I run a consultancy south of Perth. I also sit on a charity board and work part-time as a community chaplain. So I see this from three sides: the person giving advice, the person receiving it, and the person on the front line who has to live with the result.
That is why I want to be straight about what a charity consultant does. Some are very good. Some are expensive and leave you with a report nobody opens. Here is how I would tell the difference.
What a consultant can do
A good charity consultant helps you think clearly and then helps you act. In my work that usually means five things.
- Strategy and planning. Facilitating the conversations that turn a vague hope into a plan your team can follow.
- Funding pipelines and grant readiness. Working out where your income should come from, getting your documents in order, and supporting applications, including Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
- Board resets and governance. Helping a board get clear on its role, its meetings and its duties.
- Storytelling and donor communication. Helping you say what you do in plain words that people want to back.
- Coaching the leader. A steady voice for the person carrying the organisation, who often has nobody to think out loud with.
What a consultant cannot do
A consultant cannot run your organisation. If someone promises to, be careful.
A consultant is not a fundraiser. I can help you build the pipeline and sharpen the pitch. I can't sit in your office and ask for the money every week. Someone on your side has to do that.
And a consultant cannot fix a board that will not meet. If directors won't turn up, read the papers or make decisions, no framework will help. I can help a willing board get better. I can't make an unwilling one care.
When you probably need one
These are the moments I see most often.
- The founder is the bottleneck. Every decision, every relationship and every funding conversation runs through one person. It works until it doesn't.
- Income depends on one source. One grant, one donor or one government contract. If it stops, so do you.
- The board is drifting. Meetings are long, decisions are few and nobody is sure who is responsible for what.
- A big change is coming. A rebrand, a merger, or stepping out from under an auspice body to stand on your own.
- The leader is burning out. I see this a lot as a chaplain. People who give everything to a cause often leave themselves last.
When you probably don't
Sometimes the honest answer is no.
If you need hands, not advice, hire help instead. A part-time administrator or a part-time fundraiser will do more for you than any strategy document. Advice is worth little if nobody has the hours to act on it.
If you have not yet decided what you want, wait. A consultant can help you choose between good options. They can't choose your mission for you. Spend some time with your board and your people first, then bring in help.
How to choose one
If you are searching for a charity consultant in Perth, or anywhere else, ask these four questions.
- What have you actually done with organisations my size? Big-firm experience does not always translate to a small charity with three staff and a volunteer board.
- Will you work on retainer, or only deliver a one-off report? Reports are easy to write and easy to ignore.
- What happens in month one? You should hear something specific, not a list of phases.
- Will you tell me no? If a consultant agrees with everything you say, you are paying for comfort, not advice.
A good consultant will answer all four without fuss. If they dodge, keep looking.
How we work at TenXed
TenXed works mostly on monthly retainers. That is not about locking anyone in. It is because one-off reports sit in drawers. Real change happens in the weeks after the workshop, when someone is there to help you take the next step and the one after that.
I work in person across Perth and the Peel region, and online with charities, churches and community organisations anywhere in Australia. The first hour is free, and if I am not the right fit I will say so.
Where to start
If you are not sure whether you need a consultant at all, take the free five-minute quick check. It will show you where your organisation is strong and where it needs attention.
If you would rather talk it through, book your free hour. Bring your questions, and your doubts. I would rather you leave with a clear next step, even if it is one you can take without me.