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FAQ

Here-4-You Consulting reviews each interaction with clients to determine if they can improve any portion of their operation. We provide this portion of the website as a means to share responses to our most commonly asked questions. 

We will notify our monthly email subscribers of changes in this section of the website. We will also update these pages on a regular basis.

YES! All Here-4-You Consulting packages are offered with a payment plan. Our payment plans are usually structured be about 25% paid in a down payment upon initiating the contract for services followed by 10 equal payments of the remaining balance and do not charge any interest or fees. Our payment plans are available on our consultation packages.

Fees vary based on the level of services selected by your organization.  Most often these are determined through a Free Consultation process offered to your organization. We have a variety of service levels which include the Jump Start Package, The Grant Ready Package, and the Full Service Grant Writing Contracts.

We also have several other products such as our Grant Feasibility Testing and Grant Market Analysis, the Christian Funding Directory, individual grant development, and hourly consultation.

More about what each package includes can be found on our Servicespage, and more information about fees can be found on our Levels of Service and Fees page, or call our staff at (866) 437-3481 to discuss this in more detail.

Here-4-You Consulting does not and will not work on commission, percentage, or a bonus basis. We work on a flat fee for our services which are most commonly paid to us on a monthly basis and are based on an annual contract for services.

There are a number of reasons for this decision. The first and foremost reason is that the ethics of our profession state that it is not ethical to accept a percentage or commission based compensation. This standard is repeatedly stated by the major organizations that set the standards for our field. This includes the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) and the Christian Stewardship Association (CSA). (Click for more details)

We can establish a contract with you so that our services are continuously available and provided for an extended period of time. This type of arrangement offers many benefits to your organization:

It guarantees our availability when the right opportunity becomes available.
It means your products are continuously being revised and enhanced to better meet your needs.
It allows us to continuously identify new funding sources, newly formed foundations, and potential funding sources.
It allows for the preparation of multiple grant proposals rather than a fee per proposal.
It keeps our expert consultation available to you anytime you need it.

Generally, we do NOT work with for-profit organizations or for individuals who are looking to conduct private activities such as buy a house, pay off a debt, or start a business.

We will occasionally accept a for-profit client with unique characteristics that make it attractive to funding sources. Examples might include a bio-diesel plant, a company that has developed scientific innovations, a company that delivers innovative medical services, etc.

Grant money is a scarce resource for any organization. When you look at the grants actually available to for-profit entities, you are looking at only about 1-3% of all grants available. After you calculate the time invested in applying, performing the work required, and reporting on the use of funds, you may find your time better spent elsewhere in your business.

Each grant market and geographic area is very unique! Not every type of organization will be successful in every geographic location. For this reason, Here-4-You Consulting does not accept every client. Rather, we conduct Grant Feasibility Testing™ (GFT) and a Grant Market Analysis™ (GMA) on every potential client to ensure that they have a fundable program. The GFT/GMA will look at similar organizations and who they are funded by, what funding sources focus on their geographic location of services, and what funding exists for the type of program the client has proposed. The GFT/GMA ensures that our energies are likely to be successful and are not simply giving you false hope. This process has enabled us to have over 80% of our proposals funded!

The fact that we have submitted a proposal to your organization and are continuing to discuss working together means that there is a good potential for funding.

Unfortunately, we can not guarantee that your ministry will immediately begin receiving funding. Our clients generally understand that Here-4-You Consulting does not guarantee specific results due to the variables that make that impractical. Some of these variables include: the funding climate, responsiveness of your staff, performance of your staff, variables in response to appeals, events, and grantors, etc. What we CAN guarantee is that you will be in a position to be more fundable and attractive to funding sources (foundations and donors alike!), and you will have a grant writing strategy that is designed to be implemented with consistent and persistent efforts to produce a financial return. Grant writing is a long-term strategy that when implemented properly will always yield results.

Our experience shows that this could happen in as little as 3 weeks or it can take over a year or even longer. It is critical to realize that grant development is a long-term development strategy. The amount of time it takes varies depending on how prepared you are to seek funding, what types of funding you are applying for, the history of your organization, and many other factors. Here-4-You Consulting believes strongly in preparing and positioning for long-term success, rather than quick fixes and band aid approaches.

We believe it is important to note the following:

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (formerly NSFRE) has as one of its statements of ethical principles that members shall not accept compensation that is based on a percentage of charitable contributions.
Since most funders do not want to pay a percentage “back to the fundraiser,” using this method of compensation places the nonprofit organization in the unenviable position of misrepresenting to its funders how funding is being used.
Despite a fundraising consultant’s best work, there may be other factors involved in a funding request being denied. Your organization still has the body of work, and some good advice and products that it can use in the future.
Please also see our discussion of working on commission.

Have other questions or would like to get a quote?