The Real Cost of Hiring the Wrong Consultant (or None at All)

When it comes to launching a capital campaign, one of the biggest early decisions a nonprofit makes is whether (and who) to hire as a consultant. It’s also one of the most expensive mistakes when the wrong choice is made—or when no consultant is brought in at all.

Over the years, our team has been called in to “fix” a surprising number of situations that could have been avoided with the right partnership and process in place from the start. Here are three examples of how costly those early missteps can be.

The stories below are composite examples—fictionalized blends of real patterns we’ve seen across organizations of all sizes. The details have been changed, but the lessons are very real.

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1. The Feasibility Study That Missed the Mark

One organization came to us after completing what they thought was a thorough, consultant-led feasibility study.

The problem? The consultant hadn’t actually engaged their top donor prospects directly. Instead, the study relied mostly on surveys and a few mid-level interviews. The final report summarized everything in aggregate—anonymous feedback and generalized giving capacity estimates—with no individual insights to guide real strategy.

That meant the leadership team had no idea which donors were enthusiastic, hesitant, or completely unaware of the project. So when they started making asks, they were:

• Requesting the wrong gift amounts,

• Missing opportunities to deepen relationships, and

• Moving ahead with solicitations before prospects were ready.

The result? They had to pause mid-campaign to rebuild their donor strategy from the ground up. The information they had wasn’t actionable—it looked good on paper but couldn’t support real conversations.

That’s exactly why Fundraising Sol uses a supportive feasibility approach. We ensure organizations not only get accurate data, but also the tools, context, and follow-up strategies to act on it. A feasibility study shouldn’t end with a report—it should end with readiness. A feasibility study shouldn’t end with a report—it should end with readiness and relationships.

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2. The Case of the Missing Feasibility Study

Another organization skipped the feasibility step altogether. They had a vision, a building plan, and an architect’s estimate—and assumed that number should be their campaign goal.

They announced the project publicly with enthusiasm… only to realize later that construction costs had risen and the goal they set wasn’t high enough to make the building a reality.

We were called in to help rework their campaign plan and reset the “working goal.” That meant crafting careful, corrective communication to donors who had already given or pledged. The organization had to go back and ask for additional funds to “finish the building”—a hard ask that can damage credibility and donor trust.

Had they tested assumptions early through a guided feasibility process, they could have launched confidently with a goal the community understood and supported.

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3. The Consultant Who Left Staff Drowning

Sometimes, the wrong consultant doesn’t show up as a bad fit right away—it’s revealed in what’s missing.

In one case, an organization hired a consultant who was friendly, experienced, and well-intentioned—but didn’t offer structure. There were no agendas for meetings, no templates for donor communication, and no guidance for prospecting or follow-up.

Staff were left to create everything from scratch—letters, slides, tracking tools—on top of their already full plates. Without clear systems or accountability, progress slowed and overwhelm set in fast.

By the time the organization reached out to us, their campaign team was exhausted and frustrated. What they needed wasn’t just expertise—it was infrastructure.

At Fundraising Sol, we build those systems in from day one: agendas, recaps, communication templates, prospect tracking tools, and meeting facilitation support. Because a campaign consultant’s job isn’t to hand you more work—it’s to help you carry it.

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The Takeaway

Hiring the wrong consultant—or skipping one altogether—can cost your organization more than money. It can cost time, credibility, and trust.

A good consultant doesn’t just deliver a report or a campaign plan. They bring clarity, accountability, and alignment between your board, staff, and donors—so you can move forward with confidence and integrity.

Because in fundraising, doing it right the first time isn’t just cheaper. It’s smarter.

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Frances Roen: Frances Roen is a Georgia girl at heart, and has been graciously adopted by beautiful,

snowy Minnesota. She is a forty-something daughter, friend, mom, wife, and entrepreneur, and is always on the look-out for a perfectly fried piece of chicken.

Frances is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) with nearly 20 years of experience fundraising and has raised over $200M for nonprofits. She has held fundraising positions at The Bakken Museum, Augustana Care Corporation, and YouthLink and consulted with dozens of nonprofits clients across the globe. In these roles she has been responsible for all aspects of fundraising including comprehensive campaigns, major and planned gifts, annual funds, events, communications, corporate partnerships and volunteers.