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Powering Nonprofits to Fuel Positive Change

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Big Buzz Idea GroupBig Buzz Idea Group
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How to Hire a Consultant

How to Hire a Consultant

By Brad Ball Vice President Big Buzz Idea Group As an association management company and nonprofit consultant, we’ve written extensively about the benefits of outsourcing for your organization. Outsourcing can help you navigate a tight job market or hiring market, ensuring that tasks are performed by competent professionals and the office is running efficiently throughout the hiring process. It can cost less than hiring new staff, is more reliable than counting on volunteers, and can even allow you to bring in an expert with a specific skillset you need for a limited time. With more and more complex tasks and responsibilities...

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...

Re-Imagine the Possibilities to Better Serve Your Mission

Re-Imagine the Possibilities to Better Serve Your Mission

You might feel like you will never break free from Zoom calls and virtual meetings right now, but we will reach the other side of this “shelter in place” soon. However, the world as we knew it will never be the same. Have you started thinking about what this means for you and your nonprofit?

Many organizations have been extremely busy as a result of COVID-19, trying to keep up with an increased demand from core constituencies and working to pivot their in-person services to virtual programming. Nonprofit leaders have been struggling to stay abreast of financial assistance programs, additional giving campaigns and managing remote workforces. We get that you are busier than ever right now, but times like this are for preparation and innovation. If you actively invest the time now to plan out what you want to achieve on the other side of COVID-19, you are far more likely to succeed. You must make the time to begin planning for a future that has already been altered.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

The Benefits of Outsourcing

Save time, money and effort By: Melissa Lagowski CEO, Founder and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group When your plate is full—perhaps too full—it’s hard to do anything well as you’re pulled in different directions and constantly hurtling from one task to the next. Meanwhile, your team is also working hard, but they likely don’t have the time or all the necessary skills to propel your nonprofit’s growth. The result? Burnout, stagnation and missed opportunities. Rather than focus internally, the solution may lie outside of your organization. Partnering with an external business to delegate key tasks or areas of expertise...

Organizational Operations Versus Organizational Strategy

It is an all-too-familiar scenario when a nonprofit comes to the harsh realization that it has limited resources and manpower to effectively administer its daily operations while trying to carry out the mission and vision in an impactful way. Some organizations are blessed to have a strategic plan and staff, but there is almost always more work to be done than the staff can execute. Other organizations have a limited staff, so the Executive Director often gets distracted by the operational fires that arise, which prevents leadership from focusing on the higher impact items such as fundraising and programming. And...

Check Out These Recent Posts

  • Leveraging AI For Time Management
  • Navigating Uncertainty: How Nonprofits Can Protect Funding and Advocate for Change
  • Tips for Nonprofit Success
  • DEI, DEIB, Equity & Inclusion for All: Ways to Advance the Work in 2025
  • Gen Z is the Next Wave of Donors—How Can Nonprofits Engage Them?
  • Communicating With Your Nonprofit’s Supporters During Times of Unease
  • Big Buzz Idea Group Named One of America’s Top 100 Small Businesses

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501c3 Appreciation Association Association Management Big Buzz Idea Group Board Members Board of Directors Communication Communications Core Values Culture Development Digital Marketing Donations Donors Event Planner Event Planning Events Executive Director Funding Fundraising Goal-Setting Gratitude Leadership management Marketing mission Networking Nonprofit Nonprofit Board Members Nonprofit Leadership Nonprofit Management Nonprofit Organization NPO Organization Organization's Culture Outsourcing pandemic Productivity Social Media Sponsors Sponsorship Staff Strategic Planning Virtual

