New Year’s resolutions rarely stick – something like 19% of people actually give up on their resolutions in one week! That’s why we think it’s better to create goals for the new year. Creating New Year’s goals gives you an opportunity to look back on the past year and use it to inform and prepare for 2023.
We’ve curated 10 New Year’s goals for nonprofits that we think will help your organization move forward with a clear approach for the next year.
1. Clean up and declutter data
You deserve to take some time to wrap up everything when the new year begins, especially after the year-end rush. If there are any loose ends in your database, or any tasks are left unfinished that should have been done in December, get those taken care of first.
Not sure what else to review? Check to see if you need to process and follow-up on any miscellaneous transactions. Make sure all records are complete. Fill in or flag any missing info you come across. Consider sorting and filtering data in new ways to bring clarity to your year’s spending. Clean data gives you actionable information to help deepen relationships and further your mission.
Cleaning up your data or any miscellaneous tasks also builds a strong foundation for the year ahead. Taking one slow day in January to slog through the data can save time by the end of the year.
2. Streamline
You might be heading into the new year thinking about fundraising tools to make the process more manageable. With GiveWP’s donation form, you’re already streamlining your donation process!
Beyond that, you can integrate GiveWP with Zapier to automate more processes. Zapier is an automation tool that creates little “zaps” between digital tools. For instance, with the Zapier add-on, new campaigns or blogs posted to your WordPress site can automatically be shared to social media. This small automatic task can help increase your social media presence.
Or, you could use Zapier with a Gmail account to automatically send out reminder emails to fundraisers. Zapier can also help you build spreadsheets and set online meetings automatically or set calendar tasks right from your CRM. By learning how to maximize the potential of automation, you can focus more on tasks that require a human touch and all your creative brain power.
3. Create more authentic asks
One goal you may have this year is to think about your ask. Has it felt a bit sterile and automatic? Looking to ask more genuinely and authentically in this new year?
There are a few ideas for this. First, consider taking the time to personalize some of those automatic emails that come out. Craft a unique message! The way an email looks – from the subject, to the header image, to the opening line – can influence a potential donor’s likelihood that they’ll keep reading and click-through.
We’ve rounded up some of the best email templates to inspire giving, as well as some email design hacks to increase engagement. Set a goal this year to test your email strategy and see what sticks. We recommend always personalizing the subject line and sender name as a place to start.
4. Plan those events now!
While some in-person events have returned this year, the one thing you may be able to count on in 2022 is that virtual events are still a thing. Though there’s definitely been fatigue around virtual events, we’ve rounded up 10 new ideas for virtual events to keep them feeling fresh into the new year. Planning out these events at a high-level now can help ensure success as your team executes them throughout the year.
While planning out events, consider using an events calendar for your website. If you don’t have one already, check out The Events Calendar. With the Events Calendar, you can easily show off upcoming events, collect RSVPs, promote attendance, and even integrate third-party tools.
The Events Calendar also has an optimization for virtual events, which you know you’ll need! This optimization embeds Zoom links into events and invites, so you can make sure your attendees have everything they need before the event starts. This feature also lets you add multiple Zoom accounts and use alternative hosts – another task you can streamline in the new year!
5. Recruit volunteer fundraisers with Peer-to-Peer campaigns
Peer-to-peer fundraising gives your supporters control – they’re able to create their own fundraisers for your organization and recruit their friends and family to give. The power of peer-to-peer giving is unmatched.
If you’ve not tried out a peer-to-peer solution before, try it for one of your time-sensitive goals. Peer-to-peer pairs well with fundraisers that have the pressure of a countdown to increase a sense of urgency. When you create a peer-to-peer campaign, donors can create teams and invite other fundraisers to join the campaign and raise funds on your behalf.
This is the beauty of using peer-to-peer for an authentic ask: You’re not the one who’s asking!
6. Try a new social media strategy
Social media is still one of the best online tools to spread your mission, including the biggest platforms of them all: Instagram and TikTok. Strategically using one or both of these platforms in the next year can help your nonprofit stay relevant.
Instagram was built to connect and engage with your community. While its static feed and photography-driven style drove the growth of Instagram for many years, the platform has recently pivoted to placing more emphasis on Reels. Another way to engage more with users in the new year is through Instagram Stories. It’s been found that people are engaging more with Stories than posts, so share away! The nice thing about Stories is that they only last 24 hours, but they can also be collected on your profile as well in a Highlight.
TikTok
While you may already be using Instagram, fewer nonprofits are on TikTok. Many people think TikTok is too young, but in fact, it’s now estimated that 60% of TikTok users are over 20. TikTok is also known for its incredible engagement. It’s the platform where users comment and share the most.
Pretty much every viral moment from 2021 came from TikTok. Think about using TikTok for social challenges, sharing a personal story, or behind the scenes looks at your organization.
Recently, Camber Clemence of GiveWP joined Julia Campbell and the ViTreo Group to talk about Social Media for NextGen Donations. Camber chats about the power of TikTok for nonprofits and if it’s the right platform for you.
7. Dedicate more time to understanding what donors want
If it’s been a minute since you’ve stopped and considered what your organization looks like from the outside, take some time to do just that in the new year. See what it’s like to go through the entire donation process. If you need to, try to enlist a friend, or even a new employee, to go through the process in front of you. A fresh pair of eyes can help you see what’s resonating and what features may be missing.
You could even think about sending out a survey as the new year starts to collect more information. Ask: is it easy to donate? Do they know how to find the form? Can they easily update their information? Do they know what your 2022 goals are, or where to find them on your website? Do they know how to get involved in new ways outside of giving? Do they know the best way to contact you?
Once you’ve completed the process of thinking like a donor, review the results and make adjustments to improve the giving experience.
One easy fix right now: if you want to make it easier to give, you can add a GiveWP donation button right to your main menu. Check out this tutorial here for a walkthrough, as well as for more tips on how to make your donation button obvious to users.
8. Try gamification
We know you definitely want to increase engagement year after year. One method to try this year is to gamify your giving. Gamification means to add game elements into activities that are not usually games, like donating.
Gamification not only drives engagement but can add a bit of a challenge, too. Studies around leaderboards show that they drive competition, as people love seeing their name rise in the ranks on the quest for number one. Gamification can also be a crucial element for those Peer-to-Peer campaigns you’re gonna try this year!
Fortunately, there are excellent WordPress plugins just for gamification! Try out a plugin like GamiPress, where you can reward donors with points, awards, and badges for their contributions. Think about awarding points when donors give towards a total, achievements for tasks like filling out a profile, and badges for top donors.
myCred is another gamification add-on that works with the GiveWP plugin. myCred lets you customize badges and add (or deduct) points from individuals and groups for a sense of competition.
Our own peer-to-peer add-on uses some gamification elements too, like donation totals and leaderboards, to add in that extra level of engagement.
9. Put your data to good use
Remember all that data you decided to clean up in early January? Well, use that data to tell compelling stories and drive your decisions throughout the year!
For example, before you try out a new email campaign, look at your past statistics. Which ones had the best open and click-through rates? Same for social media, especially if you added in a new platform this year. Should you dedicate more resources to your Instagram strategy, for example? Did you try out a new social challenge or virtual event? Should you repeat it this year? (Users like seeing the return of successful events!)
If you aren’t singling out donation stories from your data, this year is a great time to do just that. The human aspect of a donor story can warm the hearts of other fundraisers.
Check out more ideas on how to use data for your nonprofit storytelling and set a goal to share these insights more with donors.
10. Commit to retention
Of course, this is an eternal goal. Capturing recurring donations saves time and earns more money. When thinking of retention, make sure you’re treating donors like people and not transactions. Think of each donor individually and treat them with respect and appreciation. Make it personal too, as a mass email doesn’t do much to bring on the warm fuzzies.
Also, don’t make every interaction an appeal. Share other resources or information with donors. Update them on goals or important work you’ve accomplished that year. Consider a VIP treatment with big donors from the previous year. Send out opportunities to volunteer time and not just money.
And of course, turn on Recurring Donations! This add-on lets your donors choose how frequently and how much to give.
What are your nonprofit’s goals this year?
With these measurable and specific goals for nonprofits, you can start the new year feeling prepared for whatever it may bring. We hope you enjoy your time thinking back on your year of successes and feel empowered for even more greatness in 2022. Happy New Year!
Let us know what goals you set for your nonprofit this year in the comments.
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