Are You Ready to Work with a Fundraising Consultant?

Hiring a fundraising consultant is a significant investment with tremendous potential impact on the future of your organization. CFA takes deep pride in the partnerships we develop, the customized solutions we offer, and the unparalleled results we deliver to each client we serve. Adept at spotting emerging trends and scaling successful models, our team of consultants brings vast experience across sectors and regions, offering each client the most relevant solutions tailored to their needs.

While most organizations plan for the financial investment of engaging a fundraising consultant, the commitment of staff time is also an important consideration in order to maximize the opportunity and position your organization for future fundraising success. 

The following recommendations will help your organization make the most of a partnership with a fundraising consultant such as CFA.

When to Engage a Fundraising Consultant

There are several points of inflection when organizations benefit most from the expertise of a fundraising consultant:

1. When an organization has a big idea or vision that will require significant resources to fulfill. 
   
   CFA is a valuable partner to organizations whose leaders are considering a campaign to realize an aspirational vision. Through our campaign readiness and feasibility studies, our team assesses the organization’s ability and readiness to effectively execute the campaign, providing key recommendations to build capacity and shape a compelling case for support based on stakeholder feedback. 
   
2. When an organization’s fundraising has plateaued. 
   
   CFA offers development assessments for organizations that are likely capable of raising more money and are seeking to make a strategic investment in their fundraising team and resources that will generate the strongest return on investment, whether or not in preparation for a campaign. 
   
3. When an organization is unable to effectively leverage fundraising data to inform strategy. 
   
   CFA provides a range of data and research services to enhance an organization’s data strategy, improve data integrity, and uncover priority prospects. CFA often uncovers opportunities for our clients to strengthen their data strategy during the campaign feasibility or development assessment process, and provides tailored support that leads to stronger, more sustainable fundraising results. 

While there is no right or wrong time to engage the support of a fundraising consultant, organizations should also consider the timing of other key institutional priorities and events when determining their ideal timeline and capacity to engage with a consultant.

Building an Effective Team of Internal Liaisons

While fundraising consultants are often sought and hired by an organization’s top leaders, CFA typically partners most closely with other key staff in our day-to-day work. Organizations can set the stage for a highly effective partnership by selecting the appropriate team of internal liaisons and initiating the consulting relationship with clear communication.

By building a liaison team that brings a balance of leadership, content expertise, and execution, organizations will ensure that their work with a fundraising consultant results in:

1. Relevant and Customized Strategies
   
   While fundraising consultants bring expertise, they rely on collaboration with internal staff who understand the organization’s mission, culture, and relationships, and can provide valuable insights into past fundraising efforts, donor data, and internal resources. Effective partnerships with pertinent staff enable CFA consultants to craft realistic, yet customized strategies to meet an organization’s specific needs.
   
2. Sustainable Solutions
   
   CFA’s consultants offer guidance, strategy, and support. Active staff engagement builds internal capacity and expertise, ensuring improved execution and long-term sustainability of the strategies and plans implemented.

Prior to initiating a project with a fundraising consultant, internal communication from an organization’s top leaders should convey the goals, timeline, scope, roles, and responsibilities throughout the process to establish an effective partnership.

Preparing to Onboard Your Fundraising Consultant

When CFA starts a new project, our consulting team is prepared to dive in on day one and counts on that same level of readiness and commitment from our clients. 

In order to quickly gain a comprehensive understanding of each organization we serve, CFA requests preliminary discovery data and background information. These documents enable our consultants to become insiders on an organization’s fundraising journey and effective partners in steering the organization’s fundraising trajectory. 

Data requested may include:

• Historic Organizational Data: Financial reports, annual reports, budgets, board composition and giving rates
• Fundraising Trends: Revenue sources, year-over-year comparisons, giving trends and retention rates, fundraising results by program and fund 
• Development Strategy & Structure: Strategic plans, development plans, staff job descriptions and department charts, donor communications and appeals 

While this list of documents can seem intimidating, having the right data and materials ready from the start will equip our team with a complete and holistic understanding of the organization so that our real work can begin. 

Ready to Take the Next Step?

CFA’s partnerships come with tremendous potential to amplify an organization’s work and mission. 

While some projects like development assessments or feasibility studies are time-limited, other efforts such as a capital campaign require a marathon-like approach to reach the finish line. 

Regardless of a project’s duration or scope, CFA’s utmost priority is to sustainably advance our clients’ future fundraising capabilities; and we know our clients will realize a far greater return on investment when they come as ready to roll up their sleeves as we are. 

CFA serves nonprofits across the country, taking the time to learn about their unique challenges and opportunities, and identifying sustainable solutions to advance their missions. If you are interested in exploring how CFA can support your organization’s fundraising efforts, contact CFA today to see how we can help.

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