The Monthly Leap - January 2025
New year, new newsletter...
Sending you a monthly communication has been on my to-do list since I launched LEAP Nonprofit Consulting back in April. Better late than never, right? Moving forward, I'll plan to send you a message at least once a month. This month, I'm keeping it simple and sharing:
What's on my mind?
What's coming up?
A tip of the month
A quick request
I hope these emails give you a small glimpse into what's going on in my world, how you can connect with me, and some ideas for things you can implement in your organization.
Rikki
Owner / Founder
LEAP Nonprofit Consulting
What's on my mind?
I have never been someone who sets new years resolutions. That's not to say that I don't set goals and intentions for the year. But there's something about traditional resolutions that just don't work for me. (And let's be real... they don't work for most people, right?)
Part of it is that we often set goals without a realistic plan to get there. That's not to say that you need to outline every little thing you're going to do to accomplish that goal. I've fallen into that trap before and it quickly becomes a way to procrastinate. Or when I fall behind on even one of those tasks or milestones, I lose all motivation to keep moving forward at all.
But I do believe that having some sort of plan for how you will get to your end goal is helpful. Think of it as guardrails, more than specific steps. When you've identified where you want to go, and generally how you get there, it's a lot easier to use that stay focused on what's most important. Using that roadmap can help you prioritize what needs to happen now and what can wait until later. It also gives you a way to measure your success and progress.
I'll be honest, there was pretty much no plan or intention for me in 2024. I basically blew up everything about my professional life early in the year pretty unexpectedly. So over the next couple of weeks, I'll be taking some time to rest, reflect, and set better intentions for 2025. And I urge you to do the same. Even if all you do is jot a few things down on a post-it that hangs on your computer monitor as a reminder of the big picture for the year... take even a few minutes to name what's most important for you this year.
What's coming up?
January is shaping up to be a busy month!
My husband and I are taking the first week off to visit some family and attend a wedding out west. There's something about being in the mountains that just helps me breathe easier so it feels like the perfect way to kick off the year.
On January 13, I'll be joining one of my clients, Door2Dreams, for a community lunch hour presentation through the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin where we'll share more about their campaign to build independent housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Stevens Point.
Did you know that I'm enrolled in a doctoral program in Ethical Leadership at Viterbo University? I start my classes for the semester on January 14. This spring I'll be taking two classes again - one on ethical decision making for the common good and one on instructional design and adult learning.
On January 29 fro 10-11am, I'm offering a free, online training in partnership with Forward Bank about engaging your volunteers and board members to increase their impact. Want to join us? Hit reply and let me know!
On January 30, we'll kick off the next semester of the Nonprofit Leadership Institute course that I've coordinated at Mid-State Technical College for the last several years. This semester-long class is a crash course in all things nonprofit management and is one of my favorite things I've been part of in my career. If you're in Stevens Point, there's still time to register to join us!
In between, I'm traveling quite a bit to lead some trainings, facilitate a couple of workshops, and spend time face-to-face with clients throughout Wisconsin.
If you're hoping to connect with me this month, I recommend finding time on my calendar now before it fills up completely.
Tip of the Month
January can feel like a great time to relax after a busy season... and it is. But don't miss the opportunity to thank your donors from the past year and start building more meaningful relationships that set you up for future success.
One way you can do that is through stewardship opportunities such as year-end tax statements. Many organizations skip sending a giving summary to donors because it's just one more thing on their to-do list and they already send receipts for every gift. But it's a great touchpoint for your donors and keeps you top of mind while they're doing financial planning for the year.
What could it look like if you sent a statement to your "best" donors? You get to define what that means... Maybe it's donors who give multiple times a year, those who give major gifts, or anyone who is part of a giving society. You pick!
How could you leverage that opportunity to share the impact of their gifts in 2024? More than just sending them a summary of their giving, share what they helped you accomplish in 2024. Use this as a true stewardship piece that celebrates what you're able to achieve through your partnership.
A Quick Request
Are there things you'd like me to talk about in the future? Please let me know. Between this communication, free online trainings I offer, and workshops I'll be presenting at conferences in the future, I want to make sure I'm meeting your needs.