20 Reasons Why Nonprofits Should Hire Consultants

Nonprofit organizations often operate with limited resources and high expectations. Efficiency and expertise are crucial in this type of environment, which is why a consultant can be an excellent source of insight and skills for a nonprofit.

Below, 20 Forbes Nonprofit Council members share why nonprofits should consider hiring a consultant and how doing so might help improve operations and solve day-to-day challenges. By leveraging a consultant’s experience, nonprofits can boost their impact and better achieve their mission.

1. Helps Forge A Path To Scale Up The Team
Outside consultants can provide your organization a path to rapid and lean capacity building. You can then scale up with in-house staff after the consultants have blazed a path forward. Plus, if you work with experienced consultants, you’ll benefit from their sector intelligence. They’ve likely worked with an organization you benchmark your organization against, so you’ll get the inside scoop on how competitors operate. – Michael Bellavia, HelpGood

2. Delivers Support In A Defined Timeframe
Most development work is delivered as projects. This means personnel in this space are required to provide definite support within a defined timeframe for the attainment of project goals. Leveraging short- and long-term consultants provides unique access to in-demand technical expertise for standard delivery and best practices. This enhances operational agility, cost-efficiency and performance. – Ladi Stephen, Chemonics International

3. Enhances Accuracy And Objectivity
Engaging a consultant for impact measurement could greatly boost a nonprofit’s effectiveness. Consultants could align the organization’s theory of change with activities, providing an objective perspective on reporting. Through this collaboration, the organization can enhance measurement accuracy, effectively showcase impact, drive more efficient operations and increase funding opportunities. – Elpida Kokkota, Mexoxo

4. Adds Bandwidth To Specialized Projects
Hiring a consultant adds bandwidth to a specialized project and expedites its completion. Last year, we engaged an HR consultant to drastically improve our hiring and onboarding processes. As a small nonprofit, we did not have the expertise internally to lead and execute. The result of this project has been a rockstar team, high employee morale and unparalleled productivity that directly benefits those we serve. – Kimberly Kindig, Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada

5. Leverages New Wisdom And Expertise
There are a few key reasons for a nonprofit to bring on a consultant, but the most common would be to leverage the expertise and wisdom of a specialist. A consultant typically adds value by applying their skills, insight, counsel and technical expertise that isn’t already available to the organization internally. Using a fractional expert is a cost-effective way to bring on unique skills. – Robert Santana, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast

6. Increases Project Capacity
Nonprofit consultants can be invaluable for organizations that don’t have the capacity to manage specific projects or campaigns. They may have the bandwidth and specialized skill sets to get things done. – Courtney Smith, Detroit Phoenix Center

7. Delivers More Focused Strategies And Outcomes
Hiring a consultant allows nonprofits access to specialized knowledge and best practices from experienced professionals. They are invaluable for efficiently tackling complex challenges or new initiatives. Consultants can impartially facilitate group dynamics, build stakeholder consensus and drive strategic planning processes, leading to more focused strategies and better organizational outcomes. – Steven Rhines, Noble Research Institute

8. Helps Identify Existing Strengths And Weaknesses
Hiring a consultant often brings in someone with a fresh, experienced skill set, especially for a specific project like strategic planning, fundraising or program evaluation. Operational strengths, weaknesses and inefficiencies can all be readily identified and addressed by having a professional outside perspective. – Liz Salguero, Circle of Care

9. Provides Tailored Solutions
A nonprofit may bring on a consultant to leverage specialized expertise and additive skill sets not present within the team. Consultants offer experience in areas like strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, financial management and program evaluation. Their expertise provides fresh perspectives and tailored solutions. – Nick Lynch, Collidescope IO, Inc.

10. Offers A Fresh Set Of Eyes
A consultant can bring a fresh set of eyes and ideas to the table by leveraging best practices from other organizations. They may not be sustainable to your organization’s structure long term and it could be more cost-effective to bring their skills in-house. However, for a defined period of time, they can help your organization level up and grow into your next chapter. – Erin Santos-Primis, Isabella Santos Foundation

11. Ignites Internal Discussions
An effective consultant delivers not just capacity, expertise and fresh perspectives but also sparks essential internal discussions. They can clarify challenges and cultivate an environment where a team’s own expertise, wisdom and insights can emerge and flourish. Engaging with a consultant can enable organizations to unlock their own potential and drive meaningful change from within. – George Hsieh, Community Resource Exchange

12. Completes A Project With Minimal Supervision
We hire consultants when the scope of work is too large or the timeline is too tight for our current staff. Since consultants are extremely experienced, they are able to quickly start and develop the project further with minimal supervision. Consultants provide the extra knowledge and skills needed to meet specific deadlines without diverting resources from our daily operations. – Terry Bowman, ReadWorks

13. Offers Specialized Expertise
No organization has the depth of staff to address every area of expertise in the business world. Consultants can offer deep expertise in a specialized field that can give a nonprofit the information needed to vet a specialized opportunity or solve a complex challenge. It is important to vet potential consultants and make sure they are a match for both the project and the culture of the organization. – Tom Ulbrich, Goodwill Industries of Western New York, Inc.

14. Gives An Unbiased Viewpoint
A consultant can provide a fresh, unbiased perspective on a nonprofit’s strategies, operations and challenges. Due to their objectivity, they can identify issues and opportunities that internal staff close to the situation may be unable to see. They can also provide unique expertise that may not exist within the organization and offer innovative new solutions beyond the nonprofit’s usual methods. – Michael Horowitz, The Community Solution Education System

15. Amplifies Your Current Workforce’s Effectiveness
Consultants can significantly amplify your workforce’s effectiveness when leveraged correctly. Consider the specific skill gaps a consultant could fill within your team and the projects that require dedicated time and expertise currently unavailable in-house. Further, it’s crucial to be deliberate in defining the scope of work, the expected deliverables and the methods for managing costs. – Pat Tamburrino, Jr., NobleReach Foundation

16. Frees Time To Address Other Matters
Consultants provide expertise and capacity to organizations. They are dedicated resources who can provide either short- or long-term work in their area for an organization. For example, a human resource consultant can be tasked with creating an organization’s recruitment, interviewing and onboarding infrastructure. Having one person do this allows organizational leaders to address other matters. – Ramik Williams, KAVI (Kings Against Violence Initiative)

17. Operationalizes Processes For Staff
Consultants bring a tremendous amount of talent for a finite period of time. The freedom of a short-term commitment releases nonprofits from salaries that can become oppressive on a lean budget. Marketing, fundraising, grant writing and IT are some areas where consultants can assess, diagnose and get operations stable enough so core staff can maintain the improvements made moving forward. – Tara Chalakani, Preferred Behavioral Health Group

18. Allows Organization To Scale Up And Reorganize
An outside consultant is critical when an organization needs to scale up or reorganize for internal strengthening. Keep in mind that the consultant’s expertise must align with your strategic plan and fit your values, mission and vision. Not any consultant will do; know who and what they do, ask for references and be sure to choose the right one. Create a full scope with clear expectations. – Erin Davison, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana

19. Frees Your Team Up From Juggling Multiple Projects
Consultants can bring knowledge acquired from working on multiple projects that would take your team years to learn. They can help launch and scale projects quickly, and in many cases, they are more cost-effective than a small team of internal staff because they are focused on that singular project, as opposed to trying to start a new program in the midst of their regular job duties. – Kimberly Lewis, Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc.

20. Improves The Relationship Between The CEO And The Board
Nonprofit boards are usually comprised of subject matter experts who lack boardroom experience. This can leave an organization ripe for board overreach into operational concerns, which are the purview of the CEO. A governance consultant can help a board understand its role, direct them to strategic pursuits and help improve the CEO/board relationship. – Deb Callahan, National Fenestration Rating Council

Source:  Forbes