Many organizations think of a fundraising consultant as someone to call when they are trying to fill a revenue gap, manage a transition in fundraising staff, launch or re-start a stalled campaign, engage more volunteers in fundraising, or develop strategies to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a fundraising program. However, after nine years as a consultant, I’ve realized that we provide a lot of other services as well.

We can serve as a:

• Confidant – a safe and understanding ear for a CEO, Development Director, or board member to talk to about the organization’s challenges and their own challenges in dealing with the organization
• Translator – interpreting visionary ideas so that they will inspire both insiders and outsiders in the community
• Coach – working one-on-one to prepare someone for every contingency that may come up in the day-to-day reality of nonprofit leadership
• Change agent – a neutral outsider who can work at multiple levels within an organization to facilitate lasting institutional change

Just like many of you, I love bringing in the big gifts, but at the end of the day, the other aspects of being a fundraising consultant – building relationships and affecting change – turn out to be just as satisfying, if not more.

Filed under: Consulting by Dedee Wilner-Nugent on February 9, 2010