By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Some events can draw crowds for decades while others fall flat after a year or two. It can be tricky to forecast what makes certain gatherings an instant success, but it shouldn’t be difficult to measure an event’s effectiveness over time. “Events are often passed down for years, from one set of staff or board members to another, and no one actually stops to think about what the event should be achieving,” says founder and president of Big Buzz Idea Group Melissa Lagowski. “To properly evaluate an event, you must first...
By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Many nonprofits work diligently on annual giving, private donations and grants to fund their organizations, but we find many nonprofits are not tapping into corporate sponsorships as a way to enhance their bottom line. Many corporations sponsor events and organizations as a part of their annual marketing budget and/or as part of their corporate-social responsibility initiatives. Companies generally sponsor for one of two reasons: marketing exposure or brand alignment. If you are working to grow funding for your nonprofit, consider these best practices to help foster financial partners for your cause....
By: Katelyn Foehner Communications Manager Big Buzz Idea Group As many nonprofit executive leaders know, your title encompasses much more than what it states. Many executive directors serve as not only the ED but the bookkeeper, event planner, communications guru and everything in between. Finding easier ways to get the job done is essential to fulfilling all your tasks. Insert Canva into the equation to save stress, time and money. Canva is a free-to-use online design platform. While many people use it to create images for social media, Canva can be used to create t-shirt designs, invitations, blog banners, business...
By: Melissa Lagwoski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Do you feel overwhelmed by the demands of your organization? Struggling to balance all of the responsibilities in your work week? Are the pressures of your nonprofit spilling over into your personal time? These common challenges can happen throughout the year but there are simple actions that will remove those issues for more productivity. And January is a great time to make a few small changes to reclaim your time and elevate your organization to new heights! Identify Your Priorities Take some time to get clear about what you must do...
By: Brad Ball Vice President Big Buzz Idea Group Most nonprofit organizations simply love to host events. Whether to fundraise, friendraise, educate or otherwise, the regular gathering of like-minded people is a standard tool in the nonprofit toolkit. One of the key traits of a successful event is choosing the right venue. To help make your organization’s next gathering a success, here are five things to remember when finding your next nonprofit event location: Is your event date available? While this may seem like an obvious place to start, the purposes of asking the question leads to this point: How...
By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, December can fly by quickly and it is the New Year before we realize it. For many executive directors and nonprofit leaders, December may be no busier than the rest of the year. But this month, do something special for yourself. Carve out some time when you can be alone without the interruptions of your team, your Board or your email. Turn off your phone and truly focus on your thoughts for an extended period of time. This is an ideal time to...
By: Lidia Varesco Racoma Owner, Lidia Varesco Design You did it—you made it through #GivingTuesday! But your work is not done yet. Take advantage of the momentum of your campaign: Follow up with your donors and supporters, create meaningful connections that will last throughout the year, and use the insights gathered this year to inspire next year’s campaign. Say thank you—and share results Thank your supporters on social media and share the results of your campaign as well as the impact it has on the people your serve. Sharing a video thank you from the organization’s founder or leaders can...
By: Melissa Lagowski Founder, CEO and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group With Thanksgiving upon us, it seems like everyone is talking about gratitude. (To be fair, it’s always top of mind around here-gratitude is one of our core values at Big Buzz!) Is there anything better than feeling appreciated? For nonprofits, acknowledging the contributions of those people directly tied to your organization is important. A simple, inspirational gesture of appreciation cultivates a sense of community, generosity and support for your mission. WHO to Thank Think about all of the people who are a part of your organization. They keep...
By: Emily Taylor Principal, teenyBIG I was listening to a fairy tale with my daughter the other night. It was about a sad princess and how the king wanted to cheer her up. “I’ll paint the palace yellow, that will cheer her up!” he thought. The entire palace was painted yellow, but the princess did not cheer up. Thinking creatively, the king said, “I know, the castle must be the wrong shape!” and had the square castle pulled down and rebuilt into a heart shape. Still, the princess was sad. “Then it must be the cold weather here,” and he...
By: Melissa Lagowski Founder, CEO and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein Do you feel like your organization is in a rut? Does it seem like no matter what you do, your budget hasn’t seen growth and programs don’t expand as you had anticipated? Are you still struggling with staffing shortages or failing to fill those seats on the Board with engaged leaders? It is not uncommon for nonprofit organizations to rollover their same plan from year to year, but the reality is that if you...
