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...
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...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Events are as common in the nonprofit industry as annual campaigns and executive directors. What comes to mind when you think of events? Most people think of parties, galas and fundraising, but nonprofit events can expand to include festivals, concerts, chef competitions and more. Regardless of the type of event your association hosts, there are inherent risks that savvy leaders should anticipate and mitigate. Financial Risk You know that the most obvious hazard of any project is the financial risk, so it is important to delve deep into any event concept...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group The times we are in are certainly uncertain. Looking back a year ago, most event planners thought we would be back to in-person events and that virtual events would be a thing of the past. But the reality is that with Covid variants surfacing and the general population having an extremely wide range of what they are or aren’t comfortable with, nonprofits today are being forced to choose which type of event they want to plan for next year. Many of our association clients found that a portion of their members...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group For decades, events have been the lifeblood of nonprofits and associations. Then suddenly, March 2020 struck, and the event industry was about to begin a revolution unlike anything it had previously seen. We thought it might last for a few weeks or a few months, but now the months have flown by and the new normal is here. It is obvious that there are some important lessons that you will want to hold onto for the foreseeable future when it comes to event planning. Risk Versus Reward Events have always had...
By Cat Donovan Executive Assistant Big Buzz Idea Group In March of 2020 we began navigating a maze of unknown depth and complexity. Juggling balls and spinning plates multiplied by the day. Professional settings and expectations changed overnight. Families with school-aged children had the routines they depended on completely uprooted. It quickly became apparent that managing and maintaining positive mental health was going to be both a challenge and a priority. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues, released the results of a tracking poll about one year into the pandemic that indicated four...
