Working with a fundraising consultant

1. Working with a fundraising consultant Is it worth it? If so, how do you make it work?

2. who I am, what I do and how I got here • Fabienne Poulet - Greenstone Consultants Ltd • fabienne@greenstoneconsultants.co.uk • Tel: 0208 540 0796/07760 434 807 • Skype: Fabiennepoulet • https://uk.linkedin.com/in/fabienne-poulet-b05a0830 • Freelance fundraising consultant since 1994 • Trainer for the Environmental Trainers Network between 1995 and 2012 • Trustee of the Campaign for National Parks since 2003 • Institutional fundraising for environmental groups (sustainable energy, conservation and community projects)

3. What is a fundraising consultant? According to the Oxford Modern English Dictionary, a consultant is 'a person providing professional advice for a fee‘ ‘Not a magician or a fount of all knowledge’ (Maggie Taylor, Institute of Fundraising)

4. When is it worth/not worth working with a fundraising consultant? • Worth considering: • When you are developing a new fundraising strategy or need a fundraising audit • When you need special expertise in a particular field (new funding source, new type of funding, new area of work) • When you need more capacity • Not worth bothering: • Before you have decided how much and what you are fundraising for • If you need the funding in less than 6 months • If you can do it in-house more quickly and effectively

5. How do you make it work? • Choose the right consultant for the task • Be clear what you want the consultant to do (and how much you want to raise) • Agree a clear timetable and reporting format • Agree fees and payment terms • Trust and cooperation • Realistic expectations • Open to advice and frank judgements, opinions and recommendations