Rebecca White | The Content Cove
For Small Staff Nonprofits With Big Impact
You’re considering hiring a consultant. But you’ve heard so many horror stories of consulting engagements gone awry by going over budget, not delivering hoped-for results, or causing friction within the team. What to do?
Grab this checklist and work through the recommendations before you connect with a consultant.
Thinking through your project or program need in advance will increase the likelihood of success.
If your nonprofit faces a revenue shortage, you likely have a strategy problem. #strategyfirst
I like to use an adapted Toyota 5 Whys exercise with potential clients to help demonstrate the way forward. The convo often goes like this:
Nonprofit Leader (NL) – We need additional resources and want to hire a fundraising consultant.
Me: Why (1) do you want to hire a consultant?
NL: We need new funding for Project/Program XYZ but don’t want to commit to a new hire.
Me: Why (2) do you need funding for Project/Program XYZ now?
NL: The program is growing, and our resources are not.
Me: Why (3) do you think your resources are not growing?
NL: We haven’t really focused on developing new revenue.
Me: Why (4) do you think hiring a fundraiser is the next best step?
NL: We need additional resources. We are also thinking about grant writing.
Me: Why (5) do you think grant funding is the way to go?
We’ve had some success with grants before, but actually, we’re not sure what’s a good starting point for us.
And here is where we get to the good stuff – developing the strategy first, then aligning the tactics while documenting what success will look like.