Questions to Consider in Choosing a Philanthropy Consultant

We strive to provide our clients with meaningful services that will meet each client's unique situation. In our initial conversations with you, we will listen carefully to what you have to say and will discuss with you which of our services will best help you realize your aspirations. In the event that Marts & Lundy is not the right firm for you, we will do our best to recommend other solutions.

Once you decide to retain counsel, determining which firm is the best fit for your organization is among the most critical issues you will face. As you continue to explore the relative advantages of one consulting firm over another, we urge you to consider the following:

With whom will I be working?

Marts & Lundy consultants join the firm with an average of 20 years of service to philanthropy. Peruse the consultant biographies posted on this website and you will find individuals with broad experience in philanthropy as well as individuals with niche specialties. As you review the clients with whom they have worked, you will see that our consultant expertise carries over among a variety of nonprofit organizations. While each of our clients has one lead consultant with whom they work, many of our clients will have the occasion to work with a variety of Marts & Lundy specialists over the course of a consulting engagement. Even so, all this experience will have little meaning to you if the chemistry between you and your primary, lead consultant isn't right. We will work with you from the outset to assure a good fit between you and your consultant.

What's the advantage of a large firm?

Perhaps none. What's most important is the quality of the advice you will receive. Marts & Lundy consultants live and work all over the US, Canada and Australia. They work together as colleagues on a wide variety of client endeavors - small, mid-sized and large; community-based to international in scope. They share information on the state of philanthropy with each other and their clients. They are the best informed, most knowledgeable, most experienced consultants in the industry today. They choose to work within a firm where they have rapid access to the best information and advancement specialists so that they can provide each client with the highest quality consulting services possible. Each consultant, and therefore each client, can draw on the resources of the entire firm - whether to work out a particularly thorny situation with your Board, to develop a unique benchmark analysis for your institution, to develop your communications plan, or to know the latest industry trends.

Do I need a consultant or a resident manager?

Marts & Lundy rarely provides resident management for advancement programs. Typically we spend one to three days each month with a client in an advisory capacity. We see our position as that of a knowledgeable third party - providing strategic guidance supported by both experience and current data in the field. Where appropriate, in support of our strategic guidance, we can provide benchmarking studies, case statements or other written documents, workshops and the like. We do not, as a rule, sit in place of a permanent staff member in your offices. We believe that the best advancement programs use full-time staff members to manage day-to-day advancement operations. These individuals will be the institution's touch-point with constituents and build the institutional relationships so important to long-term success.

What are the questions I should be asking?

• What clients has the firm served recently?
• When will I meet the consultant with whom I will be working?
• How does the firm distinguish between its role and the client's role in carrying out the fundraising goal?
• What is the firm's code of ethics?
• How long has the firm been in business?
• How are fees for service determined?
• Can the firm provide specialized consulting services in the areas of planned giving, prospect research, communications, strategic planning, and other related specialties areas?

What are the questions I should expect to be asked by the firm?

• Why are you interested in seeking counsel?
• Do board members and key institutional leaders agree that advancement counsel is needed?
• What is the advancement program's track record over the last several years?
• What are your staffing strengths and weaknesses?
• What organizations do you consider to be your peers?

For more information, please call 800-526-9005 or send us an email.