Nonprofit Strategic Planning in December? With Everything Else You Have To Do? 

See how your systems behave under pressure

“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” 
– James Clear, Atomic Habits

Anyone who’s worked through year-end fundraising probably feels that statement pretty strongly. 

December proves this every single year. The month adds weight to every part of your work. That weight does not break your systems. It reveals them.

A list takes longer to prepare than expected. A simple process becomes slow under seasonal volume. A task you thought would be easy grows heavy and complicated. You promise yourself you’ll remember to prepare something earlier next year, even though you know you won’t unless you capture the reminder somewhere.

None of this is failure. It’s useful information for nonprofit strategic planning. It shows you where the structure is sturdy and where it needs support. Knowing this now will make your fundraising plan far more realistic and far less stressful.

Watch for clues like these:

• Slow processes point to systems that need attention
• Messy or incomplete data highlight gaps in quality control
• Repeated frustrations identify tasks that need simplification
• Surprising ease reveals strengths you can lean on next year

You do not need to fix any of it in December. You only need to notice it so you can make better decisions in January.

Listen to the way donors communicate in December

Donors speak clearly in December without ever announcing that they are communicating. Their timing shifts. Their interests sharpen. Their behavior becomes concentrated, which makes it easier to see what truly matters to them.

Sometimes we’re so focused on getting the gift that we don’t recognize the cues our communities are sharing with us.

Some messages spark real responses. Notes. Replies. A donor reaching out to say something resonated. These moments show you which stories and themes align with donor identity.

Some messages pass quietly. They are not mistakes. They are information. They tell you what does not connect when attention is scarce.

Then come the surprises. An early gift. An increased gift. A segment that engages more strongly than expected. These moments often reveal alignment that is easy to overlook in quieter months. They are valuable insights for nonprofit strategic planning because they show where meaning and motivation truly live.

Watch for clues like these:

• A message that receives replies shows you what feels authentic
• A story that falls flat shows you what to refine
• An unexpected upgrade shows you where donors feel deep alignment
• A channel with strong traffic shows you where to invest attention

Again, the goal is noticing. The small observations you record now will give you a far clearer direction in January.

Most fundraisers hear suggestions about reflection in December and think, “Please be serious.” December is full. This is why noticing is the actual strategy. Noticing does not require quiet time or deep thought. It takes seconds.

How to do it

This is one of the easiest action items you can do this month. It just takes intention and commitment to habit-building.

Start a document. It can be in a notebook, in a Google or Word document, in your note-taking app, or even a stack of Post-it notes. The point is to create a system that works for you and will help you remember.

At some point every day, set aside five minutes to jot down anything you noticed:

• The mailing list has a lot of duplicates
• Address fields aren’t formatted correctly
• Getting correct information for receipts is difficult because of how information gets into the system
• We don’t have access to compelling stories easily
• There are very few stories about impact and mission delivery

List anything and everything that occurred to you throughout the day. Notice and record the positive things, too – what’s going well and with relative ease?

Then, create high-level categories for each area: data, storytelling, process, CRM, etc. Whatever makes sense to you.

When you have a little more time, put each of those “noticed notes” into their respective categories. And, yes, some may be in multiple categories.

If you take five minutes to do this every day, by the end of the month, you’ll have a pretty comprehensive list of what needs tackling to make your plan and your systems easier and more focused. 

Let December make January easier

Once January arrives, the pressure shifts. The pace slows. The inbox eases. And if you captured even a handful of observations during December, your planning will begin with clarity instead of speculation.

You’ll know which stories felt meaningful.

You’ll know where your systems are strained.

You’ll know which tasks consumed too much time.

You’ll know what donors responded when attention was scarce.

You’ll know what you want to feel different next year.

This is the core of effective nonprofit strategic planning and fundraising planning. It’s grounded in real experience, and it gives you a fundraising plan that actually supports your goals instead of adding stress.

Let December be the beginning of your next chapter

It’s tempting to treat December like something to survive. But the annual fund does not begin in January. It doesn’t reset itself after the clock strikes twelve. It continues. It evolves. It follows the same donors as they continue to express their values and identity.

December is not the end. It’s the month that gives you the clearest insight into what is working and what needs care.

If you let December speak, you’ll enter January ready to create a fundraising plan that reflects your mission, aligns with your donors, and strengthens your nonprofit strategic plan for the year ahead.

And if you want help turning these December insights into a clear and workable plan, keep an eye out for our free e-book with practical steps that will guide your next stage of planning.