When an organisation hires a fundraising consultant, it’s often because fresh perspective and expert analysis are needed. But too often, leadership and staff try to “guide” the consultant toward conclusions they already want—nudging recommendations to reflect their personal preferences or pre-decided outcomes.

This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Here’s why it undermines the very reason you brought the consultant in.

1. You’re Paying for Independent Expertise, Not Echoes

A fundraising consultant’s value lies in their ability to see the organisation objectively. They are not tied to internal politics, biases, or legacy decisions. If you start influencing their recommendations before they’ve completed their discovery, you strip away the impartiality that makes their advice worth having.

2. It Skews the Discovery Process

The discovery phase is designed to unearth truths—through data analysis, stakeholder interviews, and process review. If you start steering the consultant to match your desires, the process becomes corrupted. Instead of surfacing opportunities and blind spots, it risks producing a pre-scripted outcome that ignores the organisation’s reality.

3. You Risk Masking Real Problems

Sometimes leaders want a fundraising consultant to validate the status quo rather than challenge it. But if you suppress uncomfortable truths, the underlying issues—outdated strategies, weak donor stewardship, flawed technology—remain unaddressed. A consultant who’s allowed to draw their own conclusions can help you face what needs to change, even if it’s tough to hear.

4. You Waste Time and Money

Hiring a consultant is an investment. If you sway them into telling you what you want to hear, you’re essentially paying for a rubber stamp rather than strategic insight. The end product won’t move the needle, and you’ll be back at square one when the same issues resurface.

5. It Damages Credibility with Stakeholders

Board members, funders, and staff expect consultants to deliver independent recommendations. If stakeholders sense the findings were massaged or predetermined, the credibility of the whole project collapses. Worse, it may create mistrust that damages leadership’s reputation.

6. You Miss Out on Growth

A fundraising consultants brings lessons learned from dozens and often hundreds of organisations. Their role is to challenge assumptions, push boundaries, and offer fresh solutions you may not have considered. If you cut that short by pushing your agenda, you miss the chance to learn and grow in ways that could transform your fundraising outcomes.

Trust the Process

You hired a fundraising consultant for their independent perspective—so let them do their job. Respect the discovery process, resist the temptation to pre-shape recommendations, and embrace the findings with an open mind. Even if the results are different from what you expected, they’re more likely to lead you toward lasting, meaningful change.