Things you can do this autumn to help your nonprofit prepare for the holiday season | Business

When fall rolls around, nonprofits are propelled into year-end fundraising mode. It’s akin to retailers planning Christmas displays while Halloween sales are still going strong. Here’s a list of things to tackle now before your annual appeal goes out.

Check in with your top donors. They be wondering how you’re faring in this challenging landscape. It would be more than a little awkward to be radio-silent all year only to show up again in December with a request for a donation. Call, email, send a little update, or have a board member reach out to personally thank the donor for their support.

Get your professional development in. Back-to-school isn’t just for kids. Nonprofit executives often push it off but learning new skills has perks beyond the obvious benefits.

Meeting new people in-person (or online) can lead to new partnerships and collaborations, new resources to pull out when you need them, and successful tweaks to your operation that could make all the difference. Since education is not a luxury, check out upcoming classes at grantstation.org, massnonprofitnet.org, philanthropyma.org, and of course npcberkshires.org.

Attend the MNN Conference on Oct. 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester. Every year, the MNN Annual Conference convenes one of the largest gatherings of nonprofit professionals in the state.

The daylong event includes an engaging keynote session, a wide selection of exciting workshops and expert roundtables, networking opportunities, and the presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards. If you’re interested in carpooling with other Berkshire nonprofits, email info@npcberkshires.org to see if we can assist in coordinating. I’ve been to this event many times and there is a palpable feeling of hope and strength in unity, connectivity and learning.

Get on the top-rated list of GreatNonprofits.org. GreatNonprofits is a platform on which volunteers, donors, and people served by nonprofits can share stories of inspiration, express their appreciation, and potentially help nonprofits earn “Top-rated” status.

Claim your nonprofit, invite reviews, get your badge after ten reviews, and share the wonderful testimonials on your web site, in social media, and in your fundraising materials. GreatNonprofits reviews appear on GuideStar, JustGive and other public sites. Eighty percent of donors say reviews influence their giving. It’s understandable since the stories are submitted by people who know you best including clients, donors, volunteers, and others.

Clean up your mailing list. This seems pretty obvious but I still get duplicate or triplicate annual appeal letters from some folks because no one has had the time to go through the database. Don’t waste any more money mailing newsletters or annual appeals to people who have moved or moved on.

Your local printer should be able to run your entire mailing list through the national change of address list (NCOA) for a modest fee that you’ll recoup in one or two mailings. Executive directors, development directors and board members should all go through the list and add comments. These might range from “they’re divorced” to “This guy never wants to hear from us again.” People know things but sometimes those things never get translated into data integrity.

Clean up your databases! If your receivables are lagging, your invoices may be going to the wrong person — you know, the one who left their job a few months ago. No wonder they are 120 days past due! The time spent cleaning up your Quickbooks vendor contacts will come back to you in real dollars.

Consider purging your Mailchimp or Constant Contact databases of anyone who hasn’t opened an email from you in the last six months. Because the cost to use these platforms is based on the number of contacts, anything you can do to reduce or maintain may result in immediate savings.

Review your website. Go page-by-page updating text and photos, checking for broken links, and focusing on the things your potential donors are scoping out such as your staff & board page, your history or about us page, and of course, your donate page.

If you have not yet put up or updated your Candid, GreatNonprofits or Charity Navigator badges, now is a good time to instill confidence in the minds of donors as to your credibility and impact.

Check your grants chart. What deadlines are coming up? Do you need to do a little research to see what’s new? When are grant reports due and have you started collecting the necessary information? If you haven’t yet tried a grant database, you can access Candid’s foundation directory through the Berkshire Athenaeum or purchase GrantStation from NPC for $139.

Leave no stone unturned! Does Berkshire Funding Focus’ Karen Pelto know about your funding needs? Under the umbrella of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Funding Focus (or BFF as we like to call it) was a COVID-era initiative to ensure that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds didn’t bypass Berkshire County.

Now firmly established, it can help you locate funding opportunities, apply for complex state or federal funding, or collaborate with others to apply. Reach out to grants specialist Karen Pelto at kpelto@berkshireplanning.org.

Liana Toscanini is the founder of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, helping nonprofits connect, learn and grow since 2016.