If you've ever been a part of a large fundraising campaign, then you know that fundraising is harder than it sounds. Fundraising isn't simply asking people for donations; it's organizing and training volunteers (sometimes hundreds of them), understanding fundraising software, keeping track of all the finances involved, and more. If your nonprofit has an important fundraising campaign coming up, you might want to contact a fundraising management consultant who can come in and give advice and training for everything to do with fundraising. But you want to hire the right consultant, or you'll end up wasting your money and time. Here's what to look for when hiring a fundraising management consultant.

1. Someone who is properly registered

Registration for fundraising management consultants will vary by state. You can't legally pay just anyone to consult you. Before you contact any potential consultants, you should do your research about what kinds of registration are needed for these types of consulting firms. The consultant you interview should have knowledge of and provide proof of all required registration. 

2. Someone with more experience than you

Hiring a consultant with more experience and knowledge than you should seem obvious, but it's crucial to keep in mind. When you're reaching out to consulting firms, find out how many years of experience they have and if they have specific experience with a company like yours. Even after you hire a consultant, pay attention to what you learn from them. If they are only ever telling you things about the fundraising process that you already know, then you may want to cut ties or hire someone else next time.

3. Someone local to your region

Running a nonprofit in a large city will be extremely different than running one in a smaller city. The company dynamics will also be different depending on what the region's culture is like. A consultant who is local to you will have a better idea of what specific marketing strategies are successful in your community. They may even be familiar with your company already, depending on the size of it. While there may be times when hiring a consultant from another region to do remote work is the best choice for you, most of the time you will want someone on your side of the country.

4. Someone who will work with your team at their level

No matter how many ideas your consultant brings to the table, they won't be worth anything if your team isn't able to implement them. Nonprofit companies come in all sizes, and if your consultant has a strategy that involves enough work for thirty people but you only have fifteen employees, that will be overwhelming. Or, if your consultant introduces new fundraising software to your employees but doesn't properly train them in it, that will be frustrating to use. Your fundraising management consultant should be able to adjust their strategies and ideas to make a plan that you can feasibly do. 

For more information, contact a fundraising management consulting firm near you. 

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