The 5 Next Steps for NPOs Back from Summer

1. Define a plan for your NPO to pickup where you left off 

The first thing you need to prepare once everyone's back from summer break is a clear and precise plan of what you want to put in place. 

To do this, there is nothing better than determining your strategy for the next 12 months. And this starts with defining the objectives you want to accomplish. Your objectives can be anything from reaching a target number of new members or an amount of donations to collect to launching a new initiative - whatever helps you meet your goals. 
 

Your strategy will then allow you to put in place the actions necessary to reach your objectives and fulfill your NPO’s mission. Here are a few things you could incorporate into your strategic plan:

• Implementing or optimizing online registration and payment flows to offer more flexibility and a user friendly experience to members
• Creating a calendar of events for the year: you can start with a Fall event! 
• Creating or adjusting your organization's editorial content calendar with a list of your publications on your website and social networks.

2. Make members want to renew and new ones want to join 

Once you've established your strategy, call upon those who are already part of your community to talk about your NPO beyond the confines of this one community. Make them ambassadors of your organization. Keep them informed of your activities by email and on social media, and encourage them to share your news. 

Here are a few best practices to try depending on your NPO: 

• Propose attractive new offers: sponsorship, family offers, membership renewal discounts
• Set up activity days, workshops or trial courses within your areas of strength
• Communicate about the exciting activities and events you have planned for the next few months: courses, workshops, trips, competitions... 
• Propose meetings and moments to connect so you can collect feedback and be closer to the needs of your community. This is also a good way to (re)motivate your members or to recruit potential volunteers to your NPO.
• Simplify the membership process as much as possible by offering a quick and easy membership form online. 

3. Adopt the best digital tools for your NPO

We can't say it enough, at Yapla, we believe that digital tools can be an incredible resource for NPOs.

Whether it's to communicate about your activities or manage your organization, the right platform makes all the difference. Today, there a multitude of simple tools that you can use to manage your projects, enagage, collaborate, communicate, and analyze your performance.

What if this was the year your NPO went digital? Have you thought about creating or redesigning your website to make it more efficient? Why not launch or refine your email campaigns? How about committing to regularly scheduled communication across your social networks?

4. (Re)energize your team after the summer 

After summer vacation, it's not always easy to get everyone back into the swing of things. So to give a boost to your team and restart with a positive dynamic, you could: 

• Thank your team and emphasize the impact of their commitment
• Ask your members and volunteers what they would like to improve in the coming months, involving them in the defining your NPO's objectives
• Organize a casual event or get-together to enagage, like a picnic, workshop, or evening out. 

5. Take inventory of your NPOs upcoming activities and create a workback schedule

To make sure you don't forget anything, do not hesitate to go through all your existing activities and list everything that needs to be done. As a starting point, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Membership management

• Have your membership prices or dates changed?
• Have you automated renewals?
• Have you updated your website with a directory of new members or testimonials?
• Are there any new benefits you can share about becoming a member?

Event planning

• Have you defined the calendar of events for the year?
• Have you posted the calendar on your website?
• Have you decided to offer prizes for first-time registrants? Members and non-members 

Collecting donations

• Have you prepared your donation campaigns for the year?
• Have you decided whether you will offer recurring donations, one-time donations, or both?
• How will you track donors?
• If you are eligible to issue tax receipts, have you automated their delivery?

Communications

• What type of email will you send to confirm registrations?
• Will you create a newsletter?
• Will you issue invoices or other attachments?

Accounting

• What payment methods do you accept? 
• Can you issue invoices?
• How will you track online and offline transactions?

Find out how Yapla
can help your NPO

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Solene, marketing manager