It’s a good idea to interview a few fundraising firms when you are looking to hire a fundraising consultant for a church capital campaign, that way you can get a feel for how they differ. In addition to asking about fees and other expenses, here’s a few things you should also ask:
Tell me about your experience. Be careful with this question. You want to know about the experience of not just the firm, but the consultant who will be on site. Campaigns have a lot of moving parts and need someone who has a lot of experience in fundraising—not just experience in sales or event organizing—and not even someone who has pastored a church. How many days will you be on site? There is no replacement for face-to-face time with a fundraising professional. The number of days on site makes the biggest difference in the cost of hiring consultants. Having a consultant on site is how you can take some of the pressure off of the pastor, staff and volunteers. You need someone there to mind the shop. An average of once a week for the duration of the campaign is a minimum. Having a consultant go on important meetings brings a sense of professionalism, helps ease everyone's nerves and means you will be closer to meeting or exceeding your fundraising goals. How many campaigns will the consultant manage at the same time as ours? Depending upon the number of employees, firms can have many clients. What you want to know is how many campaigns will your consultant be working with simultaneously. If a consultant is working with more than three churches at the same time, you won’t get the attention you need. It also indicates that the firm is using a cookie cutter approach to fundraising. Where are you located? Hiring a local firm isn’t a must, but be aware that travel costs such as airfare, car rentals and hotel fees add up. Who will be working directly with us? You will, without a doubt, interview a very engaging sales person—but that might not be the person who will be assigned to your campaign. You need to get a feel for the consultant who will be on site. Is this person a good fit? The best way to do this is to meet that person. How long will the campaign last? One way a firm can cut corners is by shortening the length of the campaign. It takes six to nine months for a small or medium sized church. The larger the church and fundraising goal, the more time it will take. The bottom line is that you get what you pay for and an investment up front pays for itself in spades. |
The bottom line is that you get what you pay for and an investment up front pays for itself in spades. No obligation initial consultation
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