How to hire a fundraising consultant

How to hire a fundraising consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fundraising consultant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fundraising consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fundraising consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The fundraising consultant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a fundraising consultant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a fundraising consultant that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of fundraising consultants.

   Type of Fundraising Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Fundraising Consultant	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$22-67
   Manager Of Special Events	A manager of special events is responsible for organizing events and programs for a company and various organizations. Managers of special events monitor the event procedures from conceptualization to the actual execution... Show more	$14-48
   Social Media Director	Social Media Directors are responsible for the promotion of an organization's brand, services, and products through social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They are responsible for implementing a social media strategy, tracking social media presence, keeping abreast of social media trends, and adopting new social media channels... Show more	$19-59

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Capital Campaign
   • Non-Profit Organization
   • Database Management
   • Event Planning
   • Fundraising Campaigns
   • Alumni
   • Campaign Strategies
   • Fundraising Strategy
   • Press Releases
   • Event Management
   • Fund Development
   • Organizational Structure
   • Cold Calls
   • Donor Research

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and monitor donor tracking system via Salesforce to ensure the integrity of organization's donor base.
   • Develop and implement a new governance infrastructure for an alumni association to include both national and international graduates.
   • Job include daily maintenance of NGP database which include; entering disbursements, contributions and balancing the database in-house.
   • Compose email blasts for various campaigns using MailChimp, NationBuilder, and NGP, including HTML and CSS coding.
   • Work with both candidates on successful major-gift solicitation practices, high-dollar events, and PAC solicitations.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your fundraising consultant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A fundraising consultant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, fundraising consultants' average salary in florida is 43% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level fundraising consultants 66% less than senior-level fundraising consultants.
   • Certifications. A fundraising consultant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a fundraising consultant's salary.

   Average fundraising consultant salary

   $81,853yearly

   $39.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level fundraising consultant salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 1, 2026

4. Writing a fundraising consultant job description

   A fundraising consultant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a fundraising consultant job description:

   Fundraising consultant job description example

   The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) is a regional non-profit organization dedicated to improving the education, health, and well-being of youth and communities of color by empowering them to enact social change through research, training, and community mobilization. For more than 12 years, the Social Justice Learning Institute has been working to reduce the conditions which create disparities among communities of color, creating opportunities for youth development and advancing youth justice. We do this by building capacity for individuals and communities to advocate for their needs, train and build leaders, educate and empower youth and community members to identify and rectify injustice.

   
   

   The Social Justice Learning Institute is seeking a seasoned Development & Fundraising Consultant to place on contract for an initial period of up to six (6) months to develop and implement an executive regional fundraising strategy. This role will explore bilateral, foundation, corporate and individual revenue sources. The Consultant will report directly to the Associate Director of Houston Operations and Programs.

   
   

   Scope of Work

   SJLI is seeking a Development Consultant with a proven track record for excellence in developing fundraising plans and developing an organization's fundraising capacity.

   
   

   The consultant’s responsibilities will include:

   1. Project Preparation:: Attend a kick-off meeting with the staff to align on scope, priorities, work plan, and deliverables; attend regular meetings with staff thereafter; and attend periodic meetings (remotely) with the Board, as requested.
   2. Analysis: Conduct an audit of SJLI’s fundraising capacity and infrastructure to recommend areas for improvement, including areas of internal strengths & weaknesses and external opportunities & challenges that will inform the fundraising plan and ensure success;
   3. Research: Identify untapped fundraising and grant opportunities and prepare a report including relevant information, including application procedures and deadlines for grant-making institutions;
   4. Donor Prospecting:: Develop a vetted list of potential major donors and assist staff in developing relationships and making connections;
   5. Organizational Systems:: Update and assist staff in managing the annual fund development calendar of appeals, publications, and events;
   6. External Communications: In coordination with SJLI’s Communications Team, develop key messages, materials, cases for support, proposals, and other donor communications and events as they pertain to the mission of SJLI;
   7. Integration & Reporting: Develop multi-year fund development plan and implementation strategy to increase unrestricted revenue.

   Preferred Qualifications

   • Houston based consultant that is available to travel throughout the Greater Houston area;
   • Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, with a successful track record of engaging donors and strengthening donor relationships and building systems;
   • Demonstrated track-record in securing gifts/grants from multiple revenue sources;
   • Strong passion for SJLI’s vision for social justice and equity

   If interested in being considered for this consultancy, please provide the following:

   
   

   1. CV;
   2. A narrative that addresses how the goals and Scope of Work described herein will be accomplished;
   3. Fee proposal.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right fundraising consultant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find fundraising consultant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting fundraising consultants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fundraising consultant

   Once you've found the fundraising consultant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new fundraising consultant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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