Congratulations, you’ve made it through the gauntlet of calendar-year-end activities! But before you sigh with relief, here’s a list of items you should review annually. Ideally, these are completed in the peaceful window between the mailing of your 1099-Rs to annuitants in January and the filing of 1099-Rs with the IRS in March.

Does this sound familiar? “I have to write the lead article for our newsletter by Friday. Where are those photos I want to use for the testimonial? What format should we use for our legacy society lunch? Should we hold the event at all? I need to get approval to the edits to our gift acceptance policies. Are we getting everything we are entitled to from that bequest?”

Read your job description. What is your primary responsibility? Does your title include Planned Giving Officer, Development Officer, Advancement Officer, Major Gift Officer, or similar terms? The principal concern and obligation of such a position is to attract voluntary support to advance the mission of a non-profit organization. But often, support functions prevent fundraisers from focusing on the most important part of their job: fundraising.