Mid-Year Check In: Reviewing Nonprofit SMART Goals for the Rest of 2024

Mid-year round-up!

May and June were our spring cleaning months, and July is our annual check-in meaning it’s time to reevaluate then reset those 2024 nonprofit SMART goals. Like many organizations, you likely ended 2023 or started 2024 with a list of new goals for your team. Fast forward six months later to the present, and you might be somewhere in between satisfied and concerned with your team’s progress.

That’s what this post is for, to help you and your team find your grounding for the rest of the year. Below, you’ll discover a four-step process to reevaluate your nonprofit’s SMART goals, starting with the actual evaluation before describing what to do with the results. While the method below is universal, we recommend adjusting as needed for your nonprofit and team.

Here’s how you can reset your nonprofit’s SMART goals for the rest of 2024:

1. Evaluate (And Celebrate) What You Have Accomplished Compile your goals into a list based on the anticipated due date moving from earliest to latest. Cross out the goals you’ve completed and jot down a highlight from the experience. Maybe there was some really positive feedback from a community member or a particularly productive team meeting. Remember these moments as you move down your list. Now, grab three markers, ideally green, red, and yellow. Use the green marker to highlight the goals you haven’t completed but that are on track. These are the list items that are running smoothly, and you don’t expect any issues from them. Next, use the yellow marker to highlight the goals that are progressing but not according to the original plan. These are the items that are gradually making their way while losing the original plot of the story. Finally, use the red marker to highlight the goals that have fallen behind and are no longer on track to be completed by their assigned deadline. Think of these as our pesky, wild children who are on a rampage.

1. Green: How Can You Stay on Track? Let’s return to the green items. Because these goals are moving ahead with few to no issues, it might be tempting to put them to the side and focus your energy on the problem children. This strategy makes sense on paper but lacks real-life execution. Setting goals isn’t like turning on your crockpot. You can’t set it, and forget it. Instead, there should be regular check-ins, updates, and conversations with your team. In short, progress needs to be maintained. “How Can I Stay on Track?” Think Ahead: Ask yourself if something has changed within the project or organization that could affect these items’ progress. Plan for these changes, and adapt as needed. Replace What You’ve Used: Every step towards an end goal requires resources e.g. time, energy, people, paper, ink, etc. Because you should always expect the unexpected, replace these resources now in case you need them later. Replacement can look like giving your team an extra day off after a tedious assignment or ordering additional hard copy collateral.
   

2. Red: How Do You Get Back on Track? Now we’re moving ahead to the red items. You’ll have to put on your safety hat for this one. When goals have gone completely off track this usually means they weren’t set up well from the beginning, or they haven’t been maintained properly. Goals “in the red” were not developed with the SMART method in mind, and haven’t been updated since their start. At this stage, you’ll have to assess what went wrong, when, and why with each Red Goal, before determining the next steps. An honest assessment is key. "How Do I Get Back on Track?” Locate the First Speed Bump: To understand why a goal has gone off track, you need to understand where the problem started. Once you know during which stage the items started moving into the Red, you’ll know how to respond. Consider Time to Value Ratio: There’s only so much time in a day, and even the most flexible projects have end dates. How much time will go towards realigning these Red Goals and ultimately how much value will you get from them? Are there other options to consider with a better time: value ratio? Brainstorm Alternative Routes: Sometimes you have to go off the beaten path. Doing this means reviewing your options. The original plan is likely not the only plan that can lead to your desired end goal. You have choices and should use them. Start from Scratch: If possible, give this item a redo. Because the goal has been tested, you’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. You can now use this knowledge for the second attempt.
   

3. Yellow: Don’t Be Afraid to Readjust Let’s backtrack one step and talk about our Yellow Goals. Goals in the yellow are moving forward but not according to the original plan. These goals are going to require some flexibility and potential adjustments. They’re unique because they’re progressing, except they’re not following the expected steps. Yellow items should be reassessed to determine if they are actually on or off track for the overall project, then recategorized. “How Can I Readjust?” Locate the Issue Area: Determine where in the process a wrench got tossed into the machine. You need to know what happened to alter the goal’s course, then use that understanding to predict what else–for better or worse–could change. Consider Extensions: Good projects are always planned with some time padding to account for unanticipated hiccups. Use that extra time to readjust and properly execute the project while communicating with your team. Move to Red or Green: After assessing how your Yellow Goals have changed and deciding if that change is helpful or harmful, move these items either to Red or Green. Proceed with the necessary steps.

Whether you add or take from this list, we hope our nonprofit goal-resetting process is helpful to your organization and your mission! Schedule a free consultation with Spark & Thrive to learn how we can help you achieve all your organizational goals. We look forward to seeing you thrive!

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