When people think about nonprofit consultants, it’s often as a temporary role. We are not employees, so it’s assumed we come and go. But what we’ve seen at Page Consulting has been the opposite: in many cases, we have been a consistent, stabilizing force within an organization over time precisely because we sit outside of the employer-employee dynamic.
We’ve partnered with organizations through many different leadership transitions. In some cases, we’ve provided continuity during executive transitions, remaining alongside the organization as one leader departs and another steps in. In others, we’ve been brought in by a newly hired executive director to help stabilize and strengthen their grants program during their first months on the job. We’ve also supported organizations through development director transitions, worked with nonprofits hiring their very first executive director, and helped build grant programs that were intentionally designed to be brought in-house over time. In those situations, our role extended beyond writing grants. We helped establish systems, document processes, and onboard new staff to ensure a smooth and sustainable transition.
In each of those cases, having an outside grant consultant meant the systems and operations facing funders stayed consistent while the staff changed – a meaningful steadiness during what can otherwise be a period of significant instability.
Why Does Development Director Turnover Matter for Your Grants Program?
The first is how common development director turnover is. It is not unusual for a development director to leave within a few years. In UnderDeveloped, a national study of more than 2,700 executive directors and development directors, half of development directors said they expected to leave their current job within two years (CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund). When those positions became vacant, they remained open an average of 6 months, and 46 percent of organizations reported vacancies lasting longer than that, in some cases for several years. Fifty-three percent of executive directors said their most recent search did not attract enough qualified candidates. That last number matters: not only are these positions vacant for a long time, but they are hard to fill, period. So the window where the grants function sits unowned is longer than one would initially assume, and it does not close cleanly when someone finally accepts the job.
The second is that an executive director transition is one of the least stable moments in an organization’s life. Because most nonprofit resources go toward services rather than management infrastructure, organizations tend to lean heavily on a single person, leaving them especially vulnerable when that person leaves (Annie E. Casey Foundation). The departure ripples outward. Staff wait to see what the new direction will be; some decide not to wait, and the development function is often among the first to feel it. Funders notice, too. Program officers who built a relationship with the outgoing executive director want to know who they are talking to now and whether the strategy they funded still holds. Meanwhile, the calendar does not pause. Reports come due, renewals come up, and new opportunities open and close on their own schedule, regardless of who is in the chair.
What Does a Grant Consultant Manage During a Transition?
Grant consultants are not maintaining relationships with the funders. Those relationships belong to the organization. They belong to your executive director, your development director, your program staff, and your board. A consultant who accumulates personal relationships with your funders has built something you cannot inherit, which can, in turn, become a liability.
As grant consultants working on an ongoing fundraising strategy, we are maintaining the operational layer. When the grants are due. When reporting happens. What was applied for last year, and what came of it. The history and the continuity that stay steady through a transition, and that let us brief a new executive director when they come on board, so those relationships can be picked back up rather than rebuilt. We can also coach through transitions, teeing up communications so an interim executive director or another leader can maintain the relationship with the funder.
The Three Advantages of Working with a Grant Consultant During a Transition
1. We hold institutional knowledge on your funders
We build, track, and help maintain institutional and historical knowledge on funders that is essential for maintaining and growing strong relationships. We know what has been applied for, what is planned, where there may be room to increase an ask, and knowledge on contacts and previous communications. Some of this may live in your organization’s CRM or in spreadsheets (fingers crossed!), but more often than not, it takes someone who was there to draw that information together and add nuance.
2. We sit outside the organizational structure
If the nonprofit’s staffing and responsibilities are being reorganized, that’s ok: because we sit outside the organizational structure, we can still remain focused on a fixed piece of work. Our work is not closely tied to other development responsibilities, as often happens when grant work is added to someone’s “expanded job description”.
3. We understand your internal operations
Every organization is different. The relationship between grants, development, finance, and the executive director is one we already understand and practice, so we can navigate it as existing roles shift and new ones are created.
When Should a Nonprofit Hire a Grant Consultant?
People ask why they’d hire a grant writing consultant instead of building the role in-house. The honest answer is that it depends on the organization – where it is now, where it’s headed, and what it’s building toward. We’ve stepped in successfully at every stage: before a leadership transition, immediately after a transition, and even alongside a move to bring the work in-house. Often, even when an in-house hire is the goal, an organization needs a stabilizing force for that to happen: someone to build the systems, establish prospect priorities, and get the grants program running with the explicit intention of transitioning it to staff later. We can provide that staging work, then help onboard the person who takes it over.
Every transition looks a little different. If your organization is preparing for an executive or development director transition—or you’re in the middle of one and wondering how to keep your grants program moving—we’re always happy to talk it through. We offer a free 30-minute consultation to nonprofit leaders because sometimes a short conversation is all it takes to clarify your next steps. If we can help, we’d love to hear from you.
Build a Stronger Grants Program
Strong grants programs don’t happen by accident. They are built through thoughtful strategy, focused prospect research, clear communication, and practical systems that can withstand the inevitable changes every nonprofit experiences.
Our Free Grants Strategy Webinar Series is designed specifically for small nonprofits and explores each phase of building a sustainable grants program.
Ready to Go Deeper?
If you’re ready to move beyond strategy into implementation, our hands-on workshops help nonprofit leaders apply these concepts using practical tools, templates, and personalized guidance designed specifically for their organizations.
Need Support for Your Organization?
Whether you’re preparing for a leadership transition, building your grants program, or looking for a long-term fundraising partner, we’re always happy to talk through your goals.
Schedule a Free 30-Minute Consultation