September 1, 2005 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Q. I’m looking to start a fund-raising consulting business. I have more than 10 years of experience with nonprofit groups, focusing on foundation relations, grant-proposal writing, prospect research, special events, and annual campaigns. Where do you suggest I advertise? How should I get started?
A. Start by seeking the advice of your accountant and forming a corporation, suggests Marc S. Saffren, of Manorville, N.Y., who two years ago went into business for himself as a fund-raising and strategic-planning consultant who works solely with nonprofit clients. Next, open a business account with your local bank.
Also, he adds, be sure to consult the Web site of your state’s attorney general and its charities bureau or office of consumer affairs to learn what you need to do comply with the regulations that govern fund-raising consultants in your state.
Once your business is in place, start getting the word out by placing advertisements in your community’s local newspapers or on Web sites aimed at nonprofit managers, suggests ArLyne Diamond, a management consultant in Santa Clara, Calif., who works with nonprofit and entrepreneurial clients. Create business cards and brochures and send them to everyone you know. Send e-mail messages to past employers and former colleagues in the nonprofit world, letting them know of your availability. “You need to let everyone know about your plans in as many ways as possible,” she says.
Mr. Saffren adds that another good way to advertise your new venture is by joining a local chapter of an organization like the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Nonprofit executives who hire consultants want to see evidence of past successes, so highlight any specific fund-raising achievements in all your promotional materials, says Cathy Brown, executive director of the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, in Los Angeles, who often hires fund-raising consultants to help her organization meet its financial goals.
Also, know your strengths and focus your marketing accordingly, she says. “If you are a generalist, you might target smaller nonprofit groups that need overall knowledge related to fund raising,” she says. “Alternatively, if your expertise is in a specific area, such as major gifts or planned giving, you might focus on larger clients that need project work in a specific area where more pointed knowledge is required.”
Perhaps the greatest asset you can offer nonprofit executives, however, is a willingness to engage in an overarching plan that is tailored to each of your clients, says Ms. Brown.
“Please steer clear of just becoming another project manager who only becomes involved in one particular aspect of fund raising,” she suggests. “Not that you shouldn’t accept business that is targeted to one particular aspect of fund raising, but realize the importance of understanding the organization as a whole.”
