By: Melissa Lagowski Founder, CEO and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group In working with clients, we’ve seen the state of the nonprofit sector evolve. More recently, many organizations are facing a tight job market with a shortage of skilled and experienced workers. Layer in limited budgets and ongoing turnover, and it’s not surprising that nonprofits are feeling the squeeze. It’s an issue for nonprofits and businesses alike: staff shortages have become the top emerging risk that organizations face globally, according to Gartner, Inc.’s latest Emerging Risks Survey. Sixty-three percent of total respondents stated that a talent shortage was a key...
By: Melissa Lagowski Founder, CEO and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group Let’s start with this: We absolutely recognize the incredible value of volunteers. Without the work of volunteers, many organizations simply couldn’t do what they do so we applaud these generous people for their ongoing support and help. That being said, in our work with nonprofits, we’ve also seen how beneficial it can be for an organization to outsource certain responsibilities to an agency. If you’ve had challenges with relying on volunteers for help, read on for five reasons outsourcing may be your best bet: 1. Continuity and...
By: Melissa Lagowski CEO, Founder and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group It’s that time of year when many clients are setting budgets for the year ahead. A budget is a crucial part of planning and execution. But all too often in the nonprofit world, budgets are simply carried over without questioning individual line items or evaluating partnerships. In taking a closer look and applying a forward-thinking, strategic mindset, we’ve helped our clients find areas where their organizations can trim excess spending and make those dollars work harder. Cost savings and more efficient, effective spending—that’s what we all want, right?...
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...
By: Melissa Lagowski President, Founder and Queen Bee, Big Buzz Idea Group When I first became an Executive Director, I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to roll up my sleeves and dig into the work to make my organization and the community prosper and thrive. But it didn’t take long to realize that running an organization as a team of one was exhausting, though I couldn’t fully understand why the task seemed so daunting. After many years, as I reflect on my first nonprofit role, it now seems so clear: executive directors are expected to wear many hats. How...
