Arts organisations must learn to respect consultants if they want to get value for money, argues Alice Devitt.
One of our more significant arts flagships? development departments recently recognised that an understanding of the sort of houses and areas that their supporters lived in might provide clues when targeting their recruitment activity. They decided to gain this valuable marketing intelligence by sending people on mopeds to drive by and try to figure out what sort of people lived in particular streets. It would have been a better story if they?d actually whizzed past at 40 mph deciding if Neo-Georgian in Muswell Hill offered a better return on investment than Herts mock-Tudor, but fortunately they were stopped and gently advised that their marketing department, who have wasted much breath describing geo-demographic profiling, might already have access to this information. I know the individuals involved so this story is likely to be true. I may have needed Tena Lady?s most robust product but my opinion of the organisation remains unscathed. It produces wonderful art and raises money in spite of some of its staff. Other consultants are another matter: with much eye-rolling and giggling they just can?t take the organisation seriously.
Dim is one thing but mendacious or sloppy behaviour on the part of a client is another matter. Consultants and freelancers repeatedly see the same basic scenarios in one organisation after another. There are rarely more than three possible interpretations of any particular behaviour. When clients stop communicating, don?t ask for what they really want, are aggressive, change the parameters of the contract, sit on invoices or fail to credit work, it?s usually fairly obvious why they are doing it. Sometimes projects go cold and momentum drains away. A cycle of cynicism is set up where both clients and consultants are at fault and the work suffers.
A good deal
When the client behaves courteously, prepares a rigorous brief, asks tough questions and proactively works in partnership, then good work happens. Consultants prefer to work this way and perform better. Organisations receive a better deal as a result.
Playing silly games is a quick way to lose respect. A close friend was approached to re-launch a youth arts company. After a rapturous meeting with the Chair, she was then asked to talk to the Board for forty-five minutes, wait outside for fifteen minutes while they decided to appoint, and, if appropriate, she was to rejoin them to help plan an imminent gala. This screamed that she was the only candidate and they were desperate. Then plans changed and she was asked to meet for half an hour and that she would be told of the decision the next day. All through the meeting the Chair was like a cat on hot bricks. His body language became increasingly agitated when the Board asked too many supplementary questions or my friend answered at length. As the half-hour struck my friend was interrupted in mid-sentence and practically frogmarched out of the room. They thought they were being terribly clever but it was very clear they needed her to leave promptly as they were talking to someone else afterwards. She was able to read their change of circumstance easily. Their lack of honesty was completely unnecessary and they lost all professional credibility.
Organisations often have to hire in extra resources for arcane activities like fundraising and higher-level marketing. It can be difficult to recognise what ?good? looks like but you can use some common sense and retain credibility. Don?t necessarily use the consultants already known to you. If you want someone to overhaul a membership scheme and they?ve done some marketing or major donor fundraising then ask for evidence of their experience, as you would with any other staff. I would expect a major gift consultant to have raised significant money from major gifts and a membership consultant to have actually run several schemes. Word of mouth recommendation can be tricky. I have heard of recommendations of inadequate or unethical performers who are well known but who have left a trail of dissatisfied customers. I?ve mopped up after a few but they continue to be recommended, often by people who have only worked with them peripherally, such as Board members.
Delivery
Try and observe a rigorous process with a thought-through brief, a contract and agreed ways of working. Realistically assessing timeframes, resources and organisational input is important. Delivering on deadlines, or proactively extending them, adds to your credibility and demonstrates your expectations to your consultant. I am horrified by the number of templated fundraising solutions I come across. One size does not fit all. The nature of the work, previous funding history, internal resources and the composition of the Board will dictate strongly what fundraising streams are available to you. Stress the need for a specifically tailored proposal. If public appeals are suggested when you have no donor or ticketing database, then ask for specific detail on how this might be achieved. Little-known organisations with small databases need to think carefully about corporate involvement.
I don?t know a single consultant or freelance who doesn?t want to produce effective, creative work whenever possible. As human beings we work better when motivated. Mutual respect and excitement about the project are the keys to success. I am very lucky in that most of my clients know how to get the best from me. They make great work, are courteous, shrewd, appreciative, and engaged in the process. They push me to do better, ask difficult questions and communicate with me in a real partnership. I?d saw my arm off to do a good job for them.
Alice Devitt runs Mongoose Arts Marketing.
t: 07766 635552;
e: mongoosearts@yahoo.co.uk
The care and feeding of fundraising consultants
? Try to spend time thinking through what you actually want. Think how much input will realistically be needed from you. Even though you are outsourcing activity, most fundraising requires significant organisational input
? Prepare a formal brief with expected outcomes and timescales
? Good consultants can look beyond the brief to what you actually need
? Can you run a consultant?s proposal past an expert in the field from another sector? Most principles are the same
? If you are using a known consultant for a new area of work, ask for evidence that they can actually help you
? For feasibility and marketing strategies try to gain sight of a previous client?s proposal. If it doesn?t take account of differences between your organisations, you?ve been templated
? Does the consultant have a contract with terms and conditions including payment schedules?
? It may be hard to imagine but consultants are people too! You will gain much through courtesy, motivation and constructive feedback
? Answer emails. It?s dispiriting being ignored and they are usually contacting you for a reason. You will go to the bottom of their list of priorities
? Deliver on any promised deadlines or proactively push the deadline back, explaining why. Expect your consultants to do the same
? Think holistically. A great deal of fundraising work needs to tie into other activity. If you are planning an event or a campaign that impinges on their work, invite them to contribute to any planning meetings. They can add real value and they will work better with your staff.