This week’s cover story is the next installment in an ongoing series to help nonprofit organizations see the world from another perspective. The series also includes what funders, volunteers, the media, and donors would like the nonprofit sector to know about their side of the relationship.
Whether speaking with individual consultants, consulting firms, those who focus entirely on the nonprofit sector and those who split their business between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, consultants all say the same thing about working with nonprofit clients: “It’s a partnership.” Furthermore, they all have suggestions about what it takes to create a smooth working partnership.
But what exactly do consultants mean when they say, “we’re your partner?” Isn’t hiring a consultant about paying someone with expertise to take care of a project or challenge? Donna Lockhart, who along with her husband is a partner in The RETHINK Group, says she is leery of organizations that want consultants to study the problem, find the solution, and then solve the problem. “I would not work with groups like that,” she says, “We are partnering in this. I’ve learned that if they don’t buy the solution, it will never get implemented. The project is only as good as the partnership. It has to be ‘Let me join your team and we’ll work together on this’.”
First steps
A signed letter of agreement outlining the terms of the relationship is an important first step when consultants join the team. Another important first step for Casandra Bryant is to have the proper decision-makers and project champions identified and involved from the outset. Bryant is director of Unxvision (a division of Univision Marketing Group Inc.), and her firm provides e-solutions exclusively to nonprofit organizations. She finds that decision-makers sometimes approve the project without really involving the project champions.
“That’s a critical piece” she explains. “Without it, we end up debriefing twice. The project gets approved by the decision-makers and then we have to get buy-in from the project champions – especially if they will be the ones held responsible for implementing the project.” It’s problematic when Bryant is given a list of people to contact within an organization and when she does, they haven’t even heard of the project. Not identifying the proper champions is a problem, too. Bryant once worked on an online project and the project champion on the nonprofit side was very apprehensive about technology, which hindered the progress and success of the effort.
Working with committees
One of the realities of working with the nonprofit sector is that decisions are often made by committee. Lockhart knows this from both sides of the fence. In the past, she has taken paid employment in nonprofit organizations to anchor her consulting projects. Jokes Lockhart, “Nonprofits have meetings about everything! There are often lots of partners and every time a decision needs to be made, it’s another meeting and that hinders the project.” While consultants understand the reality of committees, their preference is to report directly to one main contact person, and that organizations have a clear decision-making process so decisions and sign offs happen in a timely fashion.
Timeliness is a big request from consultants. “There’s not always time for the thinking and planning that goes into the strategic outcome,” says Ian Chalmers, president of Pivot Design Group Inc., a firm that provides creative design and strategic counsel to both for-profit and nonprofit clients. He encourages nonprofit organizations to be organized and plan ahead. “If you need to have something ready for an AGM, it’s nice to have time to do a quality job. We need time to come up with the three perfect words.”
Of course, it’s not just about providing consultants with adequate time to think and strategize. It’s also about nonprofit organizations providing content and feedback in a timely manner. While the letter of agreement might outline deliverables and timelines, Bryant finds that projects often fall apart at the information gathering stage. “I’m not sure where it comes from, but even though we developed a critical path, the nonprofit side sometimes feels they are not really accountable to follow it. There tends to be a lot of delays on their part…but the expectation is still that the timelines will be met by us. So, we have a shorter period of time and it puts us in a tough position.” John Willis, director of campaigns and research department at Stratcom Communication Inc., agrees. “We build momentum and then wait and wait for additional content. That sucks the wind out of the momentum that you build with a project. It would be nice to know why and when we can expect the content.”
Sustainable relationships
While all these tips are helpful for a smooth working relationship, consultants would also like nonprofit organizations to consider a partnership for the longer haul. Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor, mentor, author, and newsletter publisher. He says he works best when perceived as “a long-term partner who adds value and generates net revenue rather than as a one-time vendor offering a commodity.”
Chalmers finds less loyalty with his nonprofit clients than with his for-profit clients – something he finds frustrating at times. However, he is quick to add that his firm does have some great relationships with existing nonprofit clients. Like Sharpe, he also encourages organizations to consider the benefits of a long-term partnership. “Try not to look at project-based relationships. A sustainable relationship is co-beneficial. We will often do a little bit more with an organization that we have an ongoing relationship with. We push a bit harder because we care. They get the best work out of us. They treat us well – I don’t mean with budgets – but they treat us well with respect, so we feel good.”
Rates and fees
A story about working with consultants wouldn’t be complete without talking about fees and rates. Willis points out, “Our rate is what it is because we can’t bill for every hour of every day. We have to build our knowledge base, tend to our own internal administration, etc. It’s not that helpful to nonprofits if Stratcom or organizations like us can’t stay in business.” He also points out that although his firm is a for-profit business, the great thing about the profit-making motive is that it clarifies objectives and that means that his firm wants to work efficiently with nonprofit organizations because time equals money.
Consultants regularly get asked to reduce their fees or work pro bono. Sharpe has found that doing so isn’t always helpful to the organization. “I find it helps if I don’t work for free! That may sound self-serving. I have a philanthropic bent so I do like to offer my services for free, but I found that the organizations didn’t take advantage of the work I provided. In the one instance, I wrote a grant proposal for an organization at no charge (a service that I would normally charge $900 for). For months I kept asking them how the grant proposal was coming along and they kept saying, ‘Oh we just don’t have time to mail it.’ If they had paid $900 for that work, I’m sure they would have found the time.”
Consultants lend professional skills and specializations. Choosing a consultant with a passion for the nonprofit sector can be very helpful. So, too, can understanding the relationship from the consultants’ point of view in order for nonprofit organizations to make the most of their partnerships with consultants.
Louise Chatterton Luchuk is a freelance writer and consultant who combines her love of writing with experience at the local, provincial and national levels of volunteer-involving organizations. For more information, visit www.luchuk.com.
