Clarity and Communication Key to Working With Consultants

Clarity and Communication Key to Working With Consultants

Feb. 28, 2006

By Abny Santicola, associate editor, FundRaising Success

"Consultants provide a fresh and objective perspective to both the creative process and to the selection of potential new markets," says Aileen Walden, member services director for Kanab, Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society.

Yet a common challenge for consultants is really understanding the vision and mission of an organization, which can, in turn, make it difficult to create materials in the voice of the organization and tell its story in the most compelling way, she warns.

Walden recommends the following tips to help circumvent this and other challenges that come up when working with consultants:

• Be clear. "Make sure that both parties have clearly expressed expectations in writing, ahead of time. These expectations should include when materials are needed by both the consultants and the organization for the process to continue. All parties who must provide data or materials need to be involved in this decision-making process so that nothing is delayed in the process and so that none of the responsible parties is feeling undue pressure," Walden says.
• Communicate. Organizations should "be prepared to express their expectations, likes and dislikes freely, openly and frequently throughout the engagement. They also must make sure they make the consultants aware of any details that can influence the work that the consultant is doing," she adds. Consultants should be sure to communicate with all of the necessary members in the organization at all key decision-making points, and listen openly to the organization's concerns. They should recognize and respect an organization's expertise about its target audience.
• Analyze. Walden says when it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of a program, nonprofit organizations should not solely rely on the consultants' analysis and evaluations. Organizations should instead "use their own resources to do a full analysis of the success of the program/campaign in terms of cost benefit, impact on current donors, and short-term and long-term donor trend impact," she adds.

Aileen Walden can be reached at aileenw@bestfriends.org.