A Trusted Seat at the Table

Keith Cleghorn
Executive Vice President of Client Services

Every nonprofit leader eventually faces decisions that do not come with easy answers. In these moments, the value of a fundraising consultant isn’t measured by the number of campaigns they have managed or the strategies they have recommended. It comes down to something much simpler:

Have they earned a trusted seat at the table?

One of the rescue ministries we partner with faced an unexpected leadership transition several years ago. The Executive Director had departed, and the Board Chair stepped into an interim hands-on role during a season of uncertainty. It wasn’t the transition anyone had planned, but it was one the organization needed to navigate carefully.

Our first meeting could have gone very differently.

The Board Chair was understandably skeptical. After all, I had been hired by the previous Executive Director. From his perspective, I was an outside consultant whose role—and value—was still to be determined.

This realization changed the conversation. Instead of reacting to symptoms, we were now examining causes. Together, we began building a plan based on a clear understanding of how the organization had arrived at that moment. By the end of the meeting, the skepticism had largely disappeared. Not because I had defended my role, but because together, we had made sense of the organization’s history. We shared the same goal: helping the ministry emerