The New England Nonprofit Consultant Directory is a good place to start when searching for a consultant. However, you should also reach out to your contacts – staff, board members, other stakeholders, peers at other nonprofits – in order to identify consultants. Professional associations, funders and organizations that support nonprofits can also help you identify consultants. Keep in mind that the consultants listed in the Directory are not pre-approved, and you are free to hire a consultant that is not listed in the Directory.
It can often be helpful to make brief phone calls to a few consultants prior to sending out a Request for Proposal (RFP). These preliminary phone calls can give you an initial sense of a consultant’s style and approach, whether they would be a good fit for your organization, and whether they are interested in your project. The information from these phone calls can also provide you with useful information to shape and define your project.
Screening Candidates / Evaluating Consultant Proposals