Here’s a common pain point for many nonprofit CEOs and fundraising leaders: we’re spending too much time on the operations of the shop, and not enough time connecting with donors.
There is a way to reclaim some of that time.
But it’s not sexy.
It’s not glamorous.
It’s kind of a pain to implement at first.
It’s for sure never a priority.
But it will—in the long term—make your life and your work so much more effective.
And that’s standardizing our operations with a series of SOPs, trainings, FAQs, templates and systems.
Think of it as building an operating system for your fundraising operations.
In today’s episode, we are running a chat Louis Diez and myself had on the Donor Growth podcast.
Here’s what each element of the operating system looks like:
1) SOPs are standardized operating procedures. They show you what to do. Usually a step by step instruction, or a checklist. Most nonprofits probably have a basic 30-50 SOPs they could create today that are the core of their revenue ops.
2) Trainings show you how to think. They are usually a slide decks, videos, PDFs, courses or even books.
3) An FAQ knowledge base helps you avoid wasting time and answering the same questions over and over. A good FAQ base empowers your team to find answers quickly without getting bottle-necked by the leader.
4) Templates show you how to work. A good template library is a giant shortcut so you don’t start from scratch every time.
5) A project management system houses everything in one spot. Usually some sort of took like Airtable, Asana, ClickUp, Monday or even Google Sheets.
Combined, this operating system will become the brain of your operations. 🧠
To quote Louis Diez from the Donor Participation Project: “Lack of systems-thinking is what holds most nonprofit back from growing sustainably.”
In the latest Donor Growth podcast, we walk through each of these 5 elements of the nonprofit operating system in detail.
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➡️ Join our FREE training on how to create compelling fundraising messages that lead donors to action and raise more money, from more people, more often—simply by changing the words you use: https://www.5minutefundraisingfix.com/register
🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode: https://buildgood.com/category/podcast/
❤️ And if you haven’t yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact.
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Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
➡️ For more information, go here: www.buildgood.com
