Q4 Recap
When I entered Q4, I had one goal which was to ensure that what needed to be done in December wasn’t started in December.
In my current role, Q4 is the period where there are fewer heavy programs and physical events, and so the pace naturally get slow as compared to other times in the year. But December has its own thing. It comes with anniversary activities, year-end reviews, and other holiday traditions that still require coordination.
Knowing this, I didn’t want December to arrive with a lot of things still pending, being rushed or dragged into the new year. I wanted to be present for what needed to be done, while also sneaking in time to rest.
Here’s what Q4 (October - December) looked like!
One of the things I did this quarter was to create an SOP for how we invite, onboard, and off-board guest facilitators for our webinars. The decision came from a gap that I had noticed with the previous process, and I thought it was time to actually get it properly documented and followed through with.
Alongside the SOP, I tidied up documentation for the major programs we ran throughout the year, pulling together details like the program overview, people involved, tools used, highlights, and challenges.
I also spent a good amount of time working on an annual impact report - developing it in a way that captured not just what we did all year, but the outcomes, the growth, and the story behind the work.
Planning ahead showed up in this quarter too. I drafted an itinerary for one of our major events happening in March and created a 2026 calendar of activities to capture everything we’re hoping to do in the new year.
On the community side, weekly engagement significantly started to decline, especially from December, but I am usually dropping in at least once a week with updates, announcements, and random polls.
We also planned a virtual community town hall scheduled to take place next Saturday, to get together with our members more and have a shared direction as a new year begins. I also collaborated with some team members to plan and design award certificates for outstanding members and leaders within the community, and these awards will be presented during the town hall gathering.
Finally, I reviewed our previous end-of-year community survey, and made it better for this year. Making sure we’re not just collecting responses, but insights we can actually learn from.
Personal Career Wins
Clocked one year in my current role
Committed to showing up weekly on this newsletter from November, and followed through consistently
Retook the Community Operations course by Community Strategy Academy to freshen things up around my work
Took on a speaking engagement, sharing my approach to community auditing and growth mapping for the new year
Lessons
One impactful lesson that has stood out for me this quarter is this: Clarity does come on the way. Just take the first step, stay curious, explore, tweak the plan as much as possible… and don’t stop! You’ll get to that point where you’ll realise that it really did all come together 😊
Looking Forward
As the year winds down, I’m choosing to slow down.
I’ve been moving at full speed since the beginning of the year, and while that momentum has been necessary, I’ve realised that rest is important too. In community work especially, many of us don’t work in environments where the holidays automatically mean a pause. But I’m choosing to find pockets of time to switch off and just breathe so I can enter the new year with a fuller cup.
Thank you for being a part of my year!
Thank you for staying with me through the inconsistencies, the pauses, and now this season of showing up more consistently. Thank you for your likes, your replies, your comments, and for opening this newsletter whenever it finds its way into your inbox. Your support this year has meant more than you know.
I’ll be taking a short break and won’t be writing for the next two weeks as the Christmas holidays roll in, and we cross into the new year.
Wishing you a very, very good holiday season 💛
We will catch up again soon
It’s been refreshing as always to read from you, Martha. Happy holidays!