ExpressTaxExempt’s Spring Cleaning Guide for Non-Profit and Tax-Exempt Organizations

Spring has sprung! What changes are you making this season to refresh and renew your organization?

Katie McCarthy | March 21, 2022 | nonprofit organization, Tax Exempt | No Comments

Spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to your basement. Your non-profit organization needs frequent maintenance in order to continue growing. Spring is a time for new beginnings, making it the perfect time for you to reassess your organization’s goals and business strategy.

ExpressTaxExempt has created this spring cleaning checklist to help you start fresh this spring.

Polish up your Strategic and Operational Plans

Are you still keeping up with your personal New Year’s Resolution? Your organization’s operational plan is similar to a New Year’s resolution, keeping up with your plan is important in order to achieve your goal. If your operational plan was outlined at the start of the new calendar year, spring is the perfect time to revisit this plan.

Organize a meeting with your organization’s key employees to evaluate your organization’s strategic and operational plan. Use this time to review results, accomplishments, and challenges so far this year.

Declutter Communication and Messaging

Communication is one of the best ways for nonprofits to spread their message and promote their mission within their community. Visibility is a huge part of increasing an organization’s annual donations and contributions.

When was the last time you reviewed the information that appears on your website and social media? Invite friends and family to scroll through your web content. What message do they think your organization is spreading? They should have a clear understanding of your organization’s mission after viewing your website. If not, it may be time to update your digital content.

Get together with your team to brainstorm ways you can improve your copy. Go through each page your organization is associated with and ensure there is a clear and concise call to action on each page.

Trim your Budget

Nonprofit organizations are constantly changing. Thus, using the same budget year after year may not be an effective way to manage and evaluate your organization’s finances.

If your organization works with a tax professional or accountant, sit down with them to evaluate your financial needs. As you look through your expenses, is there anything non-essential that could be cut from your budget?

Dust off your Donor Information

Communication with your donors is a vital part of running a nonprofit. Among other things, strong communication with your donors can lead to increased donations. Reach out to long-time donors to confirm you have their correct contact information. You could lose out on potential donations if you misspell a name or send multiple emails to the same person.

Take a detailed look at your donor information to ensure your records are up-to-date and merge any duplicate accounts.

Try marketing to specific donor groups. Break your donors into segments by new donors, major donors, potential donors, etc. This will allow you to personalize your fundraising content to each segment.

Most importantly, it’s always the perfect season to show gratitude! One of the best ways to preserve donor relationships is to remind your donors how thankful you are for them. This spring make sure your donors are aware that you appreciate their years of continued support and commitment.

Brush up on Fundraising Trends

Fundraising trends are constantly changing. Stay updated with the latest trends by following other nonprofits on social media. If they have an email newsletter, subscribe to it. Awareness of the fundraising strategies other nonprofit organizations are using will help keep your organization in the know with the latest trends and may even provide inspiration for your own fundraising campaigns.

Brushing up on your fundraising strategies doesn’t mean you have to completely uproot your fundraising plans for the year. If you’ve had successful fundraising events in past years, look at these events as a model.

When reevaluating fundraising goals, get your volunteers and employees involved! Ask them what aspects of recent fundraising events have been successful and what changes they would make. This is a great way to bring new perspectives and ideas to your fundraising strategy.

Organize your Form 990 Information

It is never too early to begin preparing for your Form 990 Return deadline. There are steps that you can add to your spring cleaning checklist that can help you prepare for filing time.

Your gross receipts may have changed since your last filing. This means the Form 990 series return you need to file this year may not be the same Form 990 you filed last year. Confirm you know which form to file before you start, click here to use ExpressTaxExempt’s Form 990 Finder.

Confirm your ExpressTaxExempt password and account information before your deadline. Follow this guide to update your account information. Forgot your password? Click “Forgot Password” on the ExpressTaxExempt sign-in page to reset your account password.

Gather all necessary return information before you sit down to file your Form 990 Return. This could include information regarding your organization’s financial activities, salaries (directors, officers, key employees, etc.), contributors details, and policies of charitable facilities that were operated throughout the tax year.

Gathering all of this information before your Form 990 deadline can help you avoid deadline stress.