By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on April 6, 2016
You may be an experienced, knowledgeable development professional, and you may know/discover what is it that a (prospective) client needs, but a basic concept of the consulting business is that you can only sell a nonprofit what it wants to buy. The larger the NPO, (usually) the better they understand the elements of the development […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 24, 2014
Last week I ended with the thought that a good reason to work with a consultant is to help you avoid disaster. Considering that, here are a few more reasons you might want to talk with a development/fundraising consultant. When you want/need to dramatically increase your fundraising goals. Too many nonprofits, wanting to expand their […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 17, 2014
The need to engage a Development/Fundraising consultant depends not only on whether or not your organization already has the specific expertise it needs; but, also, if an outside perspective is needed to help you identify your strengths and/or weaknesses, or if an outsider is needed to help you break up your internal logjam … and […]
By Tony Poderis on September 17, 2013
There comes a time when some non-profit development professionals begin thinking about saying goodbye to their organizations and hello to the world of fundraising consulting. They want to know what it takes to be a consultant, and how to find clients. Although the consulting profession may seem attractive, the leap into this hazardous arena requires […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on May 28, 2013
This is a companion piece to my posting, Who/What is a Fundraising Consultant, from last year at this time. First, simply, a fundraising consultant is not someone who does “it” for you, and s/he is not an insider (i.e., staff, board, etc.). A fundraising/development consultant is (must be) “an objective outsider.” You can, for example, […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 11, 2011
This is a follow-up to an earlier posting – see: Who/What is a Fundraising Consultant? Sometimes a client will accept as gospel every bit of advice/direction that a fundraising consultant provides. Sometimes everything the consultant advises/suggests is questioned. I’ve worked with organizations/institutions that fit each category, and of course I prefer working with the former […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on April 19, 2011
… So We’d better Find A Consultant in Our Area. There is a myth about hiring campaign counsel that, in essence, says that you should hire someone from your area because they will know the area and all the people, and will be better able to point you at the right prospective leaders and donors. […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on April 8, 2011
An email I received not long ago asked: “What can a small non-profit, looking to raise about $5 million for a Capital Campaign, expect to pay for a consultant to conduct a study and then (guide) the Capital Campaign?” The size of your non-profit relates to the question only in the context of whether you […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on March 17, 2011
In the group of attendees for a recent class in Major Gifts Fundraising was a person identifying herself as a consultant, a member of a fundraising-consulting firm, who was shortly to be working with a client organization in the creation of a major gifts program. This started me thinking. Who/what is a fundraising/development consultant?? My […]
Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts. [Read more ...]