10 Fundraising Consultants to Hire to Boost Your Revenue

Since nonprofit organizations rely on gifts from donors to support their mission, a thorough fundraising strategy is critical. However, even nonprofits with thorough funding plans run into obstacles at times, resulting in unmet goals and worries about sustainability and long-term plans.

Whether you’re encountering times of economic uncertainty or campaigns inexplicably failing, there are times when your staff members and board members need additional support. At times like these, outside help can be extremely valuable for setting you back on the right track—such as a fundraising consultant.

In this guide, we’ll cover what you need to know about fundraising consultants, including:

• Fundraising Consultant FAQs
• Top Fundraising Consultants to Hire

By the end of this article, you should know what a fundraising consultant does, if you need one, and a few options you can consider hiring.

Fundraising Consultant FAQs

What types of fundraising consultants are there?

There are many different types of fundraising consultants, but we can break them into two categories:

• General consultants provide broad fundraising services and advice that’s applicable to many types of nonprofits. They don’t focus on a specific aspect of fundraising or nonprofit niche. They work with many different organizations and can assist with many different parts of fundraising.
• Specialized consultants hone in on a single subset of fundraising or a specific nonprofit sector. Therefore, they work only with nonprofits in their specialty area.

Hiring either kind of fundraising consultant has benefits and drawbacks. While versatile, general consultants might have less insight into your specific needs or niche. On the other hand, specialized consultants have deep expertise in your nonprofit’s needs, leading to more tailored strategies and best practices. However, they’re likely less adaptable and may not be able to advise on a wide range of fundraising activities or sectors.

What services do fundraising consultants offer?

Since fundraising consultants can specialize in a specific fundraising area or nonprofit sector, these individuals and firms don’t always offer the same services. However, it’s common for fundraising consultants to offer some combination of the following services:

• Capital campaign management
• Feasibility studies
• Strategic fundraising planning
• Major gift fundraising
• Annual giving campaigns
• Planned giving programs
• Grant writing and management
• Fundraising evaluation and impact measurement
• Crisis fundraising strategy
• Donor stewardship and retention
• Campaign and fundraising communication and messaging
• Fundraising events management
• Board development and training
• Donor prospect research

When researching fundraising consultants, be sure to double-check their services to ensure they align with your nonprofit's needs. This is especially important if the consultant you’re looking into is a specialist, as they may offer a very limited selection of these services or only work with nonprofits in a specific sector.

What are the benefits of hiring a fundraising consultant?

Generally, nonprofits hire consultants because they have fundraising needs that they need support fulfilling. Working with a fundraising consultant comes with the following benefits: 

• Years of experience and expertise: Fundraising consultants have spent years honing their skills and knowledge of fundraising. They can draw on their wealth of experience while working with your nonprofit, proposing strategies and approaches your team might not have thought of on its own.
• Objective perspective: A consultant will approach a nonprofit’s fundraising strategy with an unbiased external perspective. This allows them to identify areas of improvement that your nonprofit’s team might be overlooking due to familiarity with your operations or unwillingness to try new approaches.
• Customized strategies and planning: Regardless of whether a consultant is a generalist or specialist, they will pitch fundraising strategies and create plans customized to your nonprofit’s specific needs and challenges.
• Time and resource management: A fundraising consultant can help you determine where best to allocate your time and resources, resulting in more impactful fundraising campaigns and a focus on your most impactful opportunities.
• Increased fundraising success: Through a combination of all the benefits above, working with a fundraising consultant can increase revenue generation. The right fundraising consultant will lay the groundwork for future fundraising as well, ensuring that your nonprofit stays on the right track.
• Training and capacity building: For nonprofits that want to build up their fundraising skill, many fundraising consultants provide training to help them acquire the necessary knowledge and expertise to make fundraising decisions confidently in the future. Consultants may also provide advice for you to build your nonprofit’s fundraising capacity, leading to more sustainability.

Many nonprofits are understandably worried about the expense of hiring a fundraising consultant. However, these benefits often make the cost more than worth it, especially if you show signs of needing outside guidance.

How do I know I need to hire a fundraising consultant?

It can be difficult to determine if your nonprofit’s staff can take care of your fundraising needs or if you need to consider seeking external help. Here are a few signs that indicate you might need to hire a fundraising consultant:

