Best Practices for Selecting the Right Consultants for a Job

Retaining consultants with expertise in different areas enables the Jim Joseph Foundation to better support grantee-partners and take a more holistic approach to philanthropy. Whether looking for consultants for evaluation and research, strategic planning, event facilitation or any other specialized area, we crowd-sourced ideas from our team to think about best practices borne from our own experience hiring consultants and from supporting many grantee partners through this process. In the spirit of helping others in the field, here are some important points to keep in mind when undertaking a process to select a consultant:

Utilize Every Step of the Request for Proposal Process as a Way to Gather Information
Providing a Request for Proposal (RFP) helps ensure clarity around the project and is a space to provide information (and expectations) about the timeline, budget, communications, deliverables and more. Share the RFP with plenty of time before the project starts so potential consultants can develop thoughtful proposals that answer each question with as much detail as possible. For each proposal received, look to see if the potential consultant responded to questions with specificity, unique to your project or if they used a template.

Talk with people who have worked with the consultant (or consultants) before on similar projects to learn about the experience. Find out if the consultants’ work proved to be valuable. If you are considering a larger firm, ask for references who have worked with the specific team or individual who would lead your project.

Read the full article in eJewish Philanthropy