In your previous article, I learned how to train our staff if we cannot afford a consultant. If I can afford a consultant, do you think hiring one of them would be beneficial?

Yes, hiring a good consultant can be extremely valuable for your organisation. They offer excellent services and can create additional capacity in your non-profit that can enable you to do more and provide a highly experienced and knowledgeable resource for your business. 

Consultants, whether in the form of individuals or agencies, can add temporary skills, knowledge, and capacity to organizations looking to kick-start, develop, or evaluate specific areas of their work.

Before you look for a consultant, the first question to ask is whether you need one. Some common reasons for hiring a consultant can be: you are too engaged in NGO’s other work, or your existing staff don’t have time for the project, and so on.

But, before you go down the consultant path, explore other in-house options first: does any existing staff, volunteers, or board members have the skills, knowledge, or desire to be involved in the project? If you find an internal solution, workers must be adequately supported to do the job well.

Recruiting a consultant is a similar process for hiring employees. Your organization may have an established process and checklist for employing staff that could provide a suitable guide. If not, we’ve produced a list of items you could consider before deciding to bring a consultant into your organization.

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