In the first place, when you are working as a fundraising consultant, you will find that you are going to be working independently and that you will be finding work with the nonprofit organizations out there that interest you. You will be working with them in an attempt to raise capital for the work that they are trying to do, and you will find that there are many ways to do exactly that. You are going to be the person who is charge of every aspect of the fundraising at the planning stage. You may be called upon to put together a budget or a program, or you might be someone who is called in to plan an event. You are most likely going to be called in on a project-by-project basis and this might be a type of career who suits someone who loves change and variety.
When you are working as a fundraising consultant, you will find that your first duty will likely be to work with the community. You may be in a place where you need to communicate with the public based on what the nonprofit is going to be doing, and you will find that this is something that can make a huge difference when you are thinking about getting the word out there about what they are trying to do. You may be coordinating with Internet advertising or you might be working with local media to get your point across. In many cases, you will also find that you are in a place where you are going to be able to speak in public about the cause that you are currently working with as well.
You will find that this is a job where you are going to need to think about how you communicate with people. You will be dealing with people within the organization and with the public. If you are doing a banquet, for example, you will also find that you are in a place where you have to coordinate things like the venue, the catering, and the entertainment. The more time that you spend working with people the more successful you are likely to be, so think about how you feel about working with people and sharing responsibilities for many important duties. If you are going to be a fundraising consultant, you can bet that you need to be a people person!
One thing that you might want to be aware of is the fact that a degree is not required. This is work that you can do well as long as you have the experience to do it. However, you also need to have plenty of experience when it comes to raising money and to working with nonprofits. This is where looking into internships with various nonprofits can serve you well, as can doing a lot of volunteer work on top of it. The more you know people and the more that you are willing to network, the better off you are going to be.
Take some time and make sure that you consider whether a career as a fundraising consultant is for you. Is this a position that you think would suit you, and are you interested in working with your favorite causes? This can be a position that really suits you, so see what your options are.
