add check-ins to your grants calendar.
Week 3. Consider your mission, programs, and capacity
GOAL: Ensure organization-wide and partner alignment with your purpose and ability to deliver
- Review and remember your mission statement. What does it mean to you? Is your organization meeting that mission?
- Are your programs still aligned with your mission? Are you in relationships with funding and community partners who understand your mission, values, and purpose?
- Is your funding in alignment with your intention? Are you serving your funder or your community? (Tip: Serving your community should also make your funder happy if you are well-matched)
- Do your programs need a reset? Are you trying to do too much? Is your current pace of work sustainable? Is your team overworked? Do you have a high staff turnover? Are your core programs well-supported, or are you diluting your impact and your staff?
- Assess which programs are meeting their goals and objectives. Where are your priority areas? Do you have a resiliency plan if funding does not come through for a key program? What can you condense if necessary?
TIP: Sustainability is key. Solid relationships with mission-aligned funders and strong programming will deliver. An increasing diaspora of programming will stretch your resources and your relationships. Concentrate on the core.
Week 4. Get Creative
GOAL: Set up your organization to be inspired to reach goals
- Gather your whole team for a review of where youare and where you are going
- Listen to the feedback
- Schedule activities to have the whole team involved in FUN ways to think about fundraising
- The pitch game: small teams pitch their ideas for Give to the Max Day
- Vision boards: how can you bring your community together to support you?
- Improv games: complete the story one line at a time. “Tanya was the ED of a small nonprofit that just lost a major funder, however she was not deterred: she…” (have team members add a line – no matter how crazy!)
TIP: We can’t all post billboards to catch the attention of a national celebrity but we can be equally creative
AND FINALLY:
Grab a cold drink, go outside, and listen to the birds sing.
You’ve made it this far, and now you are ready for Fall!
