Fundraising Consultant

Howard Lake | 4 July 2012

How a fundraising consultant can help increase your fundraising and income generation

Start by identifying which runs a fundraising consultant can manage. Could it be your online strategy? Or perhaps a data management and donor engagement project you been pondering for months now, yet you do not have the staff or the necessary experience to tackle the new project.

When you select the right person for the role, you must be clear with what you expect from your fundraising consultant. A solid relationship is built in communication, thereby both the charity (who you represent) and the consultant know exactly what is expected of each of you.
Sometimes, you may have to persuade your management or trustees that hiring a fundraising consultant will actually help the organization, has often paying consultant fees seemed more expensive than hiring staff member. Therefore clearly explaining the return on investment is important.

Once you have agreed the trustees that it is a good idea to hire a fundraising consultant, this is where the real work begins!. You and your team need to be clear of your expectation level. It is often the case when a charity has not managed their own expectations,that a relationship breaks down between the consultant and the charity.

Thus you have to think strategically and communicate clearly what you expect from him or her. This can be done by a clear face to face interaction where you place all your expectations and demands and he/she will define their work patterns, experience, case study strategies and limitations so that future operations can be carried on smoothly without any misunderstanding.

While working with your fund raising consultant you also play a major part as you provide him or her with each and every detail they need. Keeping the consultant updated in a timely fashion is your responsibility, as is providing any information or resources your fundraising consultant may need to finish any tasks.

Even though you have hired the consultant, in the early days of your relationship, you may still want to check on the work and details they are providing.  In essence, consultant is representing the charity and your brand and therefore this must always be protected. Make sure to proof read each and every document prepared by the consultant.

A good understanding with your consultant is very essential. You can disapprove proposals if you do not like them. The bottom line is to build a good and steady relationship with the fundraising consultant.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.