Working with Consultants

The Forbes Funds provides grants to nonprofit organizations so that they may seek out and use consultants for many of their capacity-building initiatives. We’ve compiled some tools and check lists below for working with a consultant that you may find helpful.

Click on a link below to read more about that topic.

Why do you need a consultant? Why now?
Know what management capacity issue you believe is your highest priority. To do this, you may need to complete an organizational assessment. An organizational assessment helps you to differentiate between what may be perceived needs (squeaky wheel) and true needs. The assessment is also helpful in prioritizing your issues. One way to do that is to complete The Forbes Funds’ Criteria for Management Excellence. Identify the scope of the project and confirm the need for a consultant. Ask yourself if you/your staff/your board have the time and expertise to accomplish the goals. This is especially important when you are hiring a consultant to supplement staff resources, to ensure objectivity or to add credibility to your final outcomes. Confirm you (your organization) have the time and energy to invest. Realize that it will take much more effort to go through the entire process than … “if I just did it myself!” You fully understand that for this initiative, you need an outside person to lead/do the work. For examples of roles consultants can and typically take and what consultants should not do click here (PDF).

Why do you need a consultant? Why now?

Know what management capacity issue you believe is your highest priority. To do this, you may need to complete an organizational assessment. An organizational assessment helps you to differentiate between what may be perceived needs (squeaky wheel) and true needs. The assessment is also helpful in prioritizing your issues. One way to do that is to complete The Forbes Funds’ Criteria for Management Excellence.
Identify the scope of the project and confirm the need for a consultant. Ask yourself if you/your staff/your board have the time and expertise to accomplish the goals. This is especially important when you are hiring a consultant to supplement staff resources, to ensure objectivity or to add credibility to your final outcomes.
Confirm you (your organization) have the time and energy to invest. Realize that it will take much more effort to go through the entire process than … “if I just did it myself!”
You fully understand that for this initiative, you need an outside person to lead/do the work. For examples of roles consultants can and typically take and what consultants should not do click here (PDF).

Define the scope of work — prepare to hire a consultant
Solve the right problem. Define your idea of clear outcomes and metrics associated with those outcomes. Write a clear Request For Proposal (RFP). Additionally, check the policies and practices in your organization so that you follow them, e.g., must get at least two bids for work of $5,000; include any policies in your proposal if the consultant must adhere to them, e.g., consultants must have Act 33 & 34 clearances or must hold certain licenses.

Define the scope of work — prepare to hire a consultant

Solve the right problem.
Define your idea of clear outcomes and metrics associated with those outcomes.
Write a clear Request For Proposal (RFP).
Additionally, check the policies and practices in your organization so that you follow them, e.g., must get at least two bids for work of $5,000; include any policies in your proposal if the consultant must adhere to them, e.g., consultants must have Act 33 & 34 clearances or must hold certain licenses.

Find and choose a consultant
Know where to find consultants. You may want to search The Forbes Funds’ Consultant Directory for specialists in your area of interest and contact several. The Forbes Funds requires its grantees to get at least two competitive bids. Communicate your need and your process. Involve people in the organization. We suggest that you create an ad hoc board committee that includes some staff and board members to assist you in vetting and selecting the consultant. Review the Proposals Round 1: Compare apples to apples. Be aware of what is not included in the proposal. Look at value not price, buy good experience, hire tough love, and solve the right problem. Round 2: Invite your final two candidates in for a presentation with your ad hoc committee, which is helping to manage this project, and hold an interview about costs, deliverables, timeline, personnel, risks/consequences and follow-up plan. Trust your gut, check references and be realistic in your expectations. Round 3: Write the contract. A well-written contract is your insurance that the project will be done well and more likely will end on time and within budget. Make sure all necessary parties approve and sign it.

Find and choose a consultant

Know where to find consultants. You may want to search The Forbes Funds’ Consultant Directory for specialists in your area of interest and contact several. The Forbes Funds requires its grantees to get at least two competitive bids.
Communicate your need and your process.
Involve people in the organization. We suggest that you create an ad hoc board committee that includes some staff and board members to assist you in vetting and selecting the consultant.
Review the Proposals
- Round 1: Compare apples to apples. Be aware of what is not included in the proposal. Look at value not price, buy good experience, hire tough love, and solve the right problem.
- Round 2: Invite your final two candidates in for a presentation with your ad hoc committee, which is helping to manage this project, and hold an interview about costs, deliverables, timeline, personnel, risks/consequences and follow-up plan. Trust your gut, check references and be realistic in your expectations.
- Round 3: Write the contract. A well-written contract is your insurance that the project will be done well and more likely will end on time and within budget. Make sure all necessary parties approve and sign it.

Partner with the consultant
It is a partnership: do both sides have responsibilities and are you meeting yours? Have you discussed how best to handle changes to project and avoid scope creep? How can you make the consultancy as productive as possible? Be sure to include frequent updates and project reviews with you and your ad hoc committee.

Say goodbye to the consultant
Keep in contact during and after the engagement, ask for a follow-up report(s) after the engagement from the consultant and consider a debrief within your organization to document what worked and what might be done differently the next time. Consider this one of many lifelong learning experiences and celebrate your successes, measure success and, finally, have no regrets. If you weren’t completely satisfied with the outcomes of the engagement, you and your team certainly learned enough to have multiple benefits from the experience. Build in a 6 to 12 month open-ended follow-up for phone calls, implementation questions, etc. between you and the consultant.

Say goodbye to the consultant

Keep in contact during and after the engagement, ask for a follow-up report(s) after the engagement from the consultant and consider a debrief within your organization to document what worked and what might be done differently the next time. Consider this one of many lifelong learning experiences and celebrate your successes, measure success and, finally, have no regrets. If you weren’t completely satisfied with the outcomes of the engagement, you and your team certainly learned enough to have multiple benefits from the experience.
Build in a 6 to 12 month open-ended follow-up for phone calls, implementation questions, etc. between you and the consultant.

Tools and Checklists

Click on the links below to view or download a PDF and learn more about that topic.

Sample Contracts

Sample RFPs

The Forbes Funds does not endorse any consultant listed in this directory. The Forbes Funds does not require the use of a consultant. We strongly advise you to check references before beginning work with any consultant. By using this site you agree to the Terms and Conditions (PDF) of the Consultant Directory.

News and Announcements

Financial Management Series

Turning to Social Services

Social service agencies are seeing greater demand as more people turn to them for help. Read More

Neighbor-Aid

The Pittsburgh Foundation announces campaign to support nonprofits. Read More

Rocky Times All Around

Charities face the same rocky times as clients. Read More

Nonprofits Need to Master Change

Study finds that nonprofit leaders need to master changing environment. Read More