Choosing the Right Consultant for Your Nonprofit: How Better Way Consulting Aligns with Best Practices
Nonprofits increasingly turn to consultants for strategic planning, program evaluation, and operational improvement. When chosen well, a consultant can provide invaluable guidance, helping organizations refine their mission and maximize their impact. However, consulting services can be expensive, and with growing financial pressures, nonprofits must strategically select the right consultant for their needs.
That’s why empowerment is at the heart of what we do at Better Way Consulting. We don’t just provide solutions; we equip organizations with the data-driven insights they need to make the best possible decisions for long-term success.
A recent article by Leah Reisman, based on her extensive research on nonprofit consulting, highlights three critical steps organizations should take when choosing a consultant. Below, we explore these steps and how Better Way Consulting’s core values align with these best practices to ensure our clients receive meaningful, effective, and ethical guidance.
1. Advice: Question Assumptions
Our Approach: We Value Partnership, Not Assumptions
Reisman advises nonprofit leaders to challenge their assumptions about which consultant is the best fit. The most well-known name isn’t always the right choice—what matters is finding a consultant who truly understands your organization and its unique challenges.
At Better Way Consulting, we believe in partnership—consulting should be a collaboration, not a prescription. Rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions, we take the time to learn from you.
We cultivate unique partnerships rooted in collaboration, mutual support, and humility, ensuring that our approach is tailored to your nonprofit’s needs. Our expertise, built on years of research and practical experience, serves to enhance your goals, not override them. By prioritizing understanding and mutual learning, we ensure our recommendations are based on your mission and not just industry trends.
2. Advice: Spend Strategically
Our Approach: We Value Integrity, Not Profits
Reisman emphasizes the importance of spending consulting dollars wisely, ensuring that services align with actual needs rather than being influenced by persuasive sales tactics.
At Better Way Consulting, integrity is at the core of our approach. We don’t just provide answers; we pursue methodological excellence, ensuring trust and confidence in our findings. We will never upsell you or push unnecessary services. Our mission is to make your organization truly better using only the most rigorous and relevant methods.
That’s why we offer free consultations—to help you clarify your needs and determine the best course of action before making any financial commitments. Our research and evaluation process is rooted in transparency and clarity, so you can trust that every dollar you spend is an investment in meaningful impact.
3. Advice: Question Power Dynamics
Our Approach: We Value Justice and Empowerment, Not Pandering
Reisman warns that power dynamics can skew the consulting process, with consultants often prioritizing the opinions of funders and executives over those of frontline staff and the communities they serve.
At Better Way Consulting, we believe in justice—consulting is about elevating all voices, not just those with the most power. Whether your engagement with us is grant-funded or a direct investment from your operational budget, we ensure that all relevant perspectives are heard. We actively seek to elevate disadvantaged voices in our processes and partnerships because we know that a more inclusive data collection process yields more accurate and actionable results.
Our stakeholder analyses ensure that no critical voices are left out, and our commitment to empowerment means we provide the tools and knowledge necessary for your organization to continue making informed, data-driven decisions long after our work together is complete.
Conclusion: A Better Way Forward
Choosing the right consultant is critical to your nonprofit’s success. By questioning assumptions, spending strategically, and addressing power dynamics, organizations can ensure they receive high-quality, mission-aligned support. At Better Way Consulting, we embody these principles in every client engagement, simply by virtue of our values of Empowerment, Integrity, Justice, Development, and Partnership.
If you’re looking for a consulting partner who listens, collaborates, and prioritizes your nonprofit’s mission above all else, we’re here for you. Let’s build a better way—together.
