Thinking about hiring a consultant? I know the prospect might be daunting. But here’s some help from the Capital Campaign Pro blog, at Steps to Hire a Capital Campaign Consultant. While the post is specific to hiring capital campaign help, I think it can help you for other situations:
- Don’t require an RFP process. An RFP (request for proposal) process will likely alienate your best candidates. They are busy and don’t have time for that! RFPs also tend to narrow the scope of inquiry, forcing candidates to answer RFP questions rather than offering their best solutions.
- Ask for referrals. You’ll learn a lot more talking with people who have worked with a consultant.
- Schedule initial meetings with two or more candidates. Pay attention to the questions they ask as much as they answer they give. A good consultant will want information before presuming to tell you what you need from them.
- Schedule follow-up meetings. When you are down to one or two consultants, introduce them to your leadership team. Get opinions from other leaders. The relationship needs to feel right!
A successful relationship with a consultant can be transformative, so it’s worth spending some energy to make the right hire!
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
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