Make the first date count, and the relationship should be worthwhile.

By Tom Hurley

2. Offer a realistic timeframe. Competent fundraising agencies, given the time, will dig into their pool of research and experience to provide you with keen insights on potential new strategies. And in our world where contributions actually dropped 1.2 percent in FY03, realistic observations are worth a whole lot more than hollow promises. There are cases where time is at a premium, of course, but when you can, offer a month or more. Any less and the agency might have trouble providing creative assessments and competitive quotes.