Project New Year: Get Organized!

Let’s face it. Sometimes life gets out of hand. Loads of work pile up on your desk, loads of laundry at home.  It doesn’t take long before you feel overwhelmed with professional and personal obligations. I’m not an organized person by nature. In fact, my aunt gifted new bed linens to me over the holidays and mentioned that they may have to be ironed. I laughed. I never have, or intend to iron bed linens in my lifetime. I have three junk drawers in my kitchen. But that’s besides the point. Fundraising is a grueling occupation and I’ve learned how much a difference a little bit of time on the front end can make.

Investing your time and energy into organizing your fundraising efforts will give you peace of mind at work, and while I can’t promise it will take away those nagging “right before you fall asleep panics,” it will make you more effective and hopefully quell your anxiety some while you are away from the office.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way that, if put into practice, will save you time and sanity.

• Choose a time/appointment management system and stick to it. And don’t feel pressured to use an electronic calendar. Find one that works for you. I use Entourage for Apple. My colleague Bob recently switched from his high-tech i-Phone app back to a paper pocket calendar.
• Put together two grant calendars for the year. One for grant submissions and the other for reports due. Make sure to include deadlines.
• Print, copy and file all of your organization’s supporting documents such as your IRS determination letter, by-laws, 990, board lists, etc. Print them and file them into their own folders. That way, the next time you’re putting together a grant proposal last minute, you can pull together an appendix with ease!
• Get it in writing. Put together a calendar for fundraising and communications activities for the year. While you may think you have it all in your head, you’ll quickly find out that putting it in writing will ease your tension and help others on your team get on board with your plan for the year!
• Clear off your desk every Friday so you return to a fresh, clean start on Monday morning.
• Use a visual display board, whether it is a chalkboard or cork board to write motivational statements that will keep you going throughout the week.
• Finally, when you begin feeling overwhelmed, find a way to relax. Go for a short walk. Do a breathing exercise. Use aromatherapy. Experiment with what works best. We are all more productive and accurate when we feel relaxed and in control.

Resolve to be more organized in 2012. Do it for yourself. Do it for your colleagues. Do it for your family. Just do it!

What methods of organizations work well for you at the office?

Cheers,

~Katrina

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