Hope, Anticipation, Joy, Peace
A message for Christmas and the New Year
Do you remember, as a child, how much you longed for a particular gift, waited anxiously for the "big day" and, when you received whqt you wanted, felt really happy? As an adult, you've probably made New Year's resolutions, waiting (maybe patiently, perhaps not) for January 1st when you'd start anew and do things differently? Even amidst the hustle of the season, many of you also find an inner peace being with your loved ones (although admittedly, there may be limits to how much you can take). This is what the "winter holidays" should be about: hope, anticipation, joy, and peace.
For us, these holidays are Christmas and New Year's Day. We, as Catholic Christians, feel hope in the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ, both in the past when He came to the world in the flesh and in the future when He will come again. We wait and watch to make sure we don't miss Him. We feel joy when we celebrate His birth and remember that while He physically ascended into Heaven, He is still with us today, and we know we'll feel it even more at the end of time. Our faith gives us a deep sense of comfort, a peace only He can give. From Advent to Christmas Day, this is us.
We also "close the books" on reflect on the past year, and we look ahead seeking both continuity and change. We scour the pipeline and plot our next moves to help make the new year prosperous and impactful. We trust in the future, knowing that no matter what happens, whether expected or unexpected, positive or negative, God makes all things good in the end. Our planning inolves discerning His will and deciding to do it, even if it takes us in a different direction. Sometimes, we see why we made the choices we did right away. In other instances, this will only become apparent later on.
What Happened in 2023?
On the surface, 2023 wasn't the greatest year for Snowflake. Projects we "counted on" (not that you can ever really do that in this line of work) didn't materialize early in the year for reasons beyond our control, and that was tough to recover from. However, this did allow us to try some different things and, providentially, we ended up with several new clients in a much stronger second half. We welcomed Human Life Action, Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley, Madison Free Clinic, and Denver's Neighborhood Development into the fold. And, we continued with several existing clients.
We were "this close" on proposals in the free and charitable clinic field, in particular, and with some other organizations we connected with. We had the opportunity to exhibit at the City-County Communications Association's (3cma's) Annual Conference in Orlando, making great contacts in local government while generating interest in the concept of "in-house integration." We re-certified as a Certified B Corporation®, a key milestone for our company. In addition, just last week, Snowflake became a Supporting Partner with the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (VAFCC)!
One other thing we were able to do is write. Our articles focused primarily on two areas: (1) Non-profit relationship marketing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, and (2) The aforementioned value of integrating internal Communications functions with public-facing local government departments, enriching strategic efforts, access to services, and much more while reducing overall costs. You can read these posts on The Snowbank, our blog. We even caught the attention of search engines' artificial intelligence (AI), quoted as consulting experts on a few different topics!
What's Up for 2024?
There are two answers for this. First, we've got plans. We have a strong client pipeline that (we hope) will deliver new business for us early in the year. We intend to continue our series on local government communications. We'll be releasing some new courses on using data to govern and manage non-profits and on improving non-profit board governance, and we've got a few others in development too. And, we'll be seen at major conferences, both speaking and exhibiting (see us at the 3cma annual event again next year in Texas, and at other national and regional affairs we'll announce soon).
All of this in summary is we plan to be out in front helping our clients and our target sectors do what they do, better, and then do more. Whether it's through direct services or education, we've got a lot to offer, and we intend to be more aggressive in delivering more in the service of individuals and communities. We have several groups we want to pursue, including but not limited to: (1) Local governments and (2) Non-profits focused on providing under-served populations with life affirmation, housing, health care, social services, and employment solutions, mainly at the "front lines."
That said, as mentioned earlier, God may have other plans that trump ours. We continue to listen and discern His will for us in prayer, both in terms of direction and in the event what we're expecting doesn't happen. We're ready to shift gears at a moment's notice and, as 2023 showed, even the failure of our best-laid efforts will open different doors that allow us to make an impact where we're supposed to. We were founded in response to God's calling to love our neighbors, using our talents to help organizations transform lives and communities. That's what will continue to do, wherever 2024 takes us.
Hope, Anticipation, Joy, and Peace
Let's remember what these holidays are really about: New beginnings. Jesus came to give us the opportunity to start anew in our relationships with God. We should embrace that and live as we ought, joyfully following His commandments to love God and love one another as He loves us. We'll use this Christmas to renew our commitments to do just that through our company's mission and our individual talents. And we'll use the New Year as a "clean slate," full of hope for and anticipation of what we can accomplish, with peace in our hearts knowing He is with us every step of the way.
To all of you, thank you for supporting us, thank you for doing what you do, and thank you for letting us help. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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