Insights Blog Archive

  • 10 Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Nonprofit from Cyber Threats
  • 5 Secrets to Streamlining Your Administrative Tasks
  • Employee Retention Tax Credit Yields Powerful Opportunity
  • The Board’s Hot (Summer) Topics
  • Client Spotlight: Center for Changing Lives
  • Big Buzz Has COVID-19 Resources For You!
  • Celebrate You and Avoid Nonprofit Burnout
  • Networking for Personal and Professional Growth
  • Budgeting for Your Nonprofit in Uncertain Times
  • Client Spotlight: Cyberjutsu
  • The Hidden Costs Behind Your Fundraiser
  • Communicating With Your Nonprofit’s Supporters During Times of Unease
  • 6 Tips for Cultivating Gratitude in the Workplace
  • The Need to Go Beyond Surveys
  • The Birth of a New Vision
  • Four Pillars to Attracting and Retaining Ideal Employees
  • Re-Imagine the Possibilities to Better Serve Your Mission
  • Our Top Five Free Online Tools for Nonprofit Management Teams
  • Melissa Lagowski Named Faculty Member at Institute for Organization Management
  • Why Nonprofits Need to Evaluate Their Budgets Every Year
  • Outsourcing: The Only Solution To Staffing Shortages
  • Goal-Setting For Successful Events
  • DEI, DEIB, Equity & Inclusion for All: Ways to Advance the Work in 2025
  • Mastering Client Expectations: 6 Essential Tips for Success
  • Is Your Marketing Missing the Mark?
  • To Be Successful, Nonprofits and Associations Must Be Forward-Thinking
  • DIY Event Photos
  • Post-Pandemic Event Lessons
  • Leveraging AI For Time Management
  • How to Keep Your Visuals On-Brand
  • Making the Most Out of Event Centerpieces
  • 5 Tips for Prioritizing Your Mental Health in the Workplace
  • Leveraging E-Newsletters For Nonprofit Growth
  • Cyber Security: How To Protect Yourself In Today’s “Connected” World
  • Holding On When You Feel Like Throwing In the Towel
  • Virtual Fundraising: 18 Ideas for Nonprofit Revenue
  • Conference Call Hero – 6 Tips to Master the Art of Video and Audio Conferencing
  • 3 Tips For Maintaining Your NPO’s Digital Assets
  • Are You Leaving Money On The Table?
  • Tips for Nonprofit Success
  • Grateful for Nonprofit Leaders
  • Client Spotlight: Hope For The Day
  • Best Practices For Nonprofit Management
  • 4 Productivity Tips to Elevate Your Nonprofit
  • Board or Bored Leadership – Enter the Magnificent Seven
  • Apply the Spoon Theory to Run Your Nonprofit
  • Promotion Ideas to Benefit Your Nonprofit – Part II
  • 6 Tips for Healthy Collaboration with Your Board Chair
  • If You’re Feeling Hopeless of Late, Remember That Your Work Matters and You Do, Too
  • Four Tactics to Resolve Nonprofit Staffing Shortages
  • 9 Lessons Learned from Our First Virtual Conference
  • Put Some Zing in Your Zoom (Or Any Other Virtual Meeting)
  • Fostering Board Engagement in Virtual Times
  • Talk to Me! Prioritizing Internal Communications During Times of Transition
  • 4 Ways Outsourcing Your Development Work Can Provide Value
  • Leadership Starts with You
  • Implementing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Your Nonprofit
  • Silver Linings Discovered Amidst a Pandemic
  • Big Buzz Idea Group Named One of America’s Top 100 Small Businesses
  • Client Spotlight: Old Town School of Folk Music
  • Should Sponsorships Include Membership Dues?
  • Tips for Virtual Event Success
  • Does Your Mission Have a Compelling Voice?
  • Losing Control? Reclaim Your Time!
  • Self-Care: A Necessity for Successful Leadership
  • 3 Questions to Ask If You Hope to Grow Your Membership
  • Should You Ever Cover Board Member Expenses?
  • A Job Gone Wrong
  • 7 Tips for Managing Hybrid Events
  • How to Secure Mega Sponsorships For Your Fundraising Event!
  • Fundraising: Creating a Straighter Path to Revenue Growth
  • Please Send a Hi-res Copy of Your Logo
  • The Benefits of Outsourcing
  • Advantages of Donor Database Software for Charitable Organizations
  • Defining Your Value: Reclaiming Relevance to the Community You Serve
  • How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Meet Goals
  • Why Your Nonprofit Needs Brand Guidelines
  • How to Hire a Consultant
  • From Awareness to Action: Using Social Media to Reach Your Goals
  • Nonprofit Form 990: Friend or Foe?
  • The Compelling Case to Renew
  • Optimize Your Contact List for Nonprofit Growth
  • Crisis Management: Are You Ready?
  • Promotion Ideas to Benefit Your Nonprofit – Part I
