10 Smart Ways to Spend Your Remaining Fiscal Year Nonprofit Budget

Nonprofit

Facing a use-it-or-lose-it budget situation at the moment? You’re not alone. Many nonprofits are looking for smart ways to spend any end-of-fiscal-year surplus. Using those funds to invest in marketing and communications efforts can have a lasting impact on your organization now and in the new fiscal year!

Here are 10 ways to make the most of your end-of-fiscal-year budget dollars:

1. Stock up on custom photography.

Hiring a professional photographer to get quality shots of your facilities, staff and volunteers, people who use your services, etc. gives you a stash of ready-to-use images. When it’s time to create new marketing materials, update your website, post on social media, or start a fundraising campaign, you’ll have awesome pics ready to roll. Bonus: Invest in professional videography while you’re at it!

2. Get a head start on end-of-year fundraising (with help from marketing experts).

Rushing to gather financial data, stories of impact, custom photography, and more for your end-of-year fundraising campaign is no way to spend the holiday season! Teaming up with an agency focused on nonprofits now ensures you have the help you need to corral data and content so you can start developing a concrete campaign plan sooner rather than later. Getting started earlier also means more time to get input from stakeholders, review past campaigns for inspiration, gather success stories from the people who use your services, and have more energy for your personal life when the holidays hit.

3. Run an end-of-fiscal-year fundraising campaign.

If your fiscal year is different from the calendar year, consider using some of your surplus budget to conduct a mid-year fundraising campaign — you’ll be reaching donors during a time when they may be more relaxed, have fewer financial demands, and be more inclined to give.

4. Audit your print materials and make updates.

Gather up samples of all your stationery, folders, brochures, flyers, posters, and any other print materials. Do they all feature the newest version of your logo? Is all the information correct and up to date (including the fine print)? Does everything use your brand’s color palette? Now’s a great time to update these materials and reorder new stock if necessary.

5. Audit your website and make updates.

Just like your print materials, your website can always use a thorough, routine review. Check to make sure your site doesn’t include any outdated information, such as contact info for someone who may have left the organization. Do you have new services? Add those to your site. If you have a blog page, update any old blog posts or remove any that are no longer relevant. Considering a plugin for additional functionality, better efficiency, etc.? Now might be the time!

6. Set up templates in Canva.

Customize templates to your specific needs in Canva by outsourcing to a marketing agency, then you can update them yourself as needed (Canva is a free app). These templates could include social media graphics, flyers, posters, one-sheet downloads, and more. Templates are great for recurring events — for example, if you have a monthly food giveaway, you can simply pull up your previous event flyer or poster in Canva, update the date, time, and location, and print!

7. Refresh your logo.

As your organization grows and changes, your logo can become outdated and no longer fit with your overall branding. Examine your logo and ask yourself a few questions: Does it still align with your mission, vision, and values? Does it still match with your current audience and organization focus? Are you missing logo assets (e.g., the original files can no longer be found, or they’re raster instead of vector)?

8. Check in with your people.

This could involve an email campaign, direct mail, an online survey, etc. It’s a great opportunity to check in with donors, potential donors, and volunteers, as well as people who have used your services in the past, and update them on anything new going on in your organization. Most people will appreciate the sentiment and it could help keep you top of mind when it comes time for end-of-year fundraising.

9. Prepare for any big events.

Putting together a large fundraising event like a gala or a golf tournament takes time, money, and lots and lots of work. Start the planning process now — you can put surplus dollars toward hiring a professional event planner and a marketing agency.

10. Set up learning opportunities.

While this has less to do with marketing and more to do with professional development, it’s still a great way to further your mission (and we’re all for that!). Conferences can be awesome opportunities for your organization to participate in, but they can be expensive, especially when they involve travel. Take advantage of early-bird discounts by paying weeks or months in advance. See if any conferences appeal to you and fit with your nonprofit’s goals and plans for the upcoming year, and use your surplus funds to get the lower ticket price. You could also invest in paid webinars and other learning opportunities.

However you choose to spend your leftover end-of-fiscal-year funds, make sure it fits within your overall strategy for your nonprofit’s success!

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