10 Tasks. 10 Minutes Each Week. Small Changes that Grow Your Nonprofit

In under 9 hours a year — less than one full workday — you can create more committed donors, more engaged volunteers, stronger staff members, and more joyful board members. Here's exactly how.

THE 10 PRACTICES

1

Pick Up the Phone

Not to ask for anything. Not to deliver news. Just to say thank you. Call a donor, a volunteer, a funder, a board member, a co-worker — someone who has done something for your organization recently — and tell them so. Even if it goes to voicemail.

Nonprofits that prioritize personal touches will build stronger engagement and donor commitment over time. Yet a genuine, personal thank-you call is rarer than you think these days. Most people get texts and emails. A real human voice leaving a real human message? That donor remembers you. That volunteer shows up again. That board member arrives more engaged next time.

Quick tip: Keep a rotating list of 4–5 names on your desk. You should be able to export a list of priority prospects and donors from your CRM to make this process easier.

2

Text a Thanks

You're waiting for your coffee. You're sitting in the school pickup line. You're two minutes early to a meeting. Waiting at the doc’s office. That's enough time. Pull up a contact — a volunteer who showed up last weekend, a donor who just gave, a committee member who sent something useful — and fire off a genuine, personal thank-you text.

Keep it human, not templated. 'Hey Maria — just thinking about how much your help at the event meant to us. Seriously, thank you.'

Because trust is the glue holding the nonprofit sector together, building trust through personalized, 1:1 outreach is a strategic move.

Quick tip: Don't schedule these. Let them be spontaneous — that's what makes them feel real.

3

Write a Handwritten Note

I know. It feels old-fashioned. That's exactly the point.

In a world of automated acknowledgments and templated email blasts, a handwritten note is a radical act of relationship-building. One note, one stamp, two minutes. Thank someone for something specific — not 'for your support' but for that specific thing they did, that gift they made, that conversation you had. Specificity is what makes it land. Trust me, these will be remembered. Fondly.

While handwritten notes are more effective than digital communication alone, your donor management system should automatically notify your staff when new donations are made, so that you can follow up with personal communications such as handwritten notes, calls, or text messages.

Quick tip: Keep note cards and stamps in your desk. Right now. Don't let 'I don't have any' be the reason this doesn't happen. Next shopping trip. Do it.

4

Engage on Social Media — Thoughtfully

Comment meaningfully on a donor's social media post. Share and tag a photo from your recent event. React to a board member's professional milestone on LinkedIn. Tag a partner organization and celebrate what they're doing.

The point is to show up and say: I see you, and you matter to this organization. Thirty seconds of genuine attention goes further than any algorithm-optimized post you'll schedule this week.

Quick tip: Don't just react — comment with something real. 'Loved seeing you at the event' is a lot more powerful than a thumbs-up.

5

Add One New Contact

That business card crumpled at the bottom of your bag from the chamber luncheon three weeks ago? Email them, then enter it. That person who said they'd love to learn more? Hit them with a follow up. That referral your board chair mentioned in passing? Get the name and do the thing.

One contact a week. Fifty-two new people in your database by year's end. Over time, this is how your pipeline grows — not through big campaigns or waiting for them to come to you, but through the discipline of small, consistent actions that compound.

Quick tip: Bonus: add a note about where you met them and what they care about. Future you will thank present you.

6

Ask for Input

This is one of the most underused tools in nonprofit relationship-building, and it's free. Reach out to a donor, a volunteer, a board member, a client, or a community partner and ask them a genuine question: What do you love about what we're doing? What's something you've seen us do recently that made you proud to be connected to us? Why did you decide to give to our organization?

You’ll learn things that surprise you. You’ll uncover their motivations for giving, and a deeper understanding of their interests. And you’ll build a depth of relationship that no thank-you letter can replicate — because you asked for their perspective and not money. And people remember that.

Quick tip: Don't survey. Call or text. Surveys are passive. Asking is personal.

7

Clean Five Records

Unglamorous? Yes. Important? Enormously.

Your donor database is only as powerful as the data inside it. Five records a week — check for missing emails, outdated addresses, duplicate entries, blank fields. At the end of the year, you will have reviewed 260 records. Your data will be cleaner, your communications will land better, and your donor retention will improve because you're reaching the right people the right way.

This process will be even faster if your CRM has built-in features for finding and merging duplicates. Arreva’s ExceedFurther is one example of a CRM with these features.

Quick tip: Think of it as routine maintenance on your most important organizational asset.

8

Tell One New Person

Word of mouth remains the most trusted form of communication on earth. Be intentional about it. Once a week, tell someone who doesn't already know about your organization what you do — and why it matters. At the coffee shop. At the gym. At a family dinner. At a networking event.

You don't need a pitch deck. You need one good story and the confidence to share it. What changed for someone because of what your organization does? Say that.

To scale this approach, we recommend creating your own fundraiser with Peer-to-Peer Fundraising software like Arreva’s. Make sure that the solution allows each fundraiser to personalize their page, so that your unique story and passion are captured.

Quick tip: You can also share your impact and story via social media, even direct messaging someone once per week to keep them

9

Leave Something Behind

Carry your organization's materials with you — brochures, business cards, a postcard. When you visit a doctor's office, a library, a coffee shop with a community board, or a government building, leave something behind. It takes zero extra time and it quietly expands your reach every single week.

Blending digital and print media can create stronger responses. Add a QR code to anything you leave behind that links to a donation page, your peer-to-peer fundraiser, or a short impact video.

Quick tip: Don't stop with yourself. Put together small share bags for board members, too — a few brochures, business cards, some bling — so they're leaving things behind in their own circles all week long. Your board is your most underleveraged distribution network.

10

Share the Love — Literally

Your branded merchandise is a walking billboard and a relationship tool at the same time. Carry magnets, stickers, keychains, pens — whatever your organization produces — and be intentional about giving them away. To the volunteer who didn't expect anything. To the kid who asked about your work. To the neighbor who just found out what you do.

Think carefully about what you're sharing. Make it something people actually want to keep and display. Good design matters. A sticker someone puts on their laptop is marketing that lasts for years.

Quick tip: Order extra. You'll run out faster than you think.

These practices work even better when your data, communications, and donor relationships all live in one place. If your systems aren't supporting your relationship-building goals — or if you're not sure whether they could be — let’s talk. All-in-one solutions like Arreva’s ExceedFurther are proven to increase donor acquisition, engagement, and retention while streamlining operations and saving your staff valuable time. Learn more at www.arreva.com/demo.

10 Things. 10 Minutes. A Week.

Small moves. Real relationships.

A nonprofit that actually grows.

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What to do

How & why — in 30 seconds

1

Pick up the phone

Call someone just to say thank you. Voicemail counts. One minute. They will remember it.

2

Text a thanks

30-second genuine text to a volunteer, donor, or committee member. Personal, not templated.

3

Write a note

One handwritten card + one stamp + two minutes = relationship gold. Name the specific thing they did.

4

Engage on social

Comment, share, or acknowledge someone in your orbit. Be real. Thirty seconds of genuine attention lands.

5

Add one new contact

One name in your database this week = 52 new prospects this year. Add a note about how you met them.

6

Ask for input

Call or text and ask: What do you love about what we're doing? You'll learn things. They'll feel valued.

7

Clean five records

Five records/week = 260/year. Missing emails, bad addresses, duplicates. Your data is your lifeline.

8

Tell one new person

Share your two-sentence 'why it matters' with someone new. Word of mouth still wins.

9

Leave something behind

Carry materials. Drop them at offices, libraries, coffee shops. Add a QR code to leave a door open.

10

Share the bling

Give away a sticker, magnet, or pen to someone new. Make it something worth keeping. Design matters.

The math

10 things × ~90 seconds each = less than 15 minutes a week. In under 9 hours a year, you will build more meaningful relationships than most nonprofits manage with far larger investments.

Want to go deeper?

Connect with Laura at dogoodconsulting.org or laura@dogoodconsulting.org.

These ideas are just the beginning.