Donor management software offers nonprofit staff resources that can decrease stress and increase productivity. Employees in all industries feel the constant pressure of connectivity and remaining busy in a competitive world. This frenzy is comprised of deadlines, quotas, meetings, events and much more. To streamline processes and find a sense of stillness amidst the chaos, nonprofit organizations need to invest in event management software.
Busy vs. productive
There is a difference between being busy and being productive. Psychology Today outlined the common misconception that the two states of being are one in the same in a recent article. The publication reported on research that found slowing down actually increased productivity and, surprisingly, happiness. Several studies deduced that longer working hours were detrimental to profits. The more hours worked in a single week, the faster profits fell.
“Passion is the driving force that keeps charities alive and profitable over the years.”
In addition, multi-tasking and completing busy work did not improve productivity either. Many companies today feel that killing two birds with one stone is the best route to success, when in fact it decreases the amount of work that gets done in a given time. Multi-tasking is defined as both attempting two projects at once and switching back and forth between several tasks.
Workers also become unhappy when they give too much time to their professions or are too busy to enjoy the work they do on a daily basis. Having an impossible number of tasks to complete each day adds stress to employees’ psyches and makes it harder to really engage with their co-workers, families and friends.
Find stillness
Pico Iyer suggested organizations take on an attitude of stillness in 2015. Iyer’s TED talk on “The Art of Stillness” examines the benefits of sitting still for even a few moments each day to simply breathe and reflect, without any distractions or expectations. Removing the mind from a busy day or troubling issue for a few moments can shed new light onto a solution, or simply provide much needed rest from the demands of a high-functioning nonprofit. It increases creativity and opens up the imagination to innovative solutions.
To begin the process of slowing down this year, nonprofit organizations should take a close look at their year-end results from 2014 and how productive their staff is in terms of effectively getting in touch with donors, raising funding and meeting goals. Connect with staff on a personal level to find out how happy they are in their current positions, or whether they have ideas on how the organization can improve its operations.
Nonprofit employees should take a few moments out of each day to find stillness.The most important thing for employees working in the nonprofit sector is to hold on to the passion that drew them into the work in the first place. This is the driving force that keeps charities alive and successful over the years.
Donor management software can make the workday much more efficient. Various applications exist that increase donor communications, streamline reporting processes and help staff organize fundraisers with less stress and more control.