For years, the last weeks of December meant quiet offices and anxious watching of the mail for me. I remember sitting alone as Chief Advancement Officer, waiting to see whether a familiar anonymous donor would once again send a surprise $50,000 check that could change our year’s outcome, never knowing if it would actually arrive. In between those suspenseful mail drops were long, quiet hours: cleaning my desk, straightening files, and half-heartedly sketching ideas for the new year without a clear framework or discipline to guide that thinking.
Looking back, I wish I had been more intentional with that time. Some lessons take longer to learn. The idea of true “Clarity Breaks,” or “stepping out of the business to work on the business,” only clicked for me after reading Gino Wickman’s Traction and seeing how simple, repeatable practices could change how leaders plan and execute. I honestly don’t know how I worked as long as I did without those best practices.
Closing 2025 with intention
Today, the year-end reality for nonprofits is more demanding than ever: operating costs are up, teams are stretched, and many organizations are feeling structural strain, not just temporary pressure. Coasting from Thanksgiving through December, or simply “waiting for the mail,” is no longer an option if we want to protect our missions and our people.
Instead, I encourage you to carve out structured clarity breaks for yourself and your leadership team. Use that time to ask candid questions: What did we learn this year about our mission, our model, and our true capacity. And what does that learning demand of us in 2026, not just suggest?
Finish something that truly matters
With only weeks left, you cannot do everything, and trying to do so will burn out already tired teams. Choose one or two meaningful commitments you can realistically finish or significantly advance by year-end: closing a key grant, making a critical hire, deciding the future of a program, or finalizing a partnership.
At the same time, consciously decide what you will not finish in 2025 and say that out loud to your board, your team, and yourself. This simple act of focus turns year-end from a scramble into a deliberate close, and it creates psychological room to start 2026 with energy instead of exhaustion.
Use tools to see and sort your issues
One of the biggest differences between those earlier years and now is the availability of tools that help leaders see the whole picture instead of holding it all in their heads. Platforms like Strety can turn scattered worries into a clear, prioritized issues list that your entire leadership team can act on. I recommend using your operating system to:
- Capture every issue facing your nonprofit – from cash flow and fundraising to staffing, board dynamics, program viability, and potential collaborations – so everyone is working from the same reality.
- Categorize each item as short-term (must address in the next 90 days) or long-term (strategic, structural, or multi-year) and assign an owner and a next action for each.
- Connect each issue to your mission and key outcomes so you can see which problems threaten impact, which point to needed structural changes, and which can safely wait.
When you use tools this way, you move from reacting to surprises to leading with clarity and shared accountability.
Designing a focused start to 2026
Finally, translate your year-end reflections into a simple, focused Q1 2026 plan. Define three to five “must-win” priorities for the first 90 days, such as rebuilding cash reserves, piloting a strategic partnership, consolidating programs, or formally exploring restructuring options, and make them visible in your Strety dashboards, leadership agendas, and board conversations.
If I could go back to those quiet December afternoons in my office, I would still straighten the piles and wait for the mail, AND I would also use that time to think differently, with intention and structure. You have the benefit of those lessons now. Use Clarity Breaks and the tools at your disposal to close 2025 with purpose and to enter 2026 not as a passenger hoping for good news, but as a mission-driven leader shaping what comes next.
About the Author
Jay Strear is a Certified EOS Implementer™. In his career as CEO steering a statewide nonprofit, or as a senior leader at a national university, Jay led with earnestness, compassion, and a deep belief in collaboration.
As an Implementer, Jay is passionate about helping leaders and organizations turn their values and vision into measurable action. His specialty? Guiding teams to connect purpose with profit, building stronger, more resilient organizations and making real impact along the way.