Crafting an RFP that ensures a successful partnership with the right fundraising agency partner can be tricky. Asking these four questions during the RFP process will help you find the most suitable candidates.
#1 Does their fundraising philosophy align with yours?
Rather than looking for partners who have experience working with organizations like yours, consider a more valuable approach: Does the agency’s mindset align with your organization? How forward-thinking or conservative are their methods?
#2 What information could help prevent inaccurate projections or unlock new ideas?
Asking for projections in an RFP can be problematic. It can be difficult for an agency to provide accurate projections based on the limited information provided in an RFP. Consider including information on the current state of your program. That way, agencies can recommend new ideas that will enhance your fundraising.
#3 What's their problem-solving experience?
Asking an agency, “What are your differentiators?” can be unhelpful. Potential partners rarely have sufficient insight into their competitors to give you useful information. Instead, ask candidates to share how they’ve overcome obstacles or applied creative solutions to challenges. You could even have them address a specific problem your organization is facing.
#4 Can you try before you buy?
Rethink the traditional RFP timeline and ask partners if they’ll consider a half-day working session to whiteboard the initial strategy. This will give you a feel for how the collective team approaches solutions. It will also give you a glimpse of the type of working relationship you can expect.
In Conclusion
Finding the right agency partner is vital. These questions will help you to break traditional conventions that may be limiting you and find a partner that is truly the best fit for your organization.
Are you issuing an RFP to find a partner to help take your fundraising program to the next level? We'd love to be considered! As an agency built by fundraisers for fundraisers, Pursuant has helped hundreds of organizations raise billions of dollars through our direct response, direct mail, digital, and analytics services. Reach out to a member of our team at info@pursuant.com.