Tips to Hire Fundraising Professional
A fundraising professional is also known as a consultant. And these experienced people have years of experience in this field as they have conducted thousands of campaigns and are aware of everything. The best part about these professionals is that they can assist and guide you from starting of the campaign till the end. When you have these professionals at your side then you need not have to worry about anything as all the tasks starting from holding campaigns to handling your charitable registration in Georgia will be handled by them.
But you can’t rely on and trust all the fundraising professionals. As some professionals are fake and don’t know how to work efficiently. So, before hiring a fundraising professional for your Non-profit there are few tips which you should always keep in your mind.
Let’s consider the following points:
Tip #1:
Know your needs before searching
All the non-profits need to have a clear mind. You should know about all your needs. After going through all your needs, you should search for a consultant that suits your organization. Moreover, a fundraising professional can help you in several ways.
Planning a fundraising event
Promotion is known to be the most important part of any fundraising event. And if you have millions of supporters but no one is aware of your event then how will someone attend your event. These fundraising professionals will create an effective communication strategy to gain the attention of your donors and other people.
Improve your online donation
Nowadays no one has enough time of visiting a non-profit organization for donation. If your organization is present on an online platform then it will be very convenient for the people to make donations and in knowing more about your non-profit. With the help of a consultant, you can very easily make an effective and active online presence with the help of software.
Conduct a feasibility study
A feasibility study is one of the most important components of a capital campaign. With the help of this study, you can very easily determine your supporters and your goals.
Plus a consultant will help you to be aware of all the honest answers.
Tip # 2:
Always hire a professional that can communicate regularly and efficiently
Communication is considered as the most powerful tool of every non-profit. Most of the people approach you because of communication and your behavior towards them. If your consultant is aware of the importance of communicating with your donors regularly then you should opt for that professional.
Before hiring a professional for your non-profit, don’t forget to ask a few questions:
- Do you know how to deal with remote clients? Have you interacted with them before?
- Do you meet your client’s in-person during the relationship?
After knowing all these things, you should hire a reliable candidate for the effective working of your non-profit.
Tip # 3:
Choose a professional that goes with the culture of your Non-profit
It is always advisable to choose that professional who fits easily in your non-profit’s culture. Because of the professional which you are hiring doesn’t feel comfortable asking you questions or expressing his view about the company, and then you should never hire that particular professional. Moreover, you should not work with your consultant like an employee, you should treat him, like a part of your family.
Always look for these things to see whether a consultant fits in your organization or not:
Show interest in different situations and events
If your professional is taking pain for your non-profit then this indicates that your consultant is worried about non-profit. This will prove to be very helpful in creating an effective strategy for your organization.
Work in a friendly manner with your team members
Some professionals find it very hard for adjusting with other team members and as a result, they start misbehaving and conflicts can occur in your organization. So, to avoid all these situations, it is always advisable to work with that professional who is adjustable and work in a friendly manner by maintaining the peace of the organization.
Tip # 4:
Determine the cost of hiring a consultant
It is a very important step to know about the cost of hiring a consultant. There are so many professionals available in the market who charge very high and have no specific experience. Therefore it depends on you, on what criteria you choose a professional for your non-profit. Most of the consultants charge for fixed hours or particular hours they are working for.
Consider these things before setting a budget for a consultant:
Level of experience
It’s a fact if you are looking for a more experienced professional then you have to pay more
Location of your organization
Location is the main factor that determines the charges of these professionals. If your organization is located in some remote areas then it’s obvious that the professionals will charge you more.
Tip # 5:
Request Proposals before finalizing your decision
Before finalizing any decision it is important to request a proposal from the consultant. A proposal is the only way by which you can know more about your potential consultants. The proposal can either be in a presentation or a document.
If you want to know about the proposal for your Non-profit then check out the following things:
- Choose a deadline
It is very important to give time to your consultant for creating proposals for Your Non-profit. You can give three to four weeks to the consultants.
- Has everyone gone through your proposal
In case if there are multiple people involved in your non-profit, make sure to get it approved from all everyone. In this way, you can make an informed decision.
Tip # 6:
Choose that consultant which understands Fundraising Software
You should always look for that particular consultant that knows all the fundraising software. This software is very important for analyzing all the information from your non-profit CRM. This will help you in creating a better strategy for your organization. This software will help you in tracking the records of your donors.
There are several benefits of hiring those consultants who have fundraising software:
- Analyzing the fundraising data for more improvements
- Managing fundraising events more efficiently
- Have proper knowledge of your non-profit
Article written by NPSS Corporation.
