A different way to begin the year for nonprofit leaders
January has a way of making nonprofit leaders feel like they should already be moving.
New year. New goals. New plans. Fresh energy.
And yet, many of the leaders I speak with this time of year feel something else entirely. Reflective. Tired. Uncertain. A little resistant to the idea that flipping the calendar should magically make things feel clear again.
If that’s you, you’re not doing anything wrong.
Most organizations don’t need another resolution.
They need resolution.
Resolution looks very different than goal setting. It isn’t about adding more initiatives or piling fresh expectations onto an already full plate. Resolution is about naming what has been left unresolved and deciding, honestly, what to do about it.
For many nonprofit leaders, that is the real work of January.
The things that follow us year after year
Over time, I’ve noticed a pattern across organizations of all sizes and missions. Many carry the same challenges from one year into the next, just dressed up in new language.
The board conversation shifts slightly.
The strategic plan gets refreshed.
The goals are rewritten.
But underneath it all, the same issues remain.
Priorities aren’t clear.
Leadership isn’t fully aligned.
Capacity feels tight, but no one quite names it.
Plans exist on paper, but not in daily practice.
January is not the time to rush past these realities. It’s the time to look at them honestly.
Resolution starts with naming what is actually broken, incomplete, or simply no longer working. That might mean acknowledging that your organization is stretched too thin. It might mean recognizing that a funding model that once worked is no longer sustainable. It might mean admitting that a leadership structure made sense five years ago, but doesn’t fit where you are now.
None of that means you’ve failed.
It means your organization has evolved.
Strong leaders don’t avoid these moments. They create space for them.
From urgency to clarity
One of the most important shifts nonprofit leaders can make in January is moving away from urgency and toward clarity.
Urgency keeps people busy.
Clarity helps people make decisions.
When clarity is missing, teams stay in motion but progress stalls. Meetings multiply. Initiatives stack up. Everyone is working hard, but no one feels confident that the work is moving the organization forward in a meaningful way.
Resolution means slowing down long enough to ask better questions.
What are we carrying that no longer serves us?
What decisions have we been postponing because they feel uncomfortable?
What would actually make this year different, not just fuller?
Strategic planning can be a powerful tool here, but only when it’s approached honestly. Planning isn’t about producing a document. It’s about creating shared understanding and alignment. A plan that lives on a shelf doesn’t resolve anything. A plan that helps leaders make decisions does.
At Raise the Bar Consulting, we often hear leaders say, “We’ve talked about this for years.” That sentence is usually a signal. Something unresolved has become normalized. And when an issue sits on the table long enough, it can start to feel immovable.
It rarely is.
Why we created the Q1 Bingo Card
This is where a simple idea came into play.
Recently, one of our team members joined a neighborhood bingo night. No agenda. No objectives. Just a shared activity that brought people together in a way that felt more meaningful than a quick hello in passing.
It made us wonder: what if nonprofit leaders had a simple way to notice progress while it’s happening?
Not a checklist. Not another plan. Just a way to recognize the real, practical actions that move organizations forward.
That’s why we created the Q1 Nonprofit Bingo Card, which you can download below.
Each square represents a concrete action leaders often take quietly, without much recognition. Having a real donor conversation. Cleaning up a system that causes daily friction. Following through on a decision that’s been lingering. Addressing capacity instead of powering through it.
This isn’t about doing everything. It’s about noticing what’s already happening.
You can use it as a personal reflection tool. You can share it with your team as a light way to check in. Or, if you’re carrying much of this work solo, you might choose one colleague to share it with so you don’t go it alone.
Resolution isn’t flashy, but it works
Resolution happens when leaders decide that clarity matters more than comfort. When they are willing to name what isn’t working and commit to addressing it in ways their teams can realistically sustain.
January gives us permission to do that. Not because it’s a new year, but because it’s a natural pause point. A moment to reflect before momentum takes over again.
If you’re feeling pressure to jump straight into action, consider this your permission to do the opposite.
Pause.
Name what needs to be resolved.
Notice the progress that’s already underway.
That work may not feel flashy. It won’t always show up in headlines or dashboards. But it is foundational. And it is often the difference between another year of spinning and a year of meaningful progress.
👉 Download the Q1 Nonprofit Bingo Card
Use it however it serves you. And if you’re willing, share your progress with us along the way. We’d love to celebrate it with you.
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