I remember with such clarity how I got started. I was committed to working internationally. I wanted to continue to do what I loved to do. For me it was a passion for raising money—a passion for asking for money, and a desire to also teach others to do the same. But quite frankly I don’t think the type of nonprofit consultant you want to be, really matters. If you are willing to work hard, if you have energy, if you are determined and if you are committed to serving, I believe that you can make it.

Part 1 of this article discussed setting your rates, the benefits of incorporation and how to engage new clients. Here, I continue with additional lessons learned on my journey to becoming a consultant. There are other ways to build this career, but this is what worked for me.

Lesson 6. Engage at the highest level possible

Every organization I’ve worked with requires some kind of change in approach or process. And if, as a consultant, you are going to bring about change, you have to involve the Executive and the Board. As part of my three-day engagement process, I would make sure that if my first meeting was with the head of fundraising, then my second meeting had to with the CEO. The third meeting would be with the head of finance, and the fourth with at least two board members: the chair of the board, and the board member that was among the most critical or the one most likely to say no to something new. Engaging at the right level, ensured that change would have buy-in at the executive level and the board, eliminating nay-sayers before they could solidify opposition to change

Lesson 7. Figure out your marketing model

Before you engage clients, you have to connect with them. So how do you find leads? We both know there are numerous ways to find leads, but I discovered a foolproof method that worked for me: speaking at conferences. I would speak, connect, engage, propose, do the work, learn every time I did some work, write about what I learned and then speak again. In many cases, clients would contact with me (literally) years after hearing me speak. The following diagram explains my Client Engagement Marketing Model—developed not by any genius, but by trial and error.

Speak — Connect — Engage — Propose — Work — Learn — Write — Speak

Lesson 8. Integrate your cycle of offerings

Doing major donor fundraising involves commitment from the director of fundraising, the CEO and the Board. This calls for an array of services that include working at different levels in the organization. The services I offered included: strategic counsel and planning, coaching and mentorship, capital campaign planning and execution, fundraising feasibility studies, training and development and various other related activities … all of which were integrated. Clients may need some (or all) of the services, but the point is that it’s essential to understand the integration of those services and determine what you can offer and what services you may want to outsource by working with partners with expertise you may not have.

Lesson 9. Payment of fees

I’ve always believed that being a consultant is not about making big money. It’s about having an impact, making a big difference and helping your client be successful. Nonetheless, you’ve got to get paid. Getting paid, is an “operational condition” which allows you to continue to do what you love and make a living at the same time. To make sure I could pay my rent and put food on the table, I always aimed at getting 30 to 50% of the contract price at the beginning of the process. That way I could still live while doing the work. It also ensures client commitment to start, and finish the process.

Lesson 10. Managing the pipeline

The only thing worse than not having enough work, is having too much work. Both situations are stressful. Consultants must quickly learn to manage their pipeline: to manage new clients being recruited, to manage projects they are in the middle of, and to manage projects that are finishing.

It’s a balancing act. The ideal situation is recruiting 1/3 new clients, working fully on another 1/3 of your clients and finishing with the final 1/3 of your clients. Of course, it never works that way, but at least you can set yourself a target and work towards the ideal. Yes, there will be times when you have way too much work and there will be times when you start to think—have I worked my way out of the market? However, if you continue to work your process, stay true to what you know best, serve your clients to the best of your ability, you will always have work. My experience has always been that there is no shortage of work to be done. Our sector is always looking for new people.

In conclusion

I’ve taken the time to write this article and share what I’ve learned consulting on six continents over the last two decades in the hope that you may be able to launch or enhance your consultancy by benefiting from some simple, but hard-learned lessons. I wish you every success as you continue to move forward.

Feel free to write me or call with any questions you might have about starting your own consultancy.

After working in the social impact sector for almost 35 years, 17 of those years as a consultant on six continents with organizations undergoing change, Tony Myers is hanging up his consultancy hat and focussing his full attention on leadership development. This past year Tony established the Leaders of Tomorrow Canada Foundation with Andrea Purdy and his colleagues Justin Yaassoub, Sandra Blevins, Jan Kroupa and Tamara Loria. After delivering a dynamic and successful leadership programme in Europe for more than 10 years, Tony has turned his full attention to accelerating leadership development in Canada with the first Leaders of Tomorrow programme launched in November 2024. Contact Tony at Tony@MyersCan.com or by calling 403.828.3577.