This is the third post in the How to Start a Nonprofit Side Hustle series.
Now that I’m working for myself full-time, people often ask me how I got into consulting in the first place. It’s kind of a funny question to answer, though, because I never actually set out to be a consultant. Those of you who’ve been regular readers of this blog know that I’ve been working in nonprofits since I was in college. I was so inspired by the work and found a niche in being able to put my otherwise-unmarketable English major skills to use in grantwriting. Then when I graduated, people told me I should move from Richmond, Virginia to Washington, DC because that’s where all the nonprofits were. And lo and behold they were right! I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in nonprofit management and did fundraising for almost eight years. Along the way, I got really interested in leadership development due to the organizations and programs I was working with. And so I started blogging about leadership issues in the nonprofit sector as I saw them. And then people actually started reading my blog and inviting me to come speak at events and do workshops and create programs. Then I started telling them they should pay me because I just couldn’t do that much work for free. And that’s how I became a consultant.
You all may recall my 2008 post announcing Thurman Consulting for the very first time. I did that to let people know that I was available for speaking and consulting, but that I wasn’t going to do all this stuff for free. Even if I wanted to, I just didn’t have the time while working a full-time job. I also wanted to make some extra money to supplement my nonprofit salary at the time. At the end of that first year, I had earned an additional $10,000 to add on to my income, which said to me that consulting might be something I could really make a living at.
For those who are thinking about hanging their own shingle while they still have the security of a full-time job, I offer a few lessons learned from my own experience in testing the waters first.
Tell people what you do
When I was a Development Director at my previous organization, I would meet other nonprofit leaders at events and tell them that I managed the fundraising for the organization. Since most nonprofits struggle with raising money, it was a conversation starter where folks often ended up asking me about fundraising trends or advice on how to find good grantwriters. As a result of my networking, I was asked to provide pro-bono training for a nonprofit board of directors to get them more engaged in fundraising. I was thrilled to do it because it gave me experience in delivering a workshop to board members and the nonprofit also gave me a great reference on LinkedIn for potential clients to see.
Volunteer to do pro-bono consulting
Providing pro-bono support for an organization can be an easy way to gain experience and build confidence in your consulting abilities. Especially if you don’t have 10 or 20 years of nonprofit work experience under your belt, it can be really difficult to convince yourself that you have something so amazing to offer an organization that they would pay you for it. I did free training for a board of directors. As another example, Beth Oppenheim over at 25 & Trying recently launched a pro-bono fundraising business to build her skills. Beth started a new blog as a home for her new venture, which she describes this way:
I am in the midst of taking my career as an experienced and dedicated fundraiser to the next level. My passion for writing has been what I contribute most to the nonprofit world. I am an experienced grant writer, and am looking for new clients! Right now, all of my work is Free. Yes, that’s right, free. I would love to work with your organization!
Speak for free
My very first speaking engagement was as a panelist for the Who’s Got Next? Addressing the Leadership Crisis Among African-American Organizations. I looked at the current speaker list, and realized that there were no young nonprofit leaders slated to talk about our experiences. So I emailed the conference organizer with my bio, we followed up with a phone conversation, and they added me to the panel. I prepared and overprepared and gave the best remarks I could. Then, people began to contact me for other speaking opportunities as a result of seeing me on that panel. And guess what? The second speaking engagement after that first one I did for free was actually paid. If you want to get into the spotlight, public speaking is a great way to start to share your expertise within nonprofit networks. But don’t wait for someone to ask you to participate in an event or conference; the first step may be you reaching out to them. It’s great exposure, and you never know how many potential clients might be in the audience. Also, be sure to keep a good bio handy for when you see an opportunity to volunteer your time and expertise.
Are you thinking about getting into the nonprofit consulting world? What are some other ways to test the waters?
Image credit: dunxs1
Up Next: How to Start a Nonprofit Side Hustle: Sarah’s Story
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