Posted in Consultant Tools, Contracts, Grant Writers, Grants, Hiring a Grant Writer, tagged sample grants, writing samples on March 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Whether you are leading a class on proposal writing or addressing a potential client’s need to see samples of your work, the question of how to handle a request for writing samples can be a tricky one because of confidentiality issues.
Members of the For GrantWriters Only LinkedIn group provides some possible solutions in this animated discussion on the topic of How to Handle Requests for Writing Samples. Be sure to add your own thoughts!
Posted in Consultant Tools, Contracts on June 1, 2011 | 1 Comment »
There’s a great discussion going on related to this topic within the For GrantWriters Only LinkedIn group. Be sure to check it out!
Posted in Consultant Tools, Transparency & Accountability, tagged Going International on April 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In my previous posts, Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Grant Consultants Need to Know as They Build Their Businesses and Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: Management & Governance Consulting, I told you a little about Penelope Cagney’s book: Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know and I mentioned that there was more she could teach us about International Consulting. If you’ve considered working with organizations outside of the United States (or you already are), this post reviews a few things you may want to know.
According to Ms. Cagney, international nongovernmental organizations (INGO’s) represent the fastest-growing type of organization worldwide, with the most common being economic development associations and science-based INGOs. The growth in international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) is being fueled by new wealth in emerging economies (i.e., China, India), by a greater awareness of social issues impacting the entire planet (i.e., global warming, natural disasters, global poverty, health crises and lack of access to education and healthcare), and by a shift in emphasis among very large foundations to address these complex needs. It is widely recognized that a cooperative effort, across national boundaries, is needed to identify long-term solutions.
Serving INGOs
A subset of consultants have set their sights on serving this growing portion of the nonprofit sector. These consultants generally fall into one of two groups. The first “work internationally” on occasion. The second are true “international consultants”, those that define their market and mission globally, hire for international skills, abilities and experience, and offer services that would be useful to nonprofits in all parts of the world. Chances are, if you currently serve an organization based abroad, you fall into the first group.
Either way, it is important to understand the differences between a nonprofit organization and an organization setup as a nongovernmental organization (NGO). An NGO is “any nonprofit voluntary citizens’ group organized on a local, national, or international level … NGOs are driven by people with a common interest, and they perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, including advocacy.” NGOs may also be called civil society or public benefit organizations, and – despite their name – they can not only be setup and funded by individuals but by governments. In the United States, all NGOs and INGOs are classified as 501c3′s, but not all 501c3′s are considered NGOs. Be sure you understand which one you are working for.
Where in the world are INGOs
If you live and work here in the United States, you probably think that the United States is home to the largest number of INGOs. After all, we are constantly being told about all the new nonprofits starting up in the United States. Within the U.S., Washington DC has the largest concentration of them. Makes sense, right? But the U.K. (London, in fact) is actually home to the largest number of INGOs in the world, and more and more INGOs are being established in central Europe, central Asia, east Asia, and the Pacific. In Asia, Singapore is a developing center. In the Pacific, Australia is the hot spot.
Why is this important?
There is a lot we can learn from true international consultants to apply our skills on a global scale. For example, in other parts of the world, diasporan fundraising (raising funds from emerging countries for needs in older developed ones) and face-to-face (f2f) fundraising (which takes place in the streets and involves fundraisers signing up donors on the spot for one-time or ongoing cash or credit card donations) are on the rise. Don’t cringe! These innovative techniques have shown tremendous potential. And they remind us that innovation can come in many forms and from many places. How often do you take advantage of webinars, blogs, or books offered by individuals outside of the U.S.? My guess would be not often. Find a way to change that!
Here are a couple consultants Ms. Cagney mentions in her book:
And here are some events worth considering:
Other resources:
Key Competencies Among International Consultants
There are a host of challenges international consultants face as they help NGOs and INGOs address global social issues. Those highlighted in Ms. Cagney’s book include: a growing divide between the “haves” in the Northern hemisphere and the “have nots” in the Southern hemisphere, an uneven distribution of wealth across nations, a scarcity of local leadership, lack of transparency and accountability, varied decision-making structures, cultural customs, and languages, a limited number of tools to engage and empower people across geographic boundaries, and changing geographic distribution among INGOs due to natural disasters and political strife.
As a result, Ms. Cagney concludes, INGO experts are still a rare breed. Multicultural, multilingual competence is key, and staying up-to-date on local affairs, history, politics, religion, economics, and geography is equally important.
International consultants must “enlarge their understanding of how people think about time, relationships, and the environment. Otherwise they may have severely inaccurate ideas of the context in which their INGO or nonprofit operates.” Ms. Cagney also notes, “Consultants must understand which methodology works best in various cultures. Some consulting methodologies translate well globally, others do not.”
Often the best approach for any consultant planning to work extensively in a given region is “to hire the people who live there and who know how to work with the nonprofits in the area.”
So if going international is part of your plan, be sure not to go it alone. Learn from others in the field, and hire local.
__________
Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders.
Posted in Board Development, Consultant Tools, Strategic planning on March 29, 2011 | 1 Comment »
In my previous post, Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Grant Consultants Need to Know as They Build Their Businesses, I told you a little about Penelope Cagney’s book: Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know and I mentioned that there was more she could teach us about Governance Consulting, Management & Organizational Consulting, and International Consulting. In this post, I address some important concepts related to the first two.
To recap a bit…
As grant consultants we have many options for expanding our businesses based on our personal strengths and interests. Though some of us may choose to stay narrowly focused in areas related to fundraising, others – perhaps frustrated with some of the internal issues that influence the success of grant proposals – might decide to branch out by developing nonprofit boards (governance consulting) and helping them set the strategic direction of the organization (management consulting). If you are a grant consultant with a penchant for working with startups – like I am – these types of consulting are a perfect extension of your practice. After all, they’re often needed before a startup organization is ready to begin a long-term grant seeking effort.
Governance Consulting
Ms. Cagney highlights varied approaches to governance and management consulting. She says, “governance consultants tend to fall into one of two camps: traditional (the models we have are solid; we just need to make them work better) and progressive (the models we have are insufficient or even downright ineffective; we need to find better ones.”
Most nonprofits follow the traditional model, which includes a committee structure based on organizational activity (programs, fundraising, finance, HR) and other board concerns (long-range planning, nominating). It may consist of a combination of standing and ad hoc committees. In addition, a nonprofit may have an auxiliary or advisory board, which plays a lesser role in organizational decision making. Within this model of governance, consultants can help define an ideal committee structure and the roles and responsibilities for each group.
Those who find too many flaws in the traditional model may turn to the Policy Governance Model developed by John Carver, which limits the role of board members to creating broad, strategic goals for an organization and discourages their involvement in organizational management issues such as fundraising, budgeting, and staffing. Others may prefer the Community-Engagement Governance Model developed by Judy Freiwirth, with input from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s Governance Affinity Group. Freiwirth says, “This framework provides a system-wide, customized approach in which governance responsibility is shared … among the key stakeholders of an organization – that is, its constituents, community, staff, and board.”
Management & Organizational Consulting
Of course, any approach to board development must be consistent with the management mindset of an organization. Again, Ms. Cagney points out two views – the first being that an organization works like a machine with individual parts that can be “fixed” and the second being that an organization is more holistic, where change in any one part of the system influences all other parts of the system. The first view is more traditional. The latter view in linked with a philosophy called organizational development (OD).
According to Ms. Cagney, the traditional approach emerged from the “top-down” management model of the church and military, where emphasis is placed on implementation, control, and careful evaluation. The organizational development approach emerged from the field of behavioral science, which has a greater emphasis on growth and learning.
Personally, I identify more with the organizational development approach.
How about you?
Management Consulting Competency Framework
Regardless of the approach you take to governance and management/ organizational consulting, if you choose to include these types of consulting in your practice, you’ll benefit from a review of the Management Consulting Competency Framework outlined by the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC). It forms the basis for the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) qualification and includes three key components: market knowledge and capability (technical discipline, sector specialization), consulting competencies (business understanding and external awareness, managing client relationships, consulting process, practice management), consulting skills and behaviors (project management, analytical and proactive thinking, emotional intelligence, effective communication, professionalism and ethics).
The Institute of Management Consultants defines management consulting as, “the providing to management of objective advice and assistance relating to the strategy, structure, management, and operations of an organization in pursuit of its long-term purposes and objectives.”
Does that sound like something you do? I think it’s already (an unacknowledged) part of every grant writer’s job description!
__________
Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders.
Posted in Consultant Tools, Recommended Reading, Uncategorized on January 11, 2011 | 4 Comments »
In November 2010, I had the opportunity to attend two workshops focused on consultants at the national conference for the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) – one led by Dr. Bev Browning, author of Grant Writing For Dummies, and one led by Debbie DiVirgilio, GPA board member and developer of the Grant Consultants Mentoring Program.
One of the things that became clear to me, after attending both workshops, was that each grant consultant refines his/her business model differently, based on aspects of the business he/she likes and dislikes. For this reason, as each of us evaluates models for growing our business, it is important to understand the “why?” behind choices other consultants have made as they developed theirs. You may have different values, preferences and strengths, and as such, choose a different direction to grow in.
Most grant consultants seem to start on a similar path, providing prospect research and proposal development services. They begin to deviate when they decide to include other services, based on their own preferences, strengths and weaknesses. Strategic planning services, marketing services, database support, report writing, program evaluation, board development, and training perhaps. They may also deviate when they select the types of clients they want to work with, based on an organization’s life stage, budget, staffing capacity, mission focus or sector, or based on the type of relationships and projects they seek, long-term or short-term. There is no one way to grow a consulting business.
Recently, I completed a book that both highlights this fact and provides insights into the many directions a grant consulting business could take.
Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know by Penelope Cagney is an excellent resource for grant consultants ready to expand into other areas of nonprofit consulting. The preface alone will help you understand where you fit in as a provider of consultant services to nonprofits and guide your business plan development and market positioning.
Like Ms. Cagney, I believe that, as consultants, we have the ability to transfer knowledge and best practices between sectors — keeping the triple bottom line (community-benefit, environmental-sustainability, and profit) in view. Ms. Cagney provides excellent insight into how the knowledge shared between sectors has changed over time and how it will likely continue to evolve.
Are you a Content Expert or a Process Consultant?
How many of you have considered the process you go through as you develop a consulting relationship? Or what kind of consultant role you play? Are you a “content expert” or a “process consultant”? My guess is that most of you would say “content expert,” but as a “content expert” your services are most in need when the the client already has a clearly identified need and there is no need to examine the organization as a whole. Is that typically true of your clients?
“Process consulting,” on the other hand, best fits situations when an organization is having difficulty but doesn’t really know what kind of help is needed (or if you suspect their real need is actually different from what they’ve communicated to you based on things the board and staff has said).
Here’s an example … Client A is a small non-profit that wants to start writing grants to fund their program. How well defined is their mission? Their target market? How well defined are their programs? Their outcomes? How strong is their board? Is it a working board? Has the organization pursued any other types of funding? How are they funding the cost of a grant consultant? The answers to these questions can help you determine if you’re in for a gig as a “content expert” or a “process consultant”. Set your pricing accordingly …
So, what happens if you find yourself in the role of “process consultant”? Well, according to Ms. Cagney, there are three stages to process consulting: (1) engagement, which is as much about managing expectations as it is about getting a contract in writing, (2) getting down to business, which includes reviewing available data and assembling evidence of impact, and (3) making recommendations and going through the process of implementation. As a grant consultant, are you involved at all of these stages? Think about it.
Nonprofit Consulting Options
Now we all know that nonprofits draw heavily on consultants for help in the areas of fundraising and marketing, but what other areas are big right now? According to a survey by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, the need for fundraising and income generation was followed by board development and governance, planning and leadership, and mentoring/coaching.
Even within fundraising, many options exist beyond prospect research and grant proposal development … capital campaign management, feasibility and planning studies, development audits, planned giving development, direct response fundraising, fundraising events, cause marketing, corporate sponsorship, text-to-give, monthly giving campaigns, in-kind contributions, community building and online/social media giving. You can even specialize in garnering celebrity endorsement or support from your local political representatives or in developing new sources of earned income.
And, of course, marketing is intimately tied in with fundraising, and can include newsletters, web sites and social communities, mass media, e-mail marketing, community events, networking and other community involvement, public relations (online and off), annual reports, videos, and paid advertising.
Governance Consulting, Management and Organizational Development Consulting, and International Consulting are equally diverse. I will address these in future posts as there is much to learn from Ms. Cagney here.
Identifying your Ideal Client
In the latter part of her book, Ms. Cagney also discusses how to build a strong relationship between a consultant and a nonprofit. A review of this section may help you better define the type of clients you want to work with.
Trends in Nonprofit Consulting
Ms. Cagney closes with a look at the trends affecting the nonprofit consulting market, discussing the impact of increased globalization, the blending of sectors, an increasingly diverse workplace, and the changing role of the expert.
In Summary
I give Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know my highest recommendation! Whether you have a well established business and you are looking to expand or you’re just getting started, this book will set you in the right direction.
One note: grant writers and those focused on prospect research related to corporations and foundations are not highlighted in this book. Ms. Cagney hopes to cover them in more detail in a future edition.
_________
Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants Need to Know is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders.
Posted in Charitable Standards & Registration, Consultant Tools, Contracts, Grant Writers, Grant Writing Connections, Recommended Reading on October 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
One of the most frustrating parts of being a consulting grant professional is the confusion over charitable standards and registration requirements. Why? Because the standards vary state-by-state and there isn’t always a clear definition of where grant professionals fall within the definitions of fundraising counsel or paid solicitors.
Many grant professionals tend to assume they fall under the fundraising counsel definition, but multiple grant professionals have called the same office for the same information – how are grant professionals classified (in a given state)? – and they have received different answers.
On top of these difficulties, registering as fundraising counsel may require you to submit not only high annual registration fees, but a copy and fee for each contract you have for a new client. The added cost and time lag in getting contracts approved and moving ahead can seem burdensome, and as such, many grant professionals have chosen to avoid registration altogether.
As a group of professionals, our goal should be to gain some clarification on these issues and work with the appropriate parties to ensure that both grant writers and their clients are not unduly burdened as they choose to work together in a consulting arrangement. Taking a passive stance, rather than a position of advocacy, hasn’t moved anything forward. It has only increased the risk associated with being a grant professional for hire unnecessarily.
So, who’s in charge of setting charitable standards across the nation? Sometimes it’s difficult to tell; even the office you would call to learn more about the registration process varies state-to-state.
Here’s a start …
Organizations Setting New Standards
Here are a few organizations that influence charitable standards and registration requirements related to fundraising…
1. National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) | http://www.naag.org/
This group issued “A Model Act Concerning the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes” in 1986. The document helps define “charitable organization”, “solicit” and “solicitation”, “charitable purpose”, “contribution”, “fund raising counsel”, “paid solicitor”, “commerical co-venturer”, and “charitable sales promotion”. It sets forth annual registration requirements for charitable organizations, speaks to the need for annual reporting/auditing, addresses exemptions, discusses requirements for fund raising counsel as well as registration, contract and disclosure requirements for paid solicitors, and covers charitable sales promotions, point of solicitation disclosure requirements for charities, penalties, and a few other topics.
2. National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) | http://www.nasconet.org
This group, while at a combined annual conference with NAAG, developed The Charleston Principles: Guidelines for Charitable Solicitations Using the Internet, the current standard for online fundraising.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had the same group, at its annual conference with NAAG, develop a recommendation on how contracted grant professionals should be handled nationwide? I think it would move us in the right direction, adding clarity and professionalism to the field.
The 2010 Annual Conference for NAAG/NASCO will take place on October 4, 2010 in Silver Spring, Maryland. This year’s theme is “Charities & Regulators: Doing More With Less During Hard Economic Times”.
Organizations Tracking Current Standards
Until a national recommendation is provided, identifying the right standards for your consultancy to follow can be intimidating. But one organization, the GivingUSA Foundation produces a quarterly newsletter that may be of some help. One of the quarterly issues is its “Annual Survey of State Laws Regulating Charitable Solicitations”. This survey highlights the differences in registration requirements state-by-state in one handy table. I know I have found it enlightening. I hope you will, too.
Your Ideas
I’d love to hear what you have to say on this issue. Please comment and tell me how you handle differing standards in your consulting practice.
Posted in Consultant Tools on October 13, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Everyone I know who has ever become a consultant or played with the idea of becoming one has struggled with how to set their rates. Here’s a tool that will help you do just that.
This calculator takes into account your projected business and personal expenses as well as your targeted profit to give you a ballpark estimate on what your rates NEED to be. The rate calculator gives you an estimate of both your break-even rate and your ideal rate (which presumbly takes into account the profit you want to make off your business). So if you’re consultant, and you’re either struggling with what to charge or curious as to whether your current rates are consistent with your needs and goals, check it out.
Freelance Switch: Hourly Rate Calculator
Here’s a rough guideline of common hourly rates from FreelanceSwitch. If you’re rates fall into the range, you’re probably ok. If they are higher than this, you may need to adjust your financial objectives to be more realistic.
Student/Offshore: $10-$30/hour
Freelancer: $35-$100/hour
Expert Consultant: $50-$200/hour
Company: $75-$150/hour
Posted in Consultant Tools, Fundraising Success on July 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I love this post by recently featured author Tamara Lowe:
Your L- Factor: The Secret of Magnetic Appeal
In it, she discuss 12 characteristics that make people likeable, a quality that may make the difference between success and failure when you are working with donors or clients. Do you measure up?
Posted in Consultant Tools, Contracts on June 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
For those of you who work on contract, here is an easy tool to help you process contracts and get to work faster. EchoSign allows you to upload and email your contracts to clients and have them approved using an electronic signature.
