Have you been considering a capital campaign (fundraising) consultant? Moving forward does not have to be as overwhelming as it might feel.
Before you reach out to a consulting firm or individual consider these questions.
Question: How do we evaluate a firm’s experience?
Answer: Ask the firm these often overlooked questions:
- How long have they been in business?
- How many planning (feasibility) studies have they conducted?
- How many capital campaign campaigns have they conducted?
- How many “repeat” clients have they served?
- What are the references saying?
Question: If all firms seem qualified, how can we make a final selection?
Answer: Choose the firm that’s the best fit – you are entering into a partnership”.
Ask:
- Do you like the firm’s representatives?
- Is the firm responsive?
- Will your board and leadership respond to them and their style?
Question: What should we ask the firms references?
Answer: Have this list ready when you make the call:
- Did the firms recommended approach/strategy work for you?
- Did their partnership add value to your church/nonprofit?
- Did you get the personal attention you deserved? Were they highly accessible to you?
- Did they present and interact well with your leadership?
- Did they leave your church/nonprofit stronger than they found it?
- Would you hire them again?
Question: Who will be the person(s) working on your campaign?
Answer: Some firms may assign someone to you who was not a part of the initial presentation, so it’s important to find this out upfront. Each firm has its own way of staffing projects. Be sure to ask any firms you consider whether they offer principal involvement in every step of the process, or just in the sales and final presentation interactions.
Question: What is the value of working with a firm verses a solo practitioner?
Answer: With a firm the employs a consultant team approach, you get more than “one mind” – which means a variety of perspectives and experiences to draw upon. Another advantage is availability – with a team, someone is always there for you. Finally, a team approach will ultimately provide you with more services than one person can offer.
Question: Why does the cost vary firm to firm for the same “product”?
Answer: What might seem like the same “product” starts looking very different as you get into the project. Capital campaign consultants are not an expense – they are an investment!
Likewise, starting a capital campaign is like starting an entirely new program. There will be start-up costs – and if undercapitalized, the entire campaign can suffer in the end. For instance, costs of a planning (feasibility) study or development assessment are based on the number of people contributing to your project, level of experience, reputation for results, and professionalism.
Another key factor is the level of customization – are you receiving campaign resources tailored to your church/nonprofit, or are the collateral resources simply samples for you to work with. In short, you get what you pay for!
As always, feel free to share this post with someone you feel would find value in it. Contact me for a complimentary conversation.
John V. Clark, President/Partner
The James Company
Phone: (815) 353-8997
Email: jclark@jamescompany.com
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