As we embark on this new year, the pandemic continues to reshape nonprofits’ work in profound and unprecedented ways, but knowledge and insights gained in the past 12 months can position organizations for success in 2021.

Fundraisers can create powerful, positive fundraising plans with these 10 tips gleaned from new research, expertise, and professional practice.

1. Seek relief funding. Relief funding came to the rescue in 2020. As COVID-19 began to spread early in the year, numerous community foundations and United Ways quickly established new funds or activated existing emergency funds, as research by Laurie Paarlberg and colleagues at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found. This response to short- and long-term community needs included collaborations with community partners, corporations and local governments. Relief, recovery, and capacity building funds likely will continue to be a key resource into 2021.

2. Find new ways to collaborate. In addition to philanthropic collaborations with community foundations, seek new partners in places you might not have looked previously. Lake Institute on Faith & Giving found that 33 percent of congregations raised funds to support other congregations and nonprofits in need. Religious organizations, like many others, made the pivot to online services during the pandemic, with more than half reporting an increase in participation. What can you learn from religious organizations and others with membership models? How can you collaborate to raise more money?

3. Build community virtually. Online community building will be a permanent part of nonprofit-donor relationships. This type of community building appeals to women in particular. In fact, Women Give 2020 found that women are giving more gifts and a greater proportion of total dollars on tech platforms, and that women’s and girls’ causes receive substantially more online support from women donors. Technology enables women to give according to their preference. Create a strategy to highlight the women and girls you serve and offer more opportunities for online giving.

Selecting beneficiaries for retirement accounts is different from choosing beneficiaries for other assets, such as life insurance. With retirement accounts, such as IRA’s and 401k’s, you need to know the impact of income tax and estate tax laws in order to select the right beneficiaries.

Although taxes should not be the sole determining factor in naming your beneficiaries, ignoring the impact of taxes could lead you to make an incorrect choice. In addition, if you are married, beneficiary designations may affect the size of minimum required distributions to you from your IRAs and retirement plans while you are alive. The following are some factors that should be taken into consideration when making your beneficiary designations:

Most inherited assets such as bank accounts, stocks, and real estate pass to your beneficiaries without income tax being due. However, that is not usually the case with 401(k) plans and IRAs. Beneficiaries pay ordinary income tax on distributions from pre-tax 401(k) accounts and traditional IRAs. With Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k) accounts, however, your beneficiaries can receive the benefits free from income tax, if all of the tax requirements are met. That means you need to consider the impact of income taxes when designating beneficiaries for your 401(k) and IRA assets.

For example, if one of your children inherits $100,000 cash from you and another child receives your pre-tax 401(k) account worth $100,000, they are not receiving the same amount. The reason is that all distributions from the 401(k) plan will be subject to income tax at ordinary income tax rates, while the cash is not subject to income tax when it passes to your child upon your death. Similarly, if one of your children inherits your taxable traditional IRA and another child receives your income tax- free Roth IRA, the bottom line is different for each of them.

Restorative Practices Level 1 workshop on March 26 at 9:30 a.m. Review core concepts and practices to help you gain a better understanding of what restorative practices are — and are not — as well as the skills associated with the various steps of the restorative continuum. Presented by the Peace Learning Center. Cost: $50. Register

Intro to asset-based community development (ABCD) workshop on March 31, from noon-1:30 p.m. Learn about the ABCD system and engage in an interactive, practical experience to implement what you’ve learned. The session includes a series of exercises that will help attendees build strong and organized communities. Presented by Leadership Indianapolis. Cost: $10. Register

Frame the problem webinar on April 8 from 10 a.m.-noon. Learn how to use data to make inform decisions, identify what you are trying to accomplish and determine how data can help you. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register

Planning effective programs webinar on April 8 at 7 p.m. Discover the main components of a solid program plan that will enable your organization to provide quality services to the community. Presented by Gail Thomas Strong as part of an online series hosted by The Indianapolis Public Library. Cost: Free. Register

Successful grant proposals webinar on April 10 at 7 p.m. Learn about the grant application process and assess whether your organization is ready to apply for grants. Presented by Gail Thomas Strong as part of an online series hosted by The Indianapolis Public Library. Cost: Free. Register

IU McKinney Law is offering a virtual Juris Doctor information session on April 8 at 1 p.m. for those interested in applying to start law school in the fall of 2021. The one-hour session outlines the steps in the application process. Register