How do I find a consultant for my nonprofit?

Sometimes organizations seek external help to restructure the way they do their work, from organization and planning to proposal writing. The following resources can help you find a consultant to fit the needs of most organizations.

Web Resources

• The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) provides a Consultants Directory at its Web site that can be searched by specialty, name, or by geographic area.

• Consultants area of the Idealist web site (http://www.idealist.org/consultants) allows nonprofit organizations to find consultants and freelancers by location, keyword or area of focus.

• Guide to Managing Nonprofits (http://philanthropy.com/consultants/) from the Chronicle of Philanthropy allows searching by specialty for a consultant advertising in its print guide.

• Michigan State University Libraries: Fund Raisers and Grant Writing Consultants includes a thorough list of Web sites that contain information on consultants.

• The Nonprofit Resource Center's Management Resources and Consultants for Nonprofits provides a listing of individuals and firms that offer consulting services to 501(c)(3) organizations. Click on "Consultants" under the Support Organizations menu heading.

• The American Association of Grant Professionals provides a national list of member consultant services.

• PND Resource Directory: Consultants is a paid listing of consultants posted in the Foundation Center's Philanthropy News Digest Resource Directory.

• Yahoo's Directory of Fundraising Companies is a list of fundraising consulting firms and links to their Web sites.

• "Getting and Working With Consultants" from the Nonprofit Manager's Library is another useful resource.

Print Resources

• "2006 Fund-raising Services Guide." Chronicle of Philanthropy 18 (October 6, 2006) p. 11-19.

• Kibbe, Barbara and Fred Setterberg. Succeeding with Consultants: Self-Assessment for the Changing Nonprofit. New York: The Foundation Center, 1992. Provides nonprofit administration and boards with a step-by-step method for working with consultants to diagnose and address organizational problems.

• Kihlstedt, Andrea. Capital Campaigns: Strategies That Work. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2002. Covers the entire process of planning a capital campaign including how to select, hire and use consultants strategically.

• Klein, Kim. "Hiring a Fundraising Consultant." Grassroots Fundraising Journal 18 (June 1999) p. 10-11. Discusses how to decide when a consultant is needed, what consultants can and cannot do, how to choose a consultant, and compensation issues.

• Pacini, Carl and William J. Ritchie. "Attorneys and Nonprofit Consultants: Keep Their Communications Confidential." Nonprofit World 22 (January-February 2004) p. 11-3. Offers tips to assure attorney-client privilege between nonprofit consultants and lawyers.

• Panepento, Peter. "How Charities Can Get What They Want When They Hire Fund-raising Consultants." Chronicle of Philanthropy 19 (April 19, 2007) p. 27. Presents tips for hiring the right consultant, including writing a request for proposals, consulting a lawyer, and finding a person who is compatible with staff.

• Temkin, Terrie. "In Search of the White Knight: Finding the Perfect Consultant." Nonprofit World 17 (November-December 1999) p. 37-39. Includes questions to ask a prospective consultant during an interview, as well as questions an organization should ask itself to clarify its goals before beginning the search for a consultant.

• Tempel, Eugene R. "Choosing a Consultant: Make Sure You Get What You Really Need." Nonprofit Times 13 (November 1999) p. 63-64, 66. Discusses the difference between consultants and intermediaries, how to decide when a consultant is needed, how to find a consultant, and how compensation should be determined.

For other books and articles on consultants, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subjects "Consultants" or "Consultants--directories".

Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and some Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings.

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