Diane Mallery | June 2025
Diane is an Engagement Team Leader at Dunleavy & Associates specializing in nonprofit fundraising of all kinds.
Nonprofit fundraising has never been easy, but in today’s world, it’s more complex than ever. Between donor fatigue, economic fluctuations, and the ever-increasing competition for philanthropic dollars, running a successful campaign requires more than just a compelling mission and a dedicated, passionate staff and Board of Directors — it requires a heightened level of expertise.
It can be tempting for nonprofits to attempt to manage a major fundraising effort in-house. After all, your team knows your mission inside and out, and you have a development staff in place—why not just handle it yourselves? While that approach can work for some organizations, hiring an experienced fundraising consultant can significantly increase your chances of success. Think of it this way: You could cut your own hair, but wouldn’t it turn out better if you let a professional handle it? Let’s explore why bringing in a consulting partner can be one of the smartest investments your nonprofit makes.
Consultants don’t just bring enthusiasm — they bring a proven track record of fundraising expertise. With experience leading multiple campaigns across different sectors and over many years, they have developed an understanding what works and what doesn’t. They bring best practices, tested strategies, and real-world insights that can help your nonprofit reach (or hopefully exceed) its fundraising goals. Nonprofits that invest in professional campaign guidance often see better results, whether in the form of larger gifts, faster timelines, more engaged donors, or new donors. A consultant isn’t just another set of hands; they’re an architect helping you build a stronger, more successful fundraising initiative.
Major fundraising campaigns are intricate undertakings that require careful planning. A consultant can help you develop a clear roadmap, ensuring every aspect of your campaign is intentional and strategic—from donor research to solicitation strategies to stewardship plans. They’ll help you prioritize prospects, refine your messaging, and create a step-by-step plan that maximizes donor engagement. Without this kind of structured approach, campaigns can easily drift off course. A consulting partner, working closely with you, helps to ensure that you and your campaign committee volunteers stay on track, meeting key milestones along the way.
One of the biggest challenges for any nonprofit is overcoming internal blind spots. It’s easy to get caught in the day-to-day routine and miss potential opportunities or pitfalls. A consultant provides an outsider’s perspective, offering clarity and realistic goal-setting. Additionally, internal leadership sometimes gives more weight to recommendations from external experts than from their own development staff. This isn’t always fair, as the majority of development professionals are remarkably dedicated and talented, but it’s a reality. A consultant can validate and reinforce the work of your in-house fundraising team, acting as an ally while also helping to move the campaign forward.
Board members and nonprofit leaders are often passionate about the mission but may lack experience with large comprehensive campaigns or major gift cultivation and solicitation. Fundraising consultants help bridge this gap, coaching board members and leadership teams on donor engagement strategies, major gift asks, and relationship-building with high-level philanthropists. A well-prepared board and campaign committee can make all the difference in a campaign’s success, and a consultant helps to ensure that your team is well equipped with the skills and confidence needed to secure the transformational gifts to help get you over the finish line.
Before launching a campaign, it’s critical to understand your donor landscape. A consulting partner can devote the necessary time to conduct a campaign feasibility study, a critically important step in preparing for a campaign, to assess donor capacity, test fundraising goals, and evaluate the likelihood of success. Without this step, nonprofits risk setting unrealistic targets — or, conversely, leaving money on the table by aiming too low. A feasibility study helps ensure you set an achievable yet ambitious goal, while engaging an initial group or key stakeholders who often can act as pivotal partners over the course of the campaign. Your staff is already likely juggling an overflowing plate, and adding a major campaign to their workload can be overwhelming, if not prohibitive. Instead of stretching your internal resources too thin, a consultant keeps the process moving forward efficiently, ensuring your campaign doesn’t stall or become a burden.
Many Board members and staff are deeply committed to your mission but aren’t campaign experts. A consultant provides training and coaching, helping them become more confident and effective in donor interactions. From crafting the perfect elevator pitch to making direct asks, a consultant helps everyone involved in the campaign feel more prepared and empowered. Campaigns can lose steam if there’s no one keeping everyone accountable. A consultant ensures deadlines are met, meetings stay productive, and momentum continues throughout the campaign. Think of them as a personal trainer for your fundraising effort—keeping you motivated, disciplined, focused, and on schedule.
Fundraising consultants also often have extensive networks of donors, corporate partners, and philanthropic organizations. By leveraging their industry connections, your nonprofit can sometimes gain access to new funding sources and potential major donors you might not have reached otherwise. They also stay on top of philanthropic trends, ensuring your strategy aligns with what’s working in the field.
A compelling case for support and coordinated campaign messaging is essential to any successful campaign. Your consultant can help you review and refine your messaging to ensure it resonates with donors, crafting a narrative that inspires donor generosity and showcases your impact. By helping you articulate a clear and persuasive case for giving, a consultant makes it easier for donors to say “yes” to your campaign.
At the end of the day, fundraising is both an art and a science. While your nonprofit knows its mission best, navigating a major campaign requires specialized skills and experience. Just as you wouldn’t perform your own surgery or represent yourself in court for a high-stakes legal case, it makes sense to bring in an expert when tackling a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign.
At Dunleavy, we believe the return on investment in a consultant is clear — a consulting partner can increase the potential for: a higher campaign success rate, increased gifts, more engaged donors, and a stronger development program for the long term, post campaign. If your nonprofit is considering a major fundraising initiative, hiring a consultant isn’t an expense; it is an investment in your organization’s future success. So before you try to go it alone, consider bringing in an expert to help you achieve the fundraising results your mission deserves. Your future donors—and your development team—will thank you for it!