It's been nearly a year since coronavirus struck and we've all had to adapt. Now that we are partway through with hopes of returning to in-person in the foreseeable future, it's time to take stock of what changes are worth keeping.

Rethinking Board meetings

Do we really need to meet monthly in-person for Board meetings? Consider looking at a hybrid approach where you meet in person some months and online the rest. It may even be time to think about doing a once a year weekend retreat model and then meet online the rest of the year. 

Donor calls

Let's keep Zoom as part of our donor cultivation and stewardship mix. Donor lunches are great but it's time to think about moving to doing some of this work on Zoom - particularly in the early stages and for tying up the loose ends. We can still meet in person, but it's time to make Zoom a permanent part of the mix.

Virtual stewardship

The world of stewardship opens up if you think about how you can move some of this online. Donor thank you videos from recipients are affordable fast ways to make an impact. Whether it's thank you videos, online engagement pieces, there are now more ways to engage with donors than snail mail, email, telephone calls, and in person events.

Bump up your social media engagement

There is an estimate that the average charity moved 6 years forward in technology adoption in the last year. Keep going! Not sure where to start? NTEN are a great first step.

Hello? Keep thanking

If you are not in the habit of making regular thank you calls, or sending regular hand written thank you notes, here is a chance for you to get busy. Got some stewardship reports to do? Perfect timing! Never done stewardship reports? This is the perfect moment to start.

Think about the who

The charity sector is as much of a closed club as many other professions. By having a largely white workforce, we are missing the chance to maximize our impact. This is a great time to look at your hiring practices, your promotion practices, to benchmark yourself relative to the community you serve to make sure you are able to have the most effective workforce possible.

By taking the best of this difficult time and bringing it into your organization's plans, you can be better prepared when this situation finally settles and we can go out again.

Hilborn Editor, Ann Rosenfield, has been through an earthquake, fires, bomb threats, and SARS while working in the charity sector. She feels this is a great time to make big changes.

Cover image by Erwan Hesry via Unsplash