By Melissa Lagowski Founder/CEO/Queen Bee How many hours do you commit to meetings in a week? Out of 40 hours in an average work week, the majority of us are in meetings for at least half of that time. According to some stats in the nonprofit world, this could catapult to 65 or 75 percent. With so much of our lives devoted to collaboration via these collective encounters, let’s look at some ways to make your meetings more effective. Purpose The first step to more productive meetings is that everyone must understand the purpose or reason for the meeting so […]
By Terri Champelli Sales and Business Development Let’s be real. This term has been thrown about in all walks of life for years, with the intent of requesting your audience to, in essence, cut the crap. In interpersonal skills and relations, it is important to be real. For your friends, family, neighbors, this is a given. In sales, it should be no different. Here, we are using this term to guide authentic connection as a pathway to meeting your clients’ needs and finding new referrals along the way. It is important to not look at this as a strategy but […]
By: Devin Ball Director of Operations Do you spend parts of your week addressing issues that unexpectedly require immediate attention and will create a much bigger issue if left unaddressed? At Big Buzz Idea Group, we refer to this phenomenon as “putting out fires.” If you’re a living, breathing human, chances are you’ve had to “put out a fire” before. Putting out fires usually requires you to push other scheduled tasks further down on your to-do list, which could mean that today’s tasks become tomorrow’s tasks, this week’s tasks become next week’s tasks and so on. As day-to-day duties are […]
By: Kayla Walke Nonprofit Account Coordinator Knowing how to present your organization online is key for not only conveying and sharing your message with those who are unaware of your organization but also for maintaining current members. When someone visits your website for the first time, the last thing you want is for them to struggle to find information or dig around for a donate button! Here are a few tips and tricks to remember when working on your organization’s website by focusing on the importance of making a good impression right off the bat. Homepage Perfection When visiting your […]
By: Big Buzz Idea Group Staff This month, we turn to our helpful hive-full of Big Buzz team members for some insider insights and tips that they’ve honed and compiled over years of working with nonprofits. These simple but powerful methodologies have helped numerous clients along the way, so we know they’re tried and true and can work for anyone in the business of running a nonprofit like a business. Prepare For “The Ask” When soliciting new Board Members, Nicole Harris advises to go in prepared for the big meeting: A strong organization will have a solid plan when it […]
Name/Title: Allison Herman (she/her), Director of Education What is your organization and mission? Hope For The Day is a nonprofit movement empowering the conversation on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education. How many years do you have in the nonprofit industry? 1.5 years / Before working at Hope For The Day, I spent 10+ years working in marketing and advertising. I’ve also been volunteering in nonprofit organizations since childhood. How do you develop and grow your desired culture within your organization? I’m a big fan of leading with empathy and creating psychological safety for the passionate people who work […]
By Melissa Lagowski Big Buzz Idea Group Founder/CEO/Queen Bee With all the tasks that are on your to-do list, how often are you able to take a step back and think strategically about where the association is headed and what you hope to accomplish? Too often, nonprofit leaders are rushed for time, so to meet all the demands on their time, they wash, rinse and repeat yearend planning documents without much consideration. But if you keep doing what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. According to the National Center on Charitable Statistics, more than […]
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group I was at a networking event and chatting with someone about post-COVID challenges, and he suggested that I should look into the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). He gave me the name and number for an agency that had helped his large company receive hundreds of thousands of dollars back from the CARES Act. The next day, I called that company and learned they wanted to charge me a $10,000 fee just for a review. If I qualified for the program, they would charge a large fee per employee. My heart […]
Name/Title: Mari Galloway, CEO & Founding Board Member What is your organization and mission? Cyberjutsu is a 501c3 cybersecurity community for women to grow and build their #cyberjutsutribe. We empower women to network and lead in the cybersecurity space through hands-on workshops, cyber games, professional development, conference participation, leadership and volunteer opportunities, and more. How many years do you have in the nonprofit industry? 10 Your nonprofit community. Your team. Your mission. Your Board of Directors. Your events. Your volunteers. Your sponsors. How do you manage it all day to day? I don’t, lol. Just kidding. But I wonder about […]
By Angie Noll Founder Reconciled Solutions We have been sharing strategies related to taking advantage of federal and local Disaster Relief Funding opportunities with our followers since coronavirus changed the world as we know it in early 2020. This month is no different; we have discovered some super powerful opportunities regarding the Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC) available from the federal government against 2020 and 2021. Here are some little-known, rarely discussed opportunities that we want to highlight that are reaping thousands of dollars of rewards to many of our clients: -The ERTC 2020 credit allows a business owner to […]