Whether you’re a fundraiser or not, perhaps you too have lived out this same New Year scenario:

• January 3rd: “Wow, I am so energized and ready to take on the year! This will be the best year yet for our organization. ”
• January 10^th: “This year is off to a busy, but good start. I have a great work plan in place and I’m going to follow it.”
• January 17^th: “Ok, there’s just too much to do already. Is it only mid-January? I have to raise what now this year? No time to lose people – GO, GO, GO!!!”

Please tell me I’m not the only one to go through this? There’s so much renewal around the beginning of a new year. Good or bad, you can shed everything from the previous twelve months and start anew. It’s a great feeling, right? So, how exactly do we often end up back in that place of stress at the beginning of this fresh start? A clean slate is great, but that also means new goals, new projects and new uncertainties to bear. And as fundraisers, we’re also bombarded with varying New Year’s fundraising predictions. Will things stabilize or will there be new challenges to face?

Don’t hit the panic button just yet…. Take a vow to stay the course by:

1. Following the Plan: My annual development plan is like a close friend. I know it well and it gives me comfort on challenging days. Do you share the same love for your plan? If not, why? What helps you stay organized and focused? Even if your plan has a few roadblocks and detours along the way, we have to have our map handy. Check out Greenlights’ Online Resource Library if you need some inspiration.

2. Utilizing our Strongest Allies: Even in the smallest organizations, you are not alone in your fundraising efforts. Make sure you are engaging your board of directors in your fundraising plans. Now is the time to get their fundraising commitments in place. How can they help you achieve your goals? Take a look at Greenlights’ Board Fundraising Commitment Form in our Resource Library if you need some ideas.

3. Investing in Ourselves: Professional development goals can fall by the wayside when our calendar is already weighed down by competing priorities. We need to make the commitment to invest in our knowledge and abilities. It can be something as small carving out a half hour to scan fundraising news (I like to visit Alltop since they provide headlines and links to various fundraising blogs and news sites). Or, there are a variety of training opportunities and conferences to keep us refreshed and energized. (If your nonprofit is a Greenlights member, you may even have a voucher for a free workshop. Check with my colleague, Kate Smallwood).

I don’t know about you, but I feel better already. We can do this! Do you have other proven strategies for staying the course? Please do share, we’re all in this together!