How to choose a fundraising consultancy or a fundraising freelancer

Good news, you have finally got approval for the project. Now the real challenge starts: fundraising to make it happen.  Whether it’s nurturing a natural habitat, funding for peer support groups, new wheelchair-accessible vehicles for young people or indeed any other project, successfully fundraising is integral to the financing of most charity projects.

A helping hand

The key to successful fundraising is ensuring that you have a fundraising strategy that clearly outlines how funds will be raised from all available income streams. This may include individual giving, trusts and foundations, corporates, major donors, events, alumni (if relevant) and congregation, if the project is for a church.

Working with a fundraising consultancy or a fundraising freelancer can be helpful if your organisation lacks staff in-house with extensive experience and time to dedicate to fundraising. The consultancy or freelancer will have the time and experience to dedicate to your fundraising, and will work closely with you to ensure that you reach your target.

Samantha Watson, Principal Consultant of Orchard Fundraising, says: ‘I think working with a fundraising consultancy is particularly suitable for medium and long-term projects and practical delivery of fundraising activities. A consultancy is flexible and can reduce or boost its support when needed, provide an income stream expert at crucial times and offer a wider strategic perspective to clients.  A single freelancer may be well placed to advise on strategic direction, but Orchard Fundraising has a team that are strategy experts with the added advantage of then being able to move to practical delivery, maintaining continuity for staff, volunteers, funders and beneficiaries.’

Are two heads always better than one?

Fundraising consultancies and independent fundraising freelancers both support charities with fundraising. How do you know what would be right for your campaign? What do you need to think about when choosing a third party to support you? Below is some guidance to consider.

Fundraising consultancy	Fundraising freelancer
The fundraising consultancy will have a team of people to support you with a diversity of perspectives, and you’ll probably have a key contact person.	You will only have one point of contact with a single perspective of your campaign.
Not all the people on the team may be familiar with all the elements of your campaign.	There could be times when the freelancer isn’t available and you might not have any support.
The fundraising consultancy will have a team of experts with experience of a wide range of fundraising disciplines.	The fundraising freelancer might have detailed knowledge of specific fundraising areas which you need in your campaign, but not others.
The fundraising consultancy will have overheads including administration and team costs that need to be covered.	The freelancer might not have access to administrative support.
A fundraising consultancy will usually work to strict budgets but may be more flexible in providing additional support, although this might incur extra costs.	An independent freelancer might have more flexibility with budgets but also might be more restricted in hours available to support you at busy times.
A fundraising consultancy will usually have contracts and policies in place to cover governance including GDPR.	A freelancer might not have access to fundraising practice and policies which support governance.

The choice is yours

There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to deciding whether to work with a fundraising consultancy or an independent fundraising freelancer, but below are some general points to consider.

●      Style of working – do you need a team with flexibility, so that there is still support available if your main point of contact is away for a while? If so, a fundraising consultancy could be the best fit for you.

●      Experience – if your campaign contains several elements of fundraising and you need people who are experienced in a range of income streams, then a fundraising consultancy might better meet your needs, as they will have individuals with a wider range of skills and knowledge.

●      Governance – An in-depth knowledge of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and understanding of the rules on the use of personal data, charity law and regulation is essential for any campaign. Check that the consultancy or freelancer has a good understanding of this and if they are members of the Fundraising Regulator and Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

●      Administration – there will be a significant amount of administration. Keeping excellent records, details of applications made, individuals contacted etc. is important. A fundraising consultancy or freelancer should be able to demonstrate that they have good administrative skills.

A final note

Choosing the right fundraising consultancy or freelancer can make the difference when it comes to achieving your fundraising target, and completing your project.

Samantha says: “Fundraising activities can be a significant cost for smaller organisations; that can be daunting. Trustees and management should view it as an investment, so an open and honest conversation about the likely success of fundraising initiatives, when results might be seen and what sort of return on investment to expect, are a must.”

If you're looking for advice or practical support with your fundraising, get in touch with us at Orchard Fundraising on 07578 222704, send us a message or book a free discovery call now.