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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...

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

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

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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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