Calibrate Your Compass: The Power of a Reflective Pause

Earlier this month, I came across the "YearCompass," a curated collection of questions and exercises designed to guide you in reflecting on the previous year and envisioning the year ahead.

I was skeptical. I’ve never been a resolutions person, don’t get jazzed up about the launch of a new year, and honestly wasn’t excited about reflecting on what was a difficult 2023. But I was ultimately compelled by the idea of a pause that might help me reconsider the year ahead. At times it was overwhelming, so I tackled it in chunks (and may or may not have added a periodic glass of wine). 

During a time of year when I typically really drag, experiencing this process gave me a slight pep in my step. I found some things from the last year to be proud of (and some things to let go), but I also found focus for the year ahead - some tangible elements that could serve as anchors or beacons or whatever other seafaring pun might help keep my ship afloat for the next 12 months.

It's not lost on me how this kind of reflecting and looking ahead process can be helpful for NPOs too. For one thing, you all never get to pause. If it’s not running programs, it’s fundraising for those programs, or managing the people that run those programs, or cleaning the facility bathrooms, or inputting data, or finishing a grant by the deadline, or calling that donor who you probably should’ve called three weeks ago but see “grant deadline,” or reporting to your board about all of that. It’s a rare thing indeed to stop the constant hamster wheel of responsibilities to do something as luxurious as reflect.

It shouldn’t be considered a luxury. These types of processes should be embedded in the way we work. It might require stepping off the hamster wheel for a day, but it’ll better serve the organization for the long haul if you and your team, particularly your development team, dedicate the time. It doesn’t have to be all ooey gooey, touchy feely “how did we feel about the year,” and it doesn’t have to be all performance-based metrics analyzing retention rates and appeal returns. However you structure this time of reflection, you will inevitably hit on some strategies that you can be immensely proud of – that donor meeting that resulted in a groundbreaking gift, or the new stewardship plan that successfully engaged board members in donor outreach – that can be carried forward. You might also identify elements of your plan that didn’t pay off as expected; this kind of thoughtfulness can provide impetus for letting those activities go and brainstorming a new approach.

When I engage a new client around their development effort, I’ll probe on why a certain strategy is in place. The response is often “We’ve always done it that way.” While there is something to be said for the “tried and true,” it’s often the case that the strategy is on rinse and repeat because there hasn’t been an opportunity to pause and consider whether it’s actually the right one.

This kind of process is that opportunity. Maybe the YearCompass could be adapted for your organization. Too much? Start smaller: What are three things that went well last year? Why? What are three things that fell short? Why? What does that mean for the year ahead? Even the examination of those questions will be incredibly informative for how you go forward. Consider it a strategic investment in ensuring a more informed and purposeful path for the organization…and for you.