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Nonprofit Genie (FAQs) | Consultants

What questions should I ask a prospective consultant?

01-16-2006

What strengths do you possess that will prove particularly helpful in connection with this project?
How have you worked on similar projects or consulted with other groups facing problems similar to ours? What were some of the results of that work?
How does your consulting work in this area come out of any particular philosophy or assumptions about how not-for-profits conduct their work?
How long have you been doing consulting in the not-for-profit arena?
Can you tell us about one of your favorite clients? Why was that? Tell us about one of your most challenging clients and why?
How many clients do you work with at any one time? How do you manage multiple projects?
How would you describe the challenges we face from the limited amount you now know about us?
Describe your work process. How would you work with our staff, board, and executive director?
Are there other members of your consulting team who would be working with you? Who are they? How would you propose to divide up the tasks among your team members? When can we interview them? Do you anticipate using any sub-contractors, if so, how do you manage that relationship?
What problems do you anticipate as we begin to work together? How can we best address these problems early on?
Talk about the responsibilities we must assume in order to make our work together successful.
Are you available to complete this work during the time we've specified? Are you available if the time becomes extended?

And finally: What else should we be asking you? What else should we know about you, your experience or about what it would be like to work together?