Using counsel is NOT, however, a panacea for everything that could go wrong. Nordoes it mean that the organization won’t have to do any work or that the consultant will do everything. You can’t just put the consultant in a closet, come back in a year, and have your money. In fact, hiring a consultant may well cause you, your board and your senior team to work harder – yet you should also raise more money - faster - with counsel. An experienced consultant should have answers, or at least well-reasoned recommendations, to the challenges you’ll face in a campaign every day.

In many cases, consultants will have models of materials or plans that you can use to save time and resources. By having "tried and true" samples, consultants can often show volunteer leaders new ways of thinking and doing things that will results in better results.

Consultants also should be prepared to train and educate volunteers – even the recalcitrant volunteers. This training is usually not an event or meeting, but is instead in the form of constant reinforcement and training so the volunteers and staff continually improve in soliciting gifts for a campaign.

Consultants should bring experience and answers to the campaign. You’ll want to work with someone who knows what they are doing – not someone who is constantly calling back to the corporate headquarters to find out the answers. Always interview the consultant you are going to be working with – not just the sales person for the firm. Make sure to get references for the individual, not just the firm.

Consultants should also have specialized knowledge in various areas of fund raising including prospect research, direct mail, personal solicitation, board enhancement and other fundraising skills. S/he should have excellent presentation and writing skills and convey confidence without arrogance.

Capital campaign consultants should also be cost-effective. Professionally directed campaigns should have a ten-to-one or better return on investment. Good counsel is also flexible, adapting their style and fees to meet the needs of the non-profit organization.

As a general rule, consultants do not "open doors" to rich people. The logic is simple: campaigns are best presented by committed volunteers – not hired guns. Even if a consultant "knows" a prospect, how many times can that consultant solicit the prospect? How affective will a hired gun be in convincing someone to donate? It’s better to use the consultant to train and educate volunteers and staff to do the solicitation – you’ll get much better results in the end.

Consultants are PART of the team – not the be-all and end-all. They aren’t necessarily even the lead partner in the process – they are a resource. You are going to succeed in large part due to the amount of time and effort put in by your key volunteers and staff. Expecting a consultant to go off in a closet and do all the work is a recipe for disaster. It’s a partnership – uphold YOUR part of that partnership.