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Budgeting for Your Nonprofit in Uncertain Times

Budgeting for Your Nonprofit in Uncertain Times

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Far too many nonprofits that we talk to have a wash-rinse-repeat model of budgeting that we at Big Buzz do not generally support. For those readers who have been following us for a while, you know that we believe that forward-thinking budgeting leads to the growth of your organization. We fully believe that when it comes to budgeting, it is imperative to do a deeper dive about where you are and where you want to go as an association. You need to annually evaluate which resources are necessary to elevate your...

Time to Assess Your Year-End Campaigns

Time to Assess Your Year-End Campaigns

By: Sarah Pollock Nonprofit Account Manager Big Buzz Idea Group In the last quarter of what has been a very unpredictable year, everyone is fighting with full force towards their year-end campaigns. With a drastic change in the economy, this year has included more asks and more widespread campaigning from nonprofits, and funding sources, themselves, have to be as strategic as the askers. Though workloads have increased, sifting through donor lists and segmenting campaign asks – tasks which always seem to end up on the back burner as tedious and time-consuming – need to become your immediate goal. The development strategy needs to face three questions: How many donor lists do you currently have? How many times has each donor been asked for a...

Cancelling or Postponing Your Events in Light of COVID-19

Cancelling or Postponing Your Events in Light of COVID-19

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group   We watched the world change, hour by hour, for several days until landing in our current “Shelter in Place” status. Initially, as the country began to respond to the coronavirus, we started to feel the impact on our nonprofit events, but they didn’t appear to be in the direct line of fire. But then on March 15th, the CDC issued new guidelines that stated that all gatherings with more than 50 people should be cancelled until at least May 12, 2020. The initial potential impact was now an impending multi-car...

Take Time to Evaluate Your Events

Take Time to Evaluate Your Events

By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Some events can draw crowds for decades while others fall flat after a year or two. It can be tricky to forecast what makes certain gatherings an instant success, but it shouldn’t be difficult to measure an event’s effectiveness over time. “Events are often passed down for years, from one set of staff or board members to another, and no one actually stops to think about what the event should be achieving,” says founder and president of Big Buzz Idea Group Melissa Lagowski. “To properly evaluate an event, you must first...

The Board’s Hot (Summer) Topics

The Board’s Hot (Summer) Topics

By: Amy Schiffman Principal and Co-Founder, Giving Tree Associates It’s that time of year when most boards are closing the books on this fiscal year and planning for the next.  Perhaps we’re spending time reviewing new programmatic, fundraising and operational strategies or putting the finishing touches on next year’s budget.  But I’d like to make a case for summer being the right time to consider the health of your organization’s governance program.  And if that sounds either too vague or glaringly obvious, let’s dig down a little deeper, unpack the possibilities, and prioritize.   During this year’s summer board retreat, why...

Defining Your Value: Reclaiming Relevance to the Community You Serve

Defining Your Value: Reclaiming Relevance to the Community You Serve

By Guest Blogger: Joe McClennan Managing Partner, McClennan Partners Happy New Year! How often did you receive or express that greeting toward the end of December and the beginning of January? In 2017, for a number of my nonprofit clients, the emphasis is on the “New.” Continuing to do what they have always done is no longer possible because of funding cutbacks, change in management philosophy, loss or expected loss of key staff, and/or a call for a deep re-evaluation of what the value proposition now needs to be for the community they serve. In planning and facilitating January Board...

Making a Case for Strategic Planning

Making a Case for Strategic Planning

By Guest Blogger: Kimberly Bares President, PLACE Consulting “I’ve always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.” — Lily Tomlin It’s that time of the year when organizations reflect on the past year’s successes and misses and begin the process of preparing for 2017. Based on my experience in leading strategic planning with dozens of nonprofits, the best of them use their strategic plan to guide that evaluation. What do you do, though, when your organization doesn’t see the value in the process or thinks it’s a waste of time or money? I’ve...

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Insights Blog Archive

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

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  • 773.804.8589
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  • info@bigbuzzideagroup.com

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