The Benefits of Hiring Outside Fundraising Counsel

The Benefits of Hiring Outside Fundraising Counsel Main Photo

12 Sep 2016


Arts and Culture

Convergent Note: The following is a brief excerpt from the article 'Counterpoint: Feasibility Studies and Other Reasons Outside Counsel Can Help Small Nonprofits,' recently published by NonProfit PRO and written by Principal Mark Bergethon. To read the full article, follow the link at the bottom of the excerpt.

In the recent article '9 Fundraising Myths Shattered,' published here on NonProfit PRO, one of the myths that the author sought to debunk was that you need an outside consultant for your capital campaign. It's true that not every nonprofit needs to have an outside consultant in order to conduct a successful capital campaign. But many clearly do - and even those who don't might have good reason to consider using outside counsel.

Some Nonprofits Have No Choice

Nonprofits that clearly need outside counsel are those that simply do not have the internal resources, experience, expertise, or manpower to pull it off on their own. Capital campaigns are a massive undertaking. Many nonprofits don't even know where to start, and once they do, they can quickly become overwhelmed. Any organization in this situation should, obviously, seek outside counsel.

Benefits to Hiring Counsel Even If Not Absolutely Necessary

However, many other nonprofits have the luxury of assessing and choosing whether or not to retain outside counsel for their capital campaigns. For these nonprofits, there are pros and cons to be weighed in deciding how to proceed. Here are some of the benefits to be aware of when deciding whether to bring in outside counsel:

  1. Maximizing results. Good capital campaign consultants can bring to the table best practices, national perspective, extensive experience and expertise...
  2. Minimizing burden. Even with outside counsel, a major capital campaign requires a lot of staff and volunteer time and focus...
  3. Opportunity costs. Nonprofits should also consider the opportunity costs of taking on a big campaign in-house. If senior executive staff for a nonprofit divert a substantial portion of their time and attention to fundraising for the better part of a year or longer…

Read the full article

About The Author

Mark Bergethon's Profile Photo

Mark Bergethon

Principal

Department: Team

I am passionate about empowering nonprofits to accomplish the extraordinary for the communities they serve. Although much of my career has focused on raising money for economic, workforce, and community development organizations (chambers of commerce, EDCs, etc.), I truly love the diversity of our clientele and the interesting variety of projects I get to work on. From public libraries to private schools, from senior assisted living facilities to YMCAs, and even from a puppetry arts group to a ski jump club, I’ve had the chance to help so many great client organizations raise the money they need to fulfill their missions. I love my work!"


As a founding Principal of Convergent Nonprofit Solutions, Mark focuses on empowering nonprofits to accomplish more for the communities and constituencies they serve by dramatically increasing their financial resources. He is recognized as one of the leading national experts in funding nonprofit organizations and community initiatives through fundraising campaigns.

Mark has managed and consulted on fundraising campaigns for a broad array of nonprofits, however, the bulk of Mark’s career has been spent securing funding for chambers of commerce and economic development corporations. His experience ranges from working in small, rural communities of a few thousand people to major metro areas, regions, states, and even national projects. Mark’s specialized expertise includes transitioning membership-based organizations into investment-based organizations, forging public/private partnerships, forming and capitalizing new economic development organizations, and establishing regional economic development collaborations.
 

Summary of Experience

  • Directed and provided oversight for more than 80 feasibility studies and fundraising campaigns for organizations nationwide, raising hundreds of millions of dollars for a wide variety of nonprofits.
  • Conducted dozens of successful high-profile six, seven, and eight-figure funding requests.
  • Managed major feasibility studies and/or capital campaigns with eight-figure goals in large metro markets such as Orlando, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Seattle.
  • Led workshops and participated in panel discussions at more than a dozen statewide, regional, national, and international conferences and events for economic development professionals, chamber executives, and nonprofit leaders.
  • Authored two legal reference books, a research paper in an international academic journal, and numerous articles on fundraising and other nonprofit concerns.
  • BA in Political Science from Emory University and a law degree from the University of Georgia, School of Law. Member of the bar in both Georgia and Florida.

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