  • Becoming a Virtual Event Planner in an Instant
  • Transparency and Nonprofit Organizations
  • Real Progress Requires Intention: What Do You Want to Achieve in 2020 for Your Nonprofit?
  • Tips For Meaningful #GivingTuesday Follow-Up
  • How to Develop Your Nonprofit’s Audience Persona
  • Gen Z is the Next Wave of Donors—How Can Nonprofits Engage Them?
  • How to Rewire Your Brain with Positive Thinking
  • Cross-Train Your Team for Better Outcomes
  • Life After COVID-19: Next Steps for Your Nonprofit
  • The Keys to Presenting Your Nonprofit Online
  • Communication Tips to Advance Your Organization
  • 3 Reasons Why Your Organization Should Use Canva
  • Board Nominating: A Better Way
  • Financial Planning for Uncertain Times
  • 6 Tips for Recruiting Ideal Board Members
  • Innovative Approach to Volunteer Recruitment
  • SPONSORSHIP 101: Growing Nonprofit Revenues
  • Team Culture Exists Beyond the Office Walls
  • Want To Retain Your Employees? Wellness in the Workplace Matters!
  • Word of the Year: Manifestation
  • Why Identifying and Communicating Your Core Values Is Important
  • Clearer Communication Is the Secret to Better Outcomes
  • Are You Leading With Impact?
  • 50 Content Promotion Tactics: How to Drive Traffic to Your Next Article
  • Strategies for Membership Based Associations to Flourish in Face-to-Face Interactions
  • Six Things Your Nonprofit Needs to Know About Sales Tax
  • Meet Big Buzz, the Creators of Ribfest Chicago
  • Boost Your Daily Productivity
  • Seven Tips to a More Productive Year for Your Organization
  • What’s Your Nonprofit’s First Impression?
  • Why Is My Organization Not Growing?
  • Client Spotlight: Illinois Theatre Association
  • Securing Help from Your Board: Are You Ready?
  • Cancelling or Postponing Your Events in Light of COVID-19
  • Streamlining Success: Using a Consent Agenda for Nonprofit Board Meetings
  • Four Step Process to Building Better Buy-In
  • Client Spotlight: Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce
  • Tips to Ensure Event Safety
  • Engage Your Board – Start with Recruiting and End with A High-Performance Culture
  • Keep Your Mission in Mind to Maximize Results
  • Lessons Learned in Nonprofit Management
  • Navigating Uncertainty: How Nonprofits Can Protect Funding and Advocate for Change
  • Make Your Nonprofit Stand Out: Creating Impressions for Impact
  • 11 Tips to Make Your Newsletter More Readable
  • SPONSORSHIP 101: To Package or Not to Package
  • 5 Ways to Generate Sponsor Leads
  • The 3 Mistakes I Made Managing a Nonprofit
  • 2020: A Lesson in Gratitude
  • Organic Methods to Cultivate Sponsorship Leads
  • 5 Reasons to Outsource Instead of Rely on Volunteers
  • Navigating Nonprofit Finances: How to Effectively Manage Your Bookkeeper
  • SPONSORSHIP 101: Growing Nonprofit Revenues
  • Time to Assess Your Year-End Campaigns
  • Big Buzz Idea Group Launches Additional Services
  • 8 Tips For Leading Productive Meetings
  • Organizational Operations Versus Organizational Strategy
  • Never Overlook the Value of Gratitude
  • How Big Is Your Fire?
  • 10 Tips to Cultivate Sponsor Relationships
  • What’s Your Nonprofit’s Story
  • Take Time to Evaluate Your Events
  • The Importance of Authenticity in Sales and Networking
  • Nonprofit Event Venues 101
  • Making a Case for Strategic Planning
  • How to Manage Your Organization During an Election Year Without Violating Your Nonprofit Status
  • Why You Need to Establish Gratitude as a Pillar at Your Nonprofit
  • Interim Directors Provide Strength in Times of Transition
  • New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members
  • How To Secure More Donor Dollars
  • These Red Flags Scream That You Need a New Bookkeeper
  • Spend Less. Do More. Your Guide to Effective Outsourcing
  • Something Good: Building Your Team’s Connection
  • Nonprofit Hiring: Best Practices for Building Your Team in 2024
  • Fresh Funding Ideas Are Blooming
  • An Interim Leader Isn’t a “Temp:” Interim Leadership in NPOs as a Management Profession
  • Chart a Path for Nonprofit Success
  • The Taxman Cometh (Yes, Even For Your Exempt Organization)

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  • Big Buzz Idea Group
  • 4055 W. Peterson Ave., #105 Chicago, IL 60646
  • 773.804.8589
  • 773.804.8986
  • info@bigbuzzideagroup.com

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