Seven Questions to Ask a Capital Campaign Consultant
Where do you start when selecting a campaign consultant for your nonprofit?
If your nonprofit is considering a capital campaign, then you’re also likely considering a capital campaign consultant. Campaign consultants bring their professional expertise and management skills to your organization, key aspects to completing a successful capital campaign.
But where do you start when selecting a campaign consultant for your nonprofit? Start by gathering a pool of five to seven consulting companies to investigate. Ask associates who have worked directly with a consulting firm for recommendations. Ask your board members, fellow development professionals and institutions similar to yours throughout the country who they have relied upon during capital campaigns. Use fundraising professional directories and publications.
Then, give them a call. Ask to speak to the president or an executive about your capital campaign. If you must leave a message detail what you want, the size of your campaign, when you would like to start and other pertinent information. If you have left enough detailed information, and your situation fits within the consulting firm’s business plan, you should hear back very quickly. If you don’t hear back from a firm, they are either not interested, too busy or not responsive. Either way, your organization is probably better off not working with that firm.
The Questions
When you do reach an executive of the company, be prepared to discuss in detail your situation and how their firm can assist you. Explain your situation, the size of your goal, annual giving, strength of your board, commitment of staff and board to the campaign, how you think your community views your organization and other background information.
Then ask the following questions:
1. How do you think your company would start the campaign process for us?
Most experienced executives will provide you with a lot of detailed information over the phone and should have at least a standard description of how they would start a campaign process with you.
2. Have you worked with organizations facing similar challenges?
Explain what you believe the difficulties will be in raising the funds and ask if the firm has any experience with similar situations.
3. Can you detail previous campaigns conducted by your company?
If the president can’t provide specific information about previous campaigns, chances are the president wasn’t deeply involved in that particular campaign. Keep this in mind when the president does the sales presentation and promises to be "deeply involved" in your campaign.
4. Have you worked in similar sized communities?
5. Have you worked with organizations with similar fundraising history and experience to ours?
If your organization has only raised $10,000 through a special event, your campaign will be much different than one for an organization that raises millions each year. Look for similarities and differences.
6. Have you worked with organizations with similar staffing and board involvement?
7. Have any of your campaigns failed?
It's okay to ask about failed campaigns, but don’t expect a firm to "spill its guts" about past failures (and every firm has campaigns that don’t make goal). Evaluate how the executive responds to the question – and what work they did outside the original contract to help a struggling organization.
Use What You’ve Learned
Take this opportunity to learn. Learn about the company, learn about capital campaigns, and learn about how the process works. These executives will almost always take as much time as you want to answer your questions and share their experiences.
After you have received answers to all these questions, ask the firm to provide you with written information about its history, client list and philosophy. All firms should have a standard packet of information.
Start with these initial conversations and materials and you should proceed smoothly into the process of proposals, presentations and selection of your capital campaign consultant. For more information on the process, read Selecting a Campaign Consultant and view a Sample RFP.
Updated Feb. 1, 2021
Kevin Wallace is president of CampaignCounsel.org, specializing in capital campaign planning and management. Reach him by email or visit www.campaigncounsel.org.
