Alright. Let’s be real…

No matter how much planning and prioritizing you do—and no matter how committed you are to consistency—LIFE HAPPENS. Rude, I know. But it’s true!

You get sick. You take a few days off. You move. Family stuff happens. Life just takes over sometimes. And I know this firsthand. Earlier this year, my immune system slapped me in the face with a horrible cold. I was down for the count and fell SO behind on my original plans.

Did I kick myself, wishing I accomplished more? (Yes, absolutely). But then I remembered this ONE THING that keeps me going. Every time I feel like I lose control, I remind myself: productivity is a cycle.

Productivity doesn’t mean going above and beyond all the time. The fact is: you’re going to experience some lulls in your productivity. You WILL have moments throughout the year when you’re not sharing 10 stories a day on Instagram or keeping up with all your donor calls. But what matters is that you don’t waste your time kicking yourself. Instead, lean on consistency.

Let’s walk through the ins and outs of planning for consistency so you can take a little pressure off yourself and ride the productivity cycle waves.

Setting the foundation

When we talk about consistency in the nonprofit world, we could be talking about a lot of different things. We could be talking about showing up online consistently. We could be talking about setting up regular major donor calls. Setting up consistent revenue with monthly donors. Or we could even be talking about planning regular board meetings.

Before we feel too overwhelmed, let’s narrow consistency down into three categories. Every nonprofit needs to have:

Consistent messaging
Consistent process
Consistent stewardship

Without this foundation, you’re going to feel a little lost. What was I working on again? Why am I doing this? By taking a step back to plan for consistency, you’ll set yourself up for something to fall back on when times get a little bonkers. The best part? Each piece of the consistency puzzle builds on the next (and as a bonus— it’ll help you stay on track with your goals).

Consistent messaging

Your message is the building block of your nonprofit story. It’s the foundation for everything that follows—whether it’s spreading awareness, connecting with donors, or raising those dollar dollar bills. So take time to understand and create consistent messaging.

Why does having a consistent message matter? Because it BUILDS TRUST with your audience. Your message is the beginning of your relationship; it helps your audience get to know you. “Key messages encompass the information you want your audiences to hear, remember, and share about your nonprofit organization,” according to content marketer Allie Decker at HubSpot.

Another reason why your message matters: knowing your message helps you get SUPER clear on why you’re doing what you’re doing (which comes in handy when you’re struggling to stay consistent later on). Absolutely DO NOT skip this step. So many times we want to skip to the “successful” or “easy” part, without creating a foundation that can uphold that success. Without a set message, something is going to get wobbly later.

Consistent processes

Every nonprofit, at some point or another, needs to create a set process. For every single component of the organization.

Now, I remember my early days as an ED. There was no such thing as having a process. My only focus was keeping my head above the water. And it was a constant battle.

So how did I learn how to float? Well...you know those repetitive tasks? The CONSTANT admin? Those projects that pop up every month but still feel like a surprise every time?

Yeah. No. I couldn’t keep scrambling every other day. Finally, I blocked off a morning on my calendar and I got down to business with my projects.

And that’s what you need to do, too. Sit down and ask yourself: What are the projects you need to complete every month? I’ll give you some ideas:

Maybe you need to...

Send thank you letters
Write handwritten notes to major donors
Reconcile your bank statement
Plan next month’s content

Is your heading spinning yet? I know mine is. And here’s the thing: you’re going to be tempted to multi-task and fight your way through a little bit of everything. Don’t do it. Instead, take time to understand the steps you need to take for each project. Fine-tune your process and get it down on paper:

List out EVERY step
Save the steps somewhere safe (like your project management software or a Google Sheet)
Include links to relevant places (like you’re content scheduler, your donor management software, your bank account)

Hey, look! You’ve just freed up some more brain space. You’re not second-guessing anymore. You have a set process for every task and you’re confident you know what you need to do. And when you’re not feeling lost all the time, you have more energy to build relationships with your donors.

Consistent stewardship

Now that you have a hang of your processes, you can carve some time to connect with donors on an ongoing basis. Nurturing your donors takes so much more than frantic phone calls and begging for cash throughout November and December. You MUST plan for building consistent connections THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

You know where I’m going with this: Consistent stewardship comes from PLANNING and PRIORITIZING. This sort of goes back to our last point about having a set process. You need to have a set system for what kind of communications donors get from you and how frequently they hear from you too. That means:

Knowing who gets an email vs. phone call vs. letter
Knowing how often each donor gets a touchpoint from you
Scheduling consistent email and phone communications to stay top of mind.

Determine how often each segment of donors will hear from you. Add follow-ups to your calendar and have a running list of who you need to check in with. That way, instead of feeling like you’re always falling behind, you’ll know exactly what you need to do.

What’s holding you back from being consistent?

So what’s stopped you from being consistent in the past? This isn’t a “shame game.” We’re not trying to make ourselves feel guilty about all the times that self-care or other priorities came first.

But really take some time to reflect here. Why are you so hesitant to try consistency?

You’re feeling lost

Maybe you’re not sure where you’re headed. Maybe you’re being pulled in so many directions you can’t think straight.

Lost doesn’t mean you’re falling behind. It just means you need to take a minute. Don’t knock the power of blocking off a full afternoon to pull yourself and your organization together. Heck, do it every week. Make time for clarity.

You’re afraid of failure

Are you worried about letting yourself down? Afraid of setting yet another goal? Remember: there is no failure when it comes to setting up consistency in your nonprofit. It’s an iterative practice that evolves over time.

You have no idea where to begin

Every time you take a break from your organization, you probably feel out of sorts. Even one day off can feel like you’re coming back to your computer and starting from scratch. Where do you begin? What are your priorities again?

I didn’t walk you through the building blocks of consistency for nothing. Having consistency across your messaging, processes, and stewardship will help you feel secure. You’ll have a default to fall back on. Every time.

Practice bite-sized consistency

Our expectations of ourselves are pretty high. We almost always set the bar WAY HIGHER than what’s actually feasible or realistic. It’s just a natural part of planning.

Consistency means keeping things simple and doable. So give yourself room to adjust, tweak, and sometimes even shrink your expectations. And try not to kick yourself for the days or weeks you fall off track. We’re not shooting for perfection here. Slow, steady progress is the name of the productivity game.

How to prioritize and plan for consistency