Any nonprofits interested in working with consultants should follow best practices standards and conduct in-person interviews with multiple consultants prior to selecting an individual or firm to provide their professional consulting services. It is also highly recommended to request references from the consultant and to follow up with those references. The following may help guide the selection process:

Possible Interview Questions for Consultant:

1. What are your areas of expertise? (For example: strategic planning, board development, fundraising)
2. How long have you been in business?
3. How large is your organization?
4. What experience do you have working with nonprofits?
5. What other projects have you worked on that are similar to this? How are they different?
6. Can you give references, including the type of projects and outcomes your provided?
7. Can you provide samples of your work? (For example: if the project is marketing or PR, a sample brochure)
8. What types of reports will we receive from you?
9. What are your expectations of our board/staff's involvement in this process? What can we expect from you? What do you require of us?
10. What does a typical session with you look like, in terms of time and work? How many sessions, typically? What follow-up is there once we have completed the process?
11. What is your fee structure? Is it hourly or a lump sum? What is included? (For example: travel, photocopying)
12. What is the average size project that you prefer? How many hours? Cost?
13. Are you willing to take on short-term projects and projects that would be $2,500 or less?
14. What is your project workload at present? How long will it take to complete our project?
15. Why do you think you're the best suited for this project? Why should we hire you?

Possible Questions for Screening Consultant References:

1. Were deadlines met?
2. Did the project stay on budget?
3. Was the consultant's analysis of the problem accurate?
4. Did she/he offer solid recommendations?
5. How well did he/she interact with the agency representatives?
6. How well was the agency's mission understood?
7. Who did the work? Who was expected to do the work?
8. How well did the consultant prepare for/and follow up meetings?
9. What evaluation process was used?

Sample Propsal Evaluation

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