How to set realistic, measurable goals for the year ahead

Isa Hasty on Jan 15, 2025 3:35:04 PM

113: How to set realistic, measurable goals for the year ahead

Progress can be hard to track, especially when marketing moves minute to minute. But with the right processes in place, you can turn scattered efforts into a clear roadmap that paints a fuller picture of your impact.

The key to success starts with setting goals that inspire action and deliver results. This week, we’re sharing resources to help you establish realistic, measurable objectives, monitor your content’s performance, and pinpoint the KPIs that deserve a spot on your dashboard.

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The take-home template

Setting goals is one thing, measuring them is another. With so many fundraising metrics to consider, it can be challenging to know which ones matter most.

To help you cut through the noise, this comprehensive toolkit outlines the metrics that are crucial for donor engagement, revenue growth, and fundraising success. You’ll also find practical tips for tracking and analyzing them effectively, plus a free template to keep all your key metrics in one spot.

Snackable snippets

How to set realistic yet motivating fundraising goals 📖

Ensuring that your goals are realistic enough to achieve, yet ambitious enough to inspire action is a delicate balancing act.

This guide unpacks the science of goal-setting, helping you reflect on the past, assess the present, and apply the SMART framework to craft purposeful and actionable targets for 2025.

Advertising benchmarks to plan for the year ahead 📽️

Industry benchmarks are more than just interesting data points—they’re valuable trends that can guide your own decisions and strategy.

Last month, we hosted an exclusive webinar with George Weiner, founder of Whole Whale, to unveil insights from the 2024 Nonprofit Advertising Benchmarks Study, drawing on data from over 7,000 nonprofits. This blog highlights the key takeaways, offering actionable tips to help you maximize your impact this year without breaking the bank.

How content monitoring can level up your strategy 📖

You pour your heart into creating blog posts, infographics, videos, and e-books to educate and inspire your supporters. But how do you measure whether your content is truly making an impact and supporting your mission?

Content monitoring is a crucial way to benchmark and track content performance over time to make sure you’re on the right track. From setting clear goals to categorizing your content, this article outlines an eight-step process to monitor your content more effectively.

Marketers brace for ad impact if TikTok 'goes dark' 📖

With TikTok’s ban looming on January 19, the digital landscape is bracing for major disruption—performance ad budgets will shrink, and brands will lose a key marketing and discovery platform.

And while rivals like Meta and YouTube are poised to benefit from TikTok’s absence, it’s unclear if they can match TikTok’s unique appeal to both advertisers and creators.

For your inspiration folder

Dove is kicking off 2025 with a bold campaign: The Dove Self-Esteem Project for Women, urging women to ditch the “pursuit of perfect” and embrace resolutions centered on self-worth over beauty ideals like weight loss or dieting.

This initiative not only aligns with Dove’s core values of empowerment and authenticity but also responds to research showing that millennial women, a key demographic, struggle with notably low self-esteem.

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