You started your nonprofit with tons of excitement, motivation, and momentum. However, now that you are two … three … four years into operation, you may be starting to lose sight of your goals. Staying focused on your overall mission can be challenging when so many other things are pulling at your attention. Here are a few tricks and tips to help keep you and your team on track:
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Satisfaction
Not many nonprofits do this, but tracking the satisfaction of your donors and clients can be a game-changer when it comes to focusing on your goals. Using methods like surveys and comment boxes can give you and your team valuable feedback on how your nonprofit is performing in the eyes of your constituents. Sharing these results every month with your colleagues is a good reminder of your impact; this can be very motivating!
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Use the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting framework
The topic of February’s blog was setting S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Re-shaping objectives to address those qualifiers is an excellent measure that can keep you and your team focused.
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Keep your goals in view
Write your goals out in big letters and display them where they are visible to everyone: on a whiteboard, the office fridge, or the boardroom wall; this becomes a daily reminder of what your nonprofit aims to accomplish. Every day, you will look up at your goals and get a little burst of excitement as you work toward achieving them.
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Get support
One of the reasons you may have lost motivation about your goals is: your attention is being drawn in different directions. Enlisting help from a nonprofit support partner like EMN can help lighten your load. Joining our program will give you more time to set, track, and achieve your nonprofit’s goals.
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Celebrate big milestones
When you acknowledge achieving each of your nonprofit’s goals, you build momentum toward reaching the next one. Your team can enjoy a well-deserved celebration when each goal is completed.
There are many ways to re-motivate and re-inspire toward accomplishing your nonprofit’s goals. As a leader, it can be easy to lose, or shift, focus. Applying some of these methods to your day-to-day will help realign you and your team toward realizing your highest vision.
