Fundraising Consultants: A Guide for Nonprofit Organizations (AFP Fund Development Series)

Fundraising Consultants: A Guide for Nonprofit Organizations......Page 3
Contents......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 17
About the Author......Page 19
Busboy's Holiday......Page 21
About This Book......Page 22
Growth of the Consulting Field......Page 24
A Variety of Consultants and Styles......Page 25
Successful Consulting......Page 26
Breaking News: Laws to Give You Pause......Page 27
CHAPTER 1: No, We Don’t Need a Consultant!......Page 31
Summary......Page 54
CHAPTER 2: Yes, We Really Need a Consultant!......Page 55
Summary......Page 84
Step One: Know Your Organization......Page 85
Step Two: Identify Your Organization's Real Needs......Page 87
The Next Internal Steps......Page 89
Some Possible Alternative Arrangements......Page 91
Summary......Page 99
The Written External RFP......Page 101
The Unwritten Consensus RFP......Page 102
Advantages of the Internal RFP and RFP Contents......Page 103
Summary......Page 106
They're Everywhere, They're Everywhere!......Page 107
Using Your Own Organization as a Source......Page 109
Using Workshops, Seminars, and Conferences as Sources......Page 111
Professional Organizations as Sources......Page 114
Professional Organizations of Consultants as Sources......Page 115
Summary......Page 117
Three Ways to Find Consultants: A Quick Review......Page 119
Using the Consultant's Web Site or Printed Materials......Page 121
Using Examples of the Consultant's Work......Page 129
Reference Checks as Critical Sources......Page 130
Using Colleagues Active in Professional Associations......Page 133
Summary......Page 134
Overview of Proposals......Page 137
Objectives of Proposals......Page 138
A Sample Proposal Outline......Page 139
Analyzing the Proposal's Content......Page 142
Who Does What......Page 144
Confidentiality......Page 145
Fee and Expense Structures in Proposals......Page 146
Timelines......Page 150
Reviewing and Editing Materials......Page 151
Legal or Ethical Disclosure......Page 153
Product/Outcome Definition......Page 154
Seeking a Revised Proposal and Negotiating......Page 155
Summary......Page 156
Focus of Preproposal Interviews......Page 157
Focus of Postproposal Interviews......Page 165
Alternative Interview Methods......Page 167
Summary......Page 168
Importance of Group Process......Page 169
Contract Preparation Alternatives......Page 170
Contents of Consultant-Prepared Contracts......Page 172
Review of Contracts by Attorneys......Page 173
Summary......Page 174
Keeping Focused on the Project......Page 175
Consulting Partnerships......Page 176
The Staff Trap......Page 178
The First Day and First Steps......Page 180
Materials for Review......Page 181
Sharing Unwritten Information......Page 184
Timelines and Meeting Review......Page 185
Procedures Defined......Page 187
Defining a Process for Written Materials Review......Page 188
The Case......Page 189
Letter of Invitation to Prospective Interviewees......Page 190
Interview Questionnaire......Page 191
Campaign Materials......Page 192
Policies and Procedures......Page 193
Meeting Materials......Page 194
Prospecting Materials......Page 195
Consultants as Creative Resources......Page 196
Events......Page 197
General Advice and Counsel......Page 198
Some General Considerations......Page 199
Keeping the Consultant Informed......Page 201
Planning and Scheduling......Page 202
Meetings and Conference Calls......Page 203
Your Consultant's Other Skills......Page 204
Dealing with Issues......Page 206
Payment Issues......Page 209
Some Background Points......Page 210
Summary......Page 212
Delivering the Report and Recommendations......Page 213
What's Next?......Page 214
Ensuring Follow-through......Page 215
End-of-Campaign Debriefings......Page 216
Summary......Page 219
Some Final Thoughts......Page 221
Who Gets the Credit?......Page 222
The Best Fundraising Consultant......Page 223
Additional Selected Readings......Page 227
Index......Page 235