What to look for when hiring a funraising consultant
Experience
How many years minimum experience does your consultant need to have? A minimum of 5 years is often a sign of a good grounding, but equally someone with 3 years or less may be suitable depending on the cause and area of fundraising.
Demonstrable track record
You will want to know that your fundraising consultant can achieve the goals you set and that they have history of success. Ask them to demonstrate there track record, you should be able to substantiate this if required.
References or letters of endorsement
You wouldn't employ someone without firstly seeing some references and that should go for commissioning a fundraising consultant. Ask to see recent references and check there website for letters of endorsement, if your not convinced ask for the contact details of a recent client and contact them for a reference.
Member of governing bodies or umbrella groups
A good fundraising consultant will often be a member of one or more governing bodies or umbrella groups, these might include:
The Institute of Fundraising
NCVO Approved Consultants Directory
Fundraising Standards Board
Association of Fundraising Consultants
Public Fundraising Regulatory Association
Relevant qualifications
Look for relevant qualifications such as:
Certificate in Fundraising Management accredited by the Institute of Fundraising (for United Kingdom) look for MinstF (CERT)
European Fundraising Association (EFA) Certification
Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) (mainly USA)
Location
Do you need a fundraising consultant in your town, city or region. Will you need them to come to your offices on a regular basis or are you able to communicate via the phone, emails and the post.
Contract capability
Does the fundraising consultant have the capability to deliver against your organisational requirements, for instance a very small consultancy may struggle to fulfill a regional project with their available resources.
Price
Find out about their prices and the way in which they change, for more details on pricing see the section What do fundraising consultants charge?
Personal
This might seem obvious but meet the people you will be working with, can you work together, will they fit within your organisation?
Organisational policies and procedures
Make sure that you are happy with their policies and procedures, find out how the charge, acceptable payment methods and terms, does their environmental policy match yours, is it important to you and your donors?
About fundraising consultants
What do fundraising consultants do?
What do fundraising consultants charge?
What to look for when hiring a fundraising consultant
The difference between a fundraising consultant and professional fundraiser
Things to consider before employing a fundraising consultant
Model template for commissioning a fundraising consultant
The tendering process
Working successfully with your fundraising consultant
Exit strategies
Monitoring and measuring the work of a fundraising consultant
Supporting your fundraising consultant
Where to find reputable fundraising consultants
