It’s hard to believe that it’s almost Thanksgiving! It’s also the time for JVA’s annual ritual of ordering our 2010 planners for next year. (Yes, even those of us who do everything electronically like ordering those wonderful books with tabs that make you feel so organized.) And with that, it prompts us to stop and reflect: Did we get done what we planned to do?

This has been a wild year on Nonprofit Street, with many of you balancing striving to address the increased needs in your communities with reduced funding, and keeping your eye on moving forward your mission. At JVA Consulting, we can truly say this has been one of the craziest years in our 22 years of working in the sector. We’ve helped some with mergers, and others with strategic plans for ambitious growth. Demand for grants through our Colorado Compassion Initiative more than doubled from the previous year, while hundreds packed our workshops on governance, fundraising, evaluation and more trying to strengthen their overall sustainability.

We know that most of you have experienced a whirlwind last year as well.