Goals for Giving

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in an activity with my fellow CIDI experts in which we looked back on 2015 and recorded our favorite highlights. After that, we looked to the year ahead, imagined all that could be and recorded the most impressive achievements we could envision. Finally, we analyzed past successes and discussed ways in which we could do even better this year, like a bunch of athletes looking for that next PR. It was both humbling and exciting to look at areas where we have succeeded in sharing Smart Compassion ideas and messaging, whether through Diaspora outreach, volunteer training, PSAid campaigning, or through social media, and then dream about tripling our impact in 2016! I dream of Smart Compassion messaging reaching so many people, it enables relief workers all over the world to provide people with exactly what they need when they need it.

While doing this year-in-review exercise, I started thinking about the role visioning has in obtaining goals and dreams. To me, goals and dreams are similar. Goals are more immediate and short term and dreams are more long term. Goals are the expected results to which all of my efforts are directed; dreams are what I imagine a successful end result will be like. Goals give me a framework within which to focus my efforts and eliminate actions that won’t contribute to achieving those goals. I believe developing a clear sense of vision is the key to making dreams a reality.

Envisioning our goals and dreams allow us to see our achievement in perspective. We allow ourselves to peel back the layers of our success and analyze events that were influential in making it a reality. In this process, we identify where we are in the process of achieving our vision. Setting the necessary goals to success requires strategic vision. With activities like crafting a vision board, creating a year-in-review visualization, or even purchasing a new planner in the beginning of the New Year, we can record goals to keep us on track and accountable to our dreams.

When we are working to make a situation better, we can measure our progress by reviewing proven tactics along the way to achieving our goals. For donors who wish to have the greatest impact in the lives of people who suffer, we are happy to offer tips and tactics to maximize the good that donors want to do. Come vision with us!

2016 Goals for Giving

2016 Goals for Giving by CIDI Staff