Choosing a nonprofit consultant can be tricky business – look before you leap! Having the right process for searching for and selecting a consultant for your organization will save time and money. Identifying your needs, finding a credible and capable consultant, and finding the funds are all significant concerns in choosing the right individual or firm. Hear two nonprofit consultants discuss the questions they want their clients to ask before starting in on any project.

1. Ten Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Nonprofit Consultant
Laura Gassner Otting,
Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group
Emily Davis, MNM,
EDA Consulting
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3. Today’s Speakers
Laura Gassner Otting Emily Davis, MNM
Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group EDA Consulting
Hosting: Sam Frank, Synthesis Partnership
Assisting with chat questions: Chris Dumas, FirstGiving

4. Hiring a Consultant: The Equation

5. Determine Your Vision
• Why are we hiring a consultant?
• What are our needs?
• Are the board and staff in agreement
that we need a consultant?
• What are the outcomes we are hoping
for when working with the consultant?

6. Identify Your Resources
• Are we prepared for the cost of hiring and
working with a consultant?
• Do we understand the long-term benefits
of working with a consultant?
• How will partnering with a consultant
enhance our long-term capacity?

7. Set Timeline and Scope
• Are we clear on our deliverables for
the project?
• Do we have realistic expectations?
• Do we have the time and energy to
provide the consultant what s/he
needs in order to be successful?

8. Understand Your Rights
• Know what the next steps are if the
engagement goes south, but understand
how the consultant will prevent that from
happening.
• Ask to meet the whole team first.
• Seek to understand the theory behind the
fee structure.

9. Ask the Right Questions
• Think about what you really want to
know. Are you asking stock questions
or deeper, more probing questions?
• Don’t just accept the answer given, but
follow up with additional questions,
and then confirm with references.
• Ask what else you should have asked.

10. Resources
http://www.NonprofitProfessionals.com
http://www.edaconsultingcafe.blogspot.com

11. Find the listings for our current season of webinars
and register at
NonprofitWebinars.com
Chris Dumas
Chris@NonprofitWebinars.com
707-812-1234
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