Hey You! Get Off Facebook!

If you're like most people working in a small shop, you're strapped for time. There's always more to do than time in the day. Successful fundraisers know how to manage their priorities and protect their time so they can focus on the things that need to get done.

Know your purpose

First, know why you want to manage your time better. It's not so you can do everything on your plate. (You never will.) It's so you can get the most important things done. Too many people put important fundraising activities on the back burner because they think other things are more important or they don't like doing them. This is procrastination, plain and simple. Stop doing the easy things first regardless of how important they are. You can fill a whole day with inconsequential tasks that don't get you any closer to your fundraising goals.

Protect your time

Time leaks are nonessential tasks that take just a few minutes here and there but add up over the course of a day. Look for and eliminate these and other time leaks: playing computer games, long personal phone calls, browsing the news on Facebook, chatting with co-workers about last night's episode of "American Idol."

You might think this is harsh, but successful fundraisers don't do these things — and neither should you.

The most important thing you can do is keep your eye on the goal and make sure everything you do moves you toward that goal. If not, you need to ask yourself why you're doing it.

Take a hard look at all the places where you spend your time that might not be the best use of your time. You might need to hit the "pause" or "stop" button on these until you get your fundraising program where you want it. These are things like:

• Serving on committees or boards outside of your nonprofit.
• Serving on non-fundraising committees.
• Volunteering for other organizations.
• Being a class mom for your child's classroom.
• Running extensive errands during the day.
• Anything else that takes up your time during the business day.

Remember that this is about clearing out time clutter and making room for fundraising tasks. During the day, you should ONLY be working on things that:

1. Increase your ability to raise money.
2. Spread the word about your organization.
3. Build relationships with donors and supporters.
4. Raise money.

After several months (or even a year), you can start to add some of the other things back in. And perhaps you'll love the results you're getting so much that you won't ever put the time leaks back into your life!

Establish your priorities

Next, it's time to look at all the things you do during the day. For a week, write down everything you do (and I mean everything!) and how much time you spend doing it. At the end of the week, you'll have a good snapshot of how you spend your time. Look for things you can eliminate, delegate or automate. Remember, the object of the game here is to free up your time so you can focus on the most important fundraising tasks.

Once you eliminate the things that waste your time, you can start prioritizing your essential tasks. At the end of each day, make a list of things you want to get done the next day. Write "A" beside those that MUST get done that day, "B" beside those that really should get done that day and "C" beside those that can wait a few more days. Once you have all your tasks lettered, go back through and assign them a number.

Look at all your "A" items and write "1" beside the first one that needs to get done, "2" beside the next one and so on. When you start your day, begin with tasks that are A1 and don't move on to anything else until they're complete. This system helps you focus on what really needs to get done.

Manage your day

Plugging time leaks and establishing priorities help you move closer to your fundraising goals. Here are some more things I strongly recommend to help you manage your time.

1. Check e-mail first thing in the morning, then close it. You don't need your e-mail program open all day long. When it's open, it's an interruption. Check your e-mail first thing, respond as needed, then close it. Open it again at lunch to check in, then close it again when you're done. Check it one last time before you're done for the day. You can concentrate better without the interruption, and you get TONS more done.

2. Turn your phone off. When you have important projects to work on, like grant proposals or newsletters, turn your phone off so you won't be interrupted. Once you complete the project, you can turn the phone back on.

3. Cluster similar items. If you have several phone calls to make, block off time on your schedule and make them one after the other. When you're in the flow of talking on the phone, stay in the flow. Don't try to make a phone call, then work on something, then make another call. By batching your tasks like this, you get more done.

4. Focus on your productive time of day. We all have times of day when we're more productive than others. If you're a morning person, use the morning to work on those projects that need your highest thinking and most intense concentration. Save the easier tasks for the afternoon. If you're an afternoon person, do your intense work in the afternoon.

5. Don't cram your schedule full. Allow time for interruptions in your day. When a donor visits or a news reporter calls for an interview, you want to be able to respond without feeling pinched for time.

6. Delegate whenever possible. Only do what that you can do, and delegate everything else. If you have no one to delegate to, recruit a volunteer or intern to help.

When you can effectively manage your time, you are less stressed and more confident about your work. And ultimately, you get more done. FS

Sandy Rees is a fundraising coach and consultant, and author of the Get Fully Funded blog. Reach her at sandy@sandyrees.com