Whether you are trying to organize a new type of fundraising campaign or need ways to update the techniques you follow, a fundraising consultant may represent the objective perspective you need to enhance your nonprofit organization's strategy in all areas and achieve goals that may often seem unattainable.

With the help of a professional fundraising consultant, there is no limit to what your organization can achieve; however, finding the right consultant can itself be a challenge, so to help you streamline the process of hiring fundraising consultants, we present you with 5 guaranteed steps to find the right person, which are as follows:

1- Understand your organization's needs.

2- Outline your upcoming project.

3- Research your best candidates.

4- Conduct in-person interviews with potential candidates.

5- Develop a plan for your partnership.

The right consultant can help you gather more resources during your upcoming project, but more importantly, they can also bring fresh energy to your organization, which will shift your strategy and renew your team's dedication to the cause you are working on.

1-Understand your organization's needs:

Before you start looking for a consulting firm, take some time to understand your organization and decide where the consultant should fill in by answering these questions as a team:

  • What are your nonprofit organization's strengths and weaknesses?
  • In this context, look at previous projects to see what succeeded and what failed. For example, if you are continuously planning to organize a series of fundraising campaigns that cost a lot of money, it might not be best to use financial resources to find a consultant specialized in planning such events.
  • What are your nonprofit goals for the short and long term?

After identifying areas where you can improve your processes or strategies, form actionable goals within that framework.

  • Is your nonprofit organization ready to work with a consultant?

Hiring a consultant may seem like a magic solution to organizational problems, but working with a consulting firm is nothing more than work. Make sure to allocate plenty of time for this partnership, as well as time for budgeting and supporting board members in bringing new team members on board.

2-Outline your upcoming project:

Now that you have a general idea of the areas where the consultant can provide their expertise, it's time to develop an actual plan for your upcoming fundraising campaign or any other project you will need to consult on. Fundraising strategies can be complex; however, here are the basics that your outline should include:

  • No matter how stretched your timeline is, make sure you have a set of clear, manageable goals over time.
  • Define your project's cost, including unexpected expenses, and determine how to offset these costs through fundraising or other income sources.
  • It is very likely that your project will have many elements that can change simultaneously. Therefore, the best way to ensure that each element stays on track is to delegate key responsibilities to different teams and team members.
  • What technical tools will you use to implement your upcoming project?

Will you need to purchase new software, train your team on how to use any products, or work with a technology consultant to create custom development for your software?

  • After you have set the goals in place, you need to determine how to evaluate their achievement. Identify the metrics you will use to measure primary and secondary goals, and verify that your fundraising program can help you create these reports.

3-Research your best candidates:

Once you have laid out your plan, it's time to find the right partner to help you achieve it. For the best results and maximum efficiency, try using these strategies:

  • Search for consultants by specialization: Set your search criteria by filtering keywords that align with your goals.
  • Leverage your network; if you haven't dealt with consultants before, the likelihood that you know someone who has worked with one is not negligible.

4-Conduct in-person interviews with potential candidates

During these meetings, you will have the opportunity:

  • To discuss the project they proposed: So present your goals to each candidate ahead of the meeting so they can suggest their solutions.
  • To explore past projects, and delve deeper into significant projects they have executed and strategies that succeeded in the past.
  • To assess how well candidates' personalities match with the Executive Director, Development Director, or any other key official in your organization through in-person meetings.

5-Develop a plan for your partnership:

Once you have made a list of the top candidates suitable for your organization, you will need to hold another meeting, before signing any contracts, to set guidelines and expectations for the relationship that will be built between the consultant and the organization. Here are some topics to consider:

  • The consultant's key responsibilities: Define a very clear set of long-term goals and daily or weekly goals for your consultant and reinforce the aspects of the project that your nonprofit organization will handle on its own.
  • How will the consultant's hands-on involvement be? Ensure that the consultant knows how much you expect them to be present in the office, whether they are expected to work on-site at fundraising events, or if they will work through your organization’s software program.
  • Set a precise timeline for the consultant’s engagement: Link the expected timeline of your overall project to any secondary benchmarks. For some projects, the consultant's work will have a clear end date, but for others, especially those related to technology or programs, the consultant may remain on duty with relatively little work in the long term.

A consultant within the nonprofit organization can be a valuable asset to your organization, as they will provide guidance in the short term during the fundraising campaign and equip your team with lasting skills that you can transfer to a variety of projects.

Now that you have learned how to search for a fundraising consultant, you can start reaping the benefits of amazing team members. So start looking for one of the top consultants who meet your organization’s needs, and begin raising funds.

Source: 4A Good Cause

Author: Ronald Brute