• Your team lacks fundraising experience or knowledge. This is especially true for smaller nonprofits with staff members who might not be familiar with fundraising or the type of fundraising you want to conduct. In these cases, outsourcing fundraising tasks to a consultant can be extremely beneficial for the organization’s longevity.
• You’ve seen a decline in donations or community engagement. Maybe your nonprofit’s fundraising was successful for a long time, but all of a sudden, your tried-and-true strategies aren’t bringing in the revenue you expect. If you’re not sure how to pivot or what to adjust, a fundraising consultant can bring the fresh perspective you need.
• You’re planning a large-scale fundraising campaign. For capital campaigns and other large-scale fundraising, having a dedicated consultant to guide your efforts can be immensely valuable, as they have the experience to determine if now is the right time for such a campaign and how to ensure it goes smoothly.
• You’re struggling to create a long-term fundraising strategy. Getting a nonprofit to the point of long-term sustainability is a tricky process. A fundraising consultant can review your current fundraising strategies and make recommendations that get you to a point of long-term funding security.
• You haven’t seen a lot of success with soliciting major gifts. Requesting major gifts requires a personalized and delicate approach, as you’re connecting with your most impactful supporters. Working with a fundraising consultant can make your solicitations more effective and bring greater funding success.
• Your nonprofit is expanding or undergoing significant change. If your nonprofit is undergoing significant change, you may need to entirely adjust your approach to fundraising. A consultant brings an unbiased outside perspective that can be extremely useful in formulating your new fundraising plans.
• Your staff members are busy with other important responsibilities. Even if your staff members are experienced fundraisers, they may be busy with other organizational priorities. Hiring a consultant takes the burden of fundraising strategy off your team members’ shoulders and enables them to maximize their time spent on their priorities.

If any of the statements above apply to your nonprofit, you should seriously consider working with a fundraising consultant.

What are the costs associated with hiring a fundraising consultant?

While the specific costs of hiring a fundraising consultant vary from consultant to consultant, they generally follow one of three formats:

• Hourly fees, wherein the consultant is paid at a per-hour rate for the work they do for your nonprofit.
• Flat or fixed fees, wherein the consultant is paid an agreed-upon fee for their services.
• Retainer fees, which may be incurred in arrangements where the nonprofit requires ongoing support and advice for fundraising.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Code of Ethical Standards strictly forbids fundraising consultants from working on a commission fee structure, particularly in a long-term campaign context. If a fundraising consultant asks for finder’s fees or compensation based on a percentage of funds raised, they are violating this rule, and you should run—not walk—away from the conversation.

How do I choose the right fundraising consultant for my organization?

The right fundraising consultant looks different for every nonprofit, depending on the organization’s needs, sector, budget, and more. However, here are a few aspects to look out for as you conduct your search:

• Expertise and reputation: Look up how long the consultant has been working, their specialties, and their general industry reputation.
• Scope of services offered: Make sure that the services the consultant offers align with your nonprofit’s needs.
• Fundraising methodology: There are many different approaches to fundraising, some of which may not work for your nonprofit. Check out how the consultant typically approaches fundraising and see if it works with your needs. 
• Experience with nonprofits like yours: If your nonprofit has any specific requirements or fundraising needs due to your sector, you want to work with a fundraising consultant who’s familiar with your industry.
• Geographic location: Some nonprofits prefer to work with consultants in person, and others don’t mind remote work. Consider your preferences and whether the consultant can meet them.
• Pricing: Review your nonprofit’s budget and determine the price you can pay for a fundraising consultant’s services.

Sit down with your nonprofit’s leadership team and align on all of these elements before you start your search. You don’t want to get halfway through the process before realizing that you’ve been researching the wrong candidates!

Top Fundraising Consultants to Hire

1. Convergent Nonprofit Solutions

At Convergent Nonprofit Solutions, our team represents decades of experience in a breadth of fundraising and campaign experience across various nonprofit sectors. We work with you as part of your team to meet your nonprofit’s fundraising goals and fulfill your vision. When we look at your organization, we don’t see a charity in need of donations—we see a valuable community asset that is positively impacting the community and warrants a large-scale investment.

Our Fundraising Services

We offer the following fundraising services:

• Feasibility studies
• Full-service capital campaigns
• Fundraising audits
• Training for nonprofit leadership

Why Work with Convergent

At Convergent, we apply our Investment Driven Model™ of fundraising to leverage the value nonprofits deliver to their community and maximize funding. That’s why we reframe the donor-nonprofit relationship by calling these important stakeholders “investors,” as they seek to fund a realizable impact with their dollars.

The cornerstone of our fundraising? We don’t rely on emotional appeals and small donations. Instead, we demonstrate your nonprofit’s value by emphasizing strategic alignment between your mission, fundraising objectives, and outcomes delivered. When you work with us, we’ll help you raise more money by reaching more people, with less burden on your staff, in less time.

If you need a fundraising consultant and are interested in how Convergent can assist, schedule a free consultation.

2. Generis

If your organization is faith-focused, Generis may have the fundraising consultant for you. This firm boasts over 35 years of experience in creating solutions that accelerate generosity toward God-inspired missions. Churches, religious nonprofits, and Christian schools can work with Generis to clarify goals, navigate obstacles, and create alignment on your mission.

Their main services include:

• Establishing a culture of generosity around your organization
• Auditing your church’s giving opportunities
• Strategy sessions for achieving stewardship goals
• Capital campaigns that combine biblical principles or financial stewardship with your organization’s vision
• Accelerating giving for projects while growing givers’ understanding of stewardship

3. CCS

CCS is a strategic fundraising consulting firm that partners with nonprofits for major, large-scale philanthropy. Their consultants elevate causes and strengthen programs for long-term success using tried-and-true development strategies and innovative approaches across many sectors, including arts and culture, health, human services, and more.

Their main services include:

• Planning and feasibility studies
• Campaign management
• Systems and change management
• Interim development management
• Strategic planning and development projects

4. Resource Development Group

This consulting firm specializes in large-market fundraising for economic development organizations. Resource Development Group works with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to reach a broad audience with fundraising appeals and updates that inspire results.

Some of the services they offer include:

• Feasibility studies
• Campaign management
• Organizational structure consulting

5. Harness

Harness is, first and foremost, a fundraising platform dedicated to providing digital solutions and expert services that empower nonprofits to deliver real impact. Their tools enable quick campaign launches, seamless integrations, and powerful analytics to track success and engage your audience. Harness supplements their fundraising platform with guidance from real, seasoned experts and strategists to support your work.

Some of Harness’s top features include:

• Giving forms
• Text messaging
• Event support
• Marketing tools
• Comprehensive reporting
• Access to fundraising experts

6. Nash & Associates

Nash & Associates is a fundraising consultant firm that’s dedicated to helping clients empower communities and transform lives by securing funding and implementing strategic program design. They focus on programs that address systemic inequalities and work with nonprofits focused on:

• Community health and well-being
• Economic opportunity and employment
• Public safety and criminal justice
• Housing stability and homelessness prevention
• Youth development and academic success

Their services include:

• Program development and sustainability
• Strategic planning and coalition building
• Assessment and evaluation
• Management and organizational support

7. Perlman & Perlman

This firm is slightly different from the others on this list. Perlman & Perlman is a law firm committed to serving clients seeking positive social impact. They work with nonprofits, private foundations, educational institutions, and many other mission-driven organizations. Their specialty is ensuring that your governance and fundraising efforts follow legal requirements.

Perlman & Perlman’s services include advising on:

• Nonprofit governance
• Tax-exempt law
• Charitable fundraising law
• Registration and compliance
• Socially responsible businesses

8. Accordant

For healthcare organizations that have to consider how HIPAA impacts fundraising, a healthcare fundraising consulting firm like Accordant might be the right choice. This firm is deeply rooted in relationship-based philanthropy, governance, and community partnership. They believe that healthcare has the greatest ability to improve lives and impact communities, and philanthropy is a core part of that.

Accordant offers a range of services, including:

• Philanthropic campaigns
• Grateful patient and clinician engagement
• Children’s health giving
• Grantmaking advisory
• Board training and development
• Leadership support and collaboration

9. Geis Group

The Geis Group approaches fundraising from a data-driven perspective. When you work with them, you access insightful donor analytics and a unique data mining tool that allows you to confidently make fundraising decisions that drive the success you need. Instead of chasing leads that don’t pan out, this fundraising consulting firm empowers you to identify qualified, fruitful donors and focus on them.

When you work with The Geis Group, they usually follow this process:

• You send them your donor data.
• They identify unique prospect markers and give affinity scores to each prospect.
• They provide a custom, data-based solicitation strategy.
• You follow their strategy for more impactful solicitations.

10. The Moran Company

A core part of nonprofit fundraising is having a qualified and coordinated leadership team. The Moran Company assists with this by acting as an executive search firm and helping nonprofits fill any key leadership positions. From CEOs to executive directors to senior-level fundraising staff, The Moran Company can help you find the best fit.

Their process works in four phases:

1. Orientation and assessment of your nonprofit’s current state
2. Recruiting and outreach, including initial candidate screening
3. Candidate due diligence, including interviews, background checks, and negotiations
4. Leadership transition support, including onboarding consultation

Additional Resources

With this guide, you should have a good understanding of whether hiring a fundraising consultant is the right choice for your nonprofit. As we’ve recommended earlier in the guide, your next step should be to sit down with your organization’s leaders and align on your priorities for working with a fundraising consultant. Then, you can start researching firms that might work for your needs—including the 10 options we’ve included here!

Want to learn more about nonprofit fundraising? Check out the following articles:

• How to Hire a Capital Campaign Consultant: What to Know — Capital campaign consultants are a subset of fundraising consultants that specialize in large-scale campaigns. Explore what you should know about hiring this type of consultant.
• A Guide to Nonprofit Fundraising During Economic Uncertainty — During times of economic turbulence, fundraising can be tricky. Discover how you can keep generating gifts and revenue even during economic uncertainty.
• From Prospects to Investors: How to Grow Your Supporter Base — Inspiring community members to become investors requires a thoughtful approach. Explore how you can grow your supporter base in this guide.