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About Sarah Pollock

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Sarah Pollock has contributed 24 entries to our website, so far.

Fostering Board Engagement in Virtual Times

Fostering Board Engagement in Virtual Times

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Congrats on carefully selecting and approving new board members for your nonprofit organization! You have every reason to be excited about this ideal blend of leaders who are all passionate about your cause and ready to do great things. Cohesive leadership teams don’t just happen; they are the result of serious intention, and much of this work is the result of proper onboarding. Generally, your annual retreat brings new board members “up to speed” on the organization while providing a way for all members of the team to get to know...

Self-Care: A Necessity for Successful Leadership

Self-Care: A Necessity for Successful Leadership

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Have you ever lost sleep at night with the feeling that you aren’t meeting the needs of your nonprofit? Do you devote all your time and effort successfully leading the organization only to receive that one negative comment from a board member that leaves you beating yourself up for days? Are you struggling with keeping your association – as well as your staff, board and volunteers – navigating current events to find yourself completely depleted at the end of the day? There is no “one way” to run a nonprofit organization....

5 Ways to Generate Sponsor Leads

5 Ways to Generate Sponsor Leads

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Nonprofits are constantly looking for new ways to grow their revenues and create additional reliable revenue streams. Sponsorship is often overlooked or deemed to be difficult and time-consuming, but it is a great way to secure additional funding. To date, we have helped clients secure more than $6 million in sponsorship, so we know it works when done properly – and we can help you find ways to generate more dollars. We have previously shared tips on how to organically find sponsors, and we want to share five additional ways to generate...

6 Tips for Recruiting Ideal Board Members

6 Tips for Recruiting Ideal Board Members

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group We regularly hear from nonprofits that their Board of Directors or certain members are not carrying their fair share of the weight. The biggest concern is leadership not delivering on their Board commitments and sometimes they aren’t even showing up to the organization’s events. But imagine the flipside: What if each Board member actively engaged with your organization? What if every Board member met their give-or-get requirements and took their fiduciary responsibilities more seriously? What if every Board member actively served and supported your nonprofit with shared vision and commitment toward...

3 Questions to Ask If You Hope to Grow Your Membership

3 Questions to Ask If You Hope to Grow Your Membership

By: Brad Ball Vice President Big Buzz Idea Group If boosting membership is a key goal for your organization, we’ve got three questions to kick off your strategic planning. To add some context, we spoke with Lynsey Sorrell, the Vice President of Membership for the Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha International, the Honorary Society for the Advancement of Land Economics. As one of our valued association management clients, she was able to share some of the impactful ways we’ve worked together to improve her organization’s membership. Read on for our thought-starters to move your own membership forward. 1. How can...

Budgeting for Your Nonprofit in Uncertain Times

Budgeting for Your Nonprofit in Uncertain Times

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Far too many nonprofits that we talk to have a wash-rinse-repeat model of budgeting that we at Big Buzz do not generally support. For those readers who have been following us for a while, you know that we believe that forward-thinking budgeting leads to the growth of your organization. We fully believe that when it comes to budgeting, it is imperative to do a deeper dive about where you are and where you want to go as an association. You need to annually evaluate which resources are necessary to elevate your...

4 Ways Outsourcing Your Development Work Can Provide Value

4 Ways Outsourcing Your Development Work Can Provide Value

Three Nonprofit Leaders Share the Benefits of Enlisting Outside Support for Development Assistance By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group For nonprofits with a small development department—or perhaps none at all—outsourcing is a valuable option. In our work at Big Buzz, we provide support with fundraising, events, communications, database management, marketing and more, offering a deeply impactful value to nonprofit organizations. But you don’t have to take our word for it. This month, we talked to three client partners to hear (directly from them) about the value they saw in outsourcing development work. Here are the main benefits...

2020: A Lesson in Gratitude

2020: A Lesson in Gratitude

Topping the List of Things to Be Grateful For: 2020 Is Almost Over By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group In looking back over the course of the year, it’s clear we can find plenty of negativity as reasons to be disappointed and discouraged. Yes, 2020 taught us many lessons about ourselves, our goals, our economy, our leaders, and the fact that life as we know it can change in an instant. But it’s from these same lessons that we can learn, adapt and progress. And be grateful. It is vital to our mindset and our wellbeing that...

9 Lessons Learned from Our First Virtual Conference

9 Lessons Learned from Our First Virtual Conference

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group As we continue to navigate this most historic year, I have personally tried to remain focused on the positive and the valuable lessons learned in 2020. Since March 16th, we have helped nonprofit organizations create virtual meetings, webinars, networking events and happy hours. In August, we added in a virtual festival, and in September, we leveled up to our first virtual conference. In one day, we hosted nine breakout sessions, one general session with a hybrid awards presentation, a diversity panel, a happy hour and an exhibit hall. After kicking the...

Time to Assess Your Year-End Campaigns

Time to Assess Your Year-End Campaigns

By: Sarah Pollock Nonprofit Account Manager Big Buzz Idea Group In the last quarter of what has been a very unpredictable year, everyone is fighting with full force towards their year-end campaigns. With a drastic change in the economy, this year has included more asks and more widespread campaigning from nonprofits, and funding sources, themselves, have to be as strategic as the askers. Though workloads have increased, sifting through donor lists and segmenting campaign asks – tasks which always seem to end up on the back burner as tedious and time-consuming – need to become your immediate goal. The development strategy needs to face three questions: How many donor lists do you currently have? How many times has each donor been asked for a...

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Insights Blog Archive

  • Client Spotlight: Hope For The Day
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  • If You’re Feeling Hopeless of Late, Remember That Your Work Matters and You Do, Too
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  • 2020: A Lesson in Gratitude
  • The Benefits of Outsourcing
  • Best Practices For Nonprofit Management
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  • Networking for Personal and Professional Growth
  • Implementing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Your Nonprofit
  • Why Is My Organization Not Growing?
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  • Cyber Security: How To Protect Yourself In Today’s “Connected” World
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  • Big Buzz Idea Group Launches Additional Services
  • Optimize Your Contact List for Nonprofit Growth
  • Something Good: Building Your Team’s Connection
  • Outsourcing: The Only Solution To Staffing Shortages
  • Self-Care: A Necessity for Successful Leadership
  • To Be Successful, Nonprofits and Associations Must Be Forward-Thinking
  • 5 Reasons to Outsource Instead of Rely on Volunteers
  • Clearer Communication Is the Secret to Better Outcomes
  • Fostering Board Engagement in Virtual Times
  • Nonprofit Event Venues 101
  • 5 Ways to Generate Sponsor Leads
  • The Board’s Hot (Summer) Topics
  • 9 Lessons Learned from Our First Virtual Conference
  • 4 Productivity Tips to Elevate Your Nonprofit
  • Interim Directors Provide Strength in Times of Transition
  • Seven Tips to a More Productive Year for Your Organization
  • Securing Help from Your Board: Are You Ready?
  • 5 Secrets to Streamlining Your Administrative Tasks
  • Lessons Learned in Nonprofit Management
  • Client Spotlight: Illinois Theatre Association
  • From Awareness to Action: Using Social Media to Reach Your Goals
  • 6 Tips for Cultivating Gratitude in the Workplace
  • Nonprofit Form 990: Friend or Foe?
  • Financial Planning for Uncertain Times
  • Four Tactics to Resolve Nonprofit Staffing Shortages
  • Want To Retain Your Employees? Wellness in the Workplace Matters!
  • 8 Tips For Leading Productive Meetings
  • 6 Tips for Recruiting Ideal Board Members
  • A Job Gone Wrong
  • What’s Your Nonprofit’s Story
  • How To Secure More Donor Dollars
  • 50 Content Promotion Tactics: How to Drive Traffic to Your Next Article
  • How to Manage Your Organization During an Election Year Without Violating Your Nonprofit Status
  • SPONSORSHIP 101: Growing Nonprofit Revenues
  • Holding On When You Feel Like Throwing In the Towel
  • Becoming a Virtual Event Planner in an Instant
  • Fundraising: Creating a Straighter Path to Revenue Growth
  • Time to Assess Your Year-End Campaigns
  • Celebrate You and Avoid Nonprofit Burnout
  • Are You Leaving Money On The Table?
  • Please Send a Hi-res Copy of Your Logo
  • Is Your Marketing Missing the Mark?
  • The Keys to Presenting Your Nonprofit Online
  • Why Your Nonprofit Needs Brand Guidelines
  • The Hidden Costs Behind Your Fundraiser
  • How to Secure Mega Sponsorships For Your Fundraising Event!
  • Engage Your Board – Start with Recruiting and End with A High-Performance Culture
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  • Take Time to Evaluate Your Events
  • 10 Tips to Cultivate Sponsor Relationships
  • Tips For Meaningful #GivingTuesday Follow-Up
  • Client Spotlight: Old Town School of Folk Music
  • Does Your Mission Have a Compelling Voice?
  • How to Develop Your Nonprofit’s Audience Persona
  • Promotion Ideas to Benefit Your Nonprofit – Part I
  • Why You Need to Establish Gratitude as a Pillar at Your Nonprofit
  • The Taxman Cometh (Yes, Even For Your Exempt Organization)
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  • Four Pillars to Attracting and Retaining Ideal Employees
  • 7 Tips for Managing Hybrid Events
  • Keep Your Mission in Mind to Maximize Results
  • Employee Retention Tax Credit Yields Powerful Opportunity
  • Make Your Nonprofit Stand Out: Creating Impressions for Impact
  • Defining Your Value: Reclaiming Relevance to the Community You Serve
  • Board or Bored Leadership – Enter the Magnificent Seven
  • Grateful for Nonprofit Leaders
  • Why Identifying and Communicating Your Core Values Is Important
  • 4 Ways Outsourcing Your Development Work Can Provide Value
  • Losing Control? Reclaim Your Time!
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  • Meet Big Buzz, the Creators of Ribfest Chicago
  • 11 Tips to Make Your Newsletter More Readable
  • SPONSORSHIP 101: Growing Nonprofit Revenues
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  • 3 Reasons Why Your Organization Should Use Canva
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  • Team Culture Exists Beyond the Office Walls
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  • New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members
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  • Crisis Management: Are You Ready?
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  • Talk to Me! Prioritizing Internal Communications During Times of Transition
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  • Goal-Setting For Successful Events
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  • Promotion Ideas to Benefit Your Nonprofit – Part II
  • The 3 Mistakes I Made Managing a Nonprofit
  • The Importance of Authenticity in Sales and Networking
  • Organic Methods to Cultivate Sponsorship Leads
  • Should You Ever Cover Board Member Expenses?
  • Transparency and Nonprofit Organizations
  • Life After COVID-19: Next Steps for Your Nonprofit
  • Spend Less. Do More. Your Guide to Effective Outsourcing

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