In the non-profit sector, passion for the mission is the most powerful time management tool of them all.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, March 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — If there’s one common dominator that virtually everyone in our increasingly ever changing and more complex workplace shares in common, it’s there’s just not enough time to complete all the work that needs to be done. The challenge is typically most vexing in the non-profit sector in which people need to accomplish more with less. The overwhelming majority of non-profits are small in terms of both staff size and available resources.
Business leaders, educators and innovative thought leaders have been grappling with the art and science of systematic efficiency in productivity as least far back as the early 20th century led by Frederick Winslow “Speedy” Taylor.
A practical definition of time management is the conscious process of planning, organizing, and controlling how time is spent to increase productivity, reduce stress, and achieve a balanced life.
Thanks to a smorgasbord of new technology, there is a boundless variety of software, apps, gadgets and forms of artificial intelligence to empower men and women throughout the workplace to win the battle of the clock.
Eskin Fundraising Training prefers to emphasize the power of common sense. Advice and counsel given to learning community partners representing non-profits of all different sizes, missions and parts of the country is to keep strategy, decision making and best practices as much as possible to easy-to-understand terms. Through the collective wisdom gained through 250 live and/or virtual workshops and other gatherings, here are 10 lessons and guidelines for consideration.
1. Not all tasks and deadlines are equal: It is the responsibility of leadership and team members to organically determine what has to be accomplished now and what can wait for later. This recognizes that top priorities can and should be subject to non-stop juggling and rethinking.
2. Leadership leads by example: The most effective leaders welcome and have a keen appreciation of the challenges and opportunities confronting their teams including what it takes to complete specific tasks. This is hugely evidenced in meetings — starting and finishing on schedule and keeping to a carefully crafted agenda.
3. Research offers a multitude of time-tested strategies: For starters, the Pomodoro Technique was invented by Francesco Cirillo, who used a kitchen timer to parse his work into 25-minute intervals and short breaks. If you have issues with multitasking, missed deadlines, and burnout, this method could be a good fit.
4. Another popular technique Is referred to as Eat the Frog: It was developed by Brian Tracey and maintains if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, nothing worse will happen, the rest of the day. As the name suggests, the method involves starting the day by tackling the most difficult or least appealing task on the agenda. In doing so, all other projects addressed will feel easy in comparison.
5. Credit the 34th U.S. president for introducing the Eisenhower Matrix that focuses on prioritizing tasks in terms of their importance and urgency: The more important and urgent a specific task is, the higher it should be on the “to-do” list. Consider these four categories: Important and Urgent, Important but Not Urgent, Not Important but Urgent, Not Important and Not Urgent.
6. Guard against distractions: Admittedly, this is a personal weakness. Diagnosed with OCD compounds matters even more severely. It is nearly impossible not to look at incoming e-mail. Respecting e-mail free time zones facilitates stronger focus on urgent projects. Needless to say, the sender of the message should dictate response time.
7. Follow the money: As a fundraiser, the rationale speaks for itself. Leadership and major gift donors merit priority treatment. Keep in mind that promising donor prospects can enter the fundraiser’s life on a moment’s notice and deserve to become an unanticipated priority.
8. Beware of overdosing on time management tools and practices: Big chunks of the day can be consumed by maintaining and monitoring burdensome traditional and virtual to-do lists.
9. Management can declare all “hands on deck” directives when urgent and pressing crises face an organization: Cross training of core responsibilities will be of enormous value.
10. Management and team members need to respect that the workplace requires the capacity to shift into all five gears: Particularly in the non-profit sector, there will be times such as for special events where evening and weekend service is required. Management should reciprocate and give team members sacrificed time back to their non-work lives.
There are no one-size-fits-all stratagems. A wide range of variables includes an organization’s size, culture, personality of the people, and cyclical demands of the year.
Again, high performing organizations embrace flexible approaches and are open to updating, revising and tweaking procedures and practices in the best spirit of continuous improvement.
Time management must comfortably fit an organization’s strategic plan, goals and objectives. Business guru Stephen Covey guru summed it up neatly when he said, “the key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
About the Author
After a successful career leading advancement for three institutions of higher education, Jim Eskin’s consulting practice, Eskin Fundraising Training, launched in 2018, builds on the success of more than 250 fundraising workshops, webinars, webcasts, podcasts and board sessions, and provides the training, coaching and support services to equip non-profit leaders to replace fear of fundraising with comfort and confidence. He has authored more than 150 guest columns that have appeared in daily newspapers, business journals and blogs across the country. He publishes Stratagems, a monthly e-newsletter exploring timely issues and trends in philanthropy. Sign up here for a free subscription. You will also receive invitations to free virtual learning community programs. He is author of 10 Simple Fundraising Lessons, an 82-page common sense guide to understanding the art and science of fundraising, and How to Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift, 104 pages filled with strategies, best practices and homework assignments to unlock exciting opportunities that elevate organizational impact to the next level. Both are available in print and digital formats through Pathway, the book distributor, and Amazon. Quantity discounts are available to non-profits who want to share books with teams of management, development staff, board and volunteers. Eskin is also available for customized virtual training for boards, staff, and fundraising committees. His newest initiative is Jim Eskin’s Empowerment Upstream TV Network.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jim Eskin
Founder
Eskin Fundraising Training
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
Cell: 210.415.3748
E-Mail: jeskin@aol.com
www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com
Links
Website: www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com
Newsletter sign-up: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/36Wz1P1
10 Simple Fundraising Lessons purchase: http:// www.pathwaybookservice.com/products/10-simple-fundraising-lessons
How To Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift purchase:
Jim Eskin’s Empowerment Upstream TV Network:
Nominate Your Non-Profit North Star Podcast:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/x1rYzFO
Jim Eskin
Eskin Fundraising Training LLC
+1 210-415-3748
email us here
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