The Collins Group Blog » Working with consultants http://www.collinsgroup.com/blog Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:49:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 What Do Fundraising Consultants Actually Do? http://www.collinsgroup.com/blog/2010/02/09/what-do-fundraising-consultants-actually-do/ http://www.collinsgroup.com/blog/2010/02/09/what-do-fundraising-consultants-actually-do/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:12:54 +0000 Dedee Wilner-Nugent http://www.collinsgroup.com/blog/?p=374 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.

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