Kris Kewitsch | Executive Director, Charities Review Council | August 2024
It’s That Time of Year… Back–to–School Excitement
It is easy for this time of year to evoke back-to-school feelings, even for those of us who have been out of school for a while.
If thinking about a new school year brings you more anxiety than excitement, focusing on the basics can help lessen the uncertainty and help you create an action plan for this proverbial time of transition.
- Check out the “class list” – August is a great time to review your donor list. Does it include people you are unfamiliar with? Begin building strategies now for how to engage new and old friends (i.e. donors) in your year-end campaign to help your organization achieve its EOY fundraising goals.
- Review the “course syllabus” – Get excited about deepening the organization’s understanding of a new topic. Select one of the Council’s Accountability Standards® for the leadership team and board to engage with more deeply in this final quarter of the year.
- Write the “administration’s back-to-school letter” – Take this opportunity to send out a warm communication to staff. The focus may include level setting for the remainder of the year, sharing a mission moment that helps reinforce for staff that their hard work matters and is making a difference, or simply thanking staff for being part of an organization doing so much good for our community.
The back-to-school season can serve as a valuable reminder for all of us, even those whose school days are long past, to refocus and realign with our goals. Embracing simple strategies like these can help turn anxiety into excitement and help your organization transition smoothly into the final quarter of the year, setting a strong foundation for achieving your year-end goals.
