Cost and Time Factors: Consultant

Budgeting for a Consultant

Hiring a consultant will probably be the biggest expenditure of your inclusiveness initiative. The cost will depend upon your organization's needs and approach to the initiative; cost variables related to consultants include:

• Whether you work with a consultant to manage the entire process.
• The extent to which you utilize consultants to gather data for the information gathering process.
• The types of resources you employ to gather data during the information-gathering phase.
• How in-depth your inclusiveness/diversity training is.
• Whether or not you use external evaluators to measure your progress.

Fees for consultants vary widely and depend in part on where your organization is located as well as the number of consultants involved, the work performed, and the contract negotiated. Fees can be project-based or figured at an hourly rate. An average range for nonprofit consultants is $75 - $175/hour. (Consultants who work mostly with corporations or very large nonprofits may have rates as much as $250/hour or higher.)

The following is a range of hours for each area of work for which a typical nonprofit with a staff of 50 or fewer might want to use the services of a consultant throughout an inclusiveness initiative:

• Overall Guidance: 20-60 hours
• Information Gathering: 30-60 hours
• Inclusiveness Training: 20-40 hours*
• Evaluation: 10-20 hours

*Note that this number may be higher if you have a large organization that requires multiple separate trainings.

Note that the numbers are rough estimates only. The larger an organization and the more complex the issues facing an organization (e.g. legal compliance issues) the more assistance from consultants will be needed.

How Much Will It Cost to Complete an Inclusiveness Initiative (Or to Do Less Comprehensive Inclusiveness Work)?

Who Does the Training and How Much Should It Cost?

Costs of Not Being Inclusive