 |
  Click Here |
|
Permission to copy is not required. Appropriate credit is appreciated. |
||
|
To Consult, Or Not To Consult - That Is The Question  To consult, or not to consult - that is the question. Or at least
it would be if Hamlet were to ask it. Hamlet's "slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune" make me think of fund-raising goals too great and resources to meet
them too few. His "sea of troubles" sounds like an ocean of red ink.In
fact, think about a scarily challenging fund-raising campaign too long, and
your mood is likely to mirror the melancholy Dane's. Just like him, you may
begin to contemplate traveling into an "undiscover'd country."If you're exploring
using outside professional fund-raising counsel for the first time, the journey
is likely to take you to a country nearly as "undiscover'd" where no traveler
returns as Hamlet's oblivion. But, the land of fund-raising consultants is a
place from which you can come back, and if you watch your step, with the
competent and capable help you need.Fund-raising consultants can be a
godsend to non-profits. For organizations with an inexperienced, small, or
nonexistent development staff, they can do everything from mentoring a budding
development director to designing specific campaigns and tools to setting up
the organizational structure for an ongoing fund-raising effort. Larger
organizations with considerable experience in fund-raising and a fully
professional development staff can benefit from a consultant's mastery of the
process of initiating new types of fund-raising efforts and reorienting the
development departmentBasically, there are two types of consultants:
Generally, the
first category of consultants will work only with organizations that have an
established history of service and a successful fund-raising record. They are
akin to investment brokers who will handle an individual's account only if he
or she has $100,000 on deposit. While their attitude may seem discriminatory
and elitist, major consulting firms do not want to be confronted with
organizational and board leadership problems, insufficient staff and
volunteers, an indistinct mission, or any of the other likely deterrents to
conducting a successful fund-raising effort. They exist to bring more know-how
to an organization which is already well-grounded and has the financial base to
afford the not inconsiderable cost of their services. Such firms charge in the
neighborhood of $1,250 a day plus expenses and are likely to require contracts
of some length. For non-profits that are smaller, less well-defined,
new, or relatively inexperienced at fund-raising, consultants from the second
grouping are likely to be able to do more and at a lower cost. Often, they are
individuals who have a successful track record as development director at one
or more organizations within the community. They know the lay of the land---who
has given how much to what causes and who has the ability to lead a campaign.
Local fund-raising consultants can mentor an organization's board and fledgling
development staff. They are more likely to be able to help with any
institutional problems hamstringing an organization's fund-raising efforts.
They probably have dealt with similar obstacles in the past while facing the
same resource constraints. They are likely to be more willing and able to help
an organization develop a workable strategic plan, write a clearer mission
statement, enlarge its volunteer base, or undertake a maiden fund-raising
effort. Their intimate knowledge of a community's donor and volunteer base can
make them invaluable. Many individual consultants and small firms will charge
by the hour, and their daily rates are likely to be in the neighborhood of
$500.A proposal from a first-class consulting firm, large or small, to
act as counsel in a fund-raising campaign would likely include the offer to
help determine:
Consultants expect to be made familiar with an organization's
financial projections and strategic planning process, and to be involved in the
articulation of its mission (at least in terms of how it will be presented
during the campaign). Consultants need to meet and work with key staff members
and trustees of the organization. The extent to which an organization must rely
on consulting services for a campaign depends, to a great degree, on how much
of the planning and execution of the campaign can be done by the development
department. The less able the development department is to handle the planning
and management of a campaign, the greater will be the organization's need and
outlay for consulting services.Consultants should not be thought of as a replacement
for either the staff or the volunteer leadership of a campaign; they are an
addition to the campaign team, hired so that an organization can move more
quickly and aggressively because of their added professional experience and
judgment.The best way to choose a consultant is to ask other non-profits
in the community for recommendations and then interview those candidates who
look as if they might fill the bill. Request a written proposal that includes a
firm estimate of time and charges. Always be sure to talk with both a principal
of the consulting organization and the person who will be handling the
assignment day to day, and include a cancellation clause in the contract that
requires no more than 30-days' notice.1. Never
hire consultants whose regimen and methodology are unyielding. Consultants
should be flexible in the services they provide and willing to adapt to an
organization's processes.2. Never hire consultants who
request they be paid a percentage of the funds raised in a campaign. This is
regarded as unethical in the industry and can result in serious and lasting
consequences for non-profit organizations.
3.
Never hire consultants unless you are committed to taking their advice and
following their counsel. To do otherwise is to throw your money away
4. Never hire consultants to ask for the money. That's the job
of your volunteers. It's the responsibility of the board.
To Consult, Or Not To Consult................... If you go into the process of
picking a fund-raising consultant with the confusion of a Hamlet, then tragedy
does await. But, choose carefully, with an understanding of what it is you
really want to achieve and you can hit today's goals while laying the
groundwork for future success. As Shakespeare said in a cheerier reflection on
problems and solutions, "All's Well That Ends Well."Those are my views on the subject. What are yours? I welcome your
comments and suggestions. tony@raise-funds.com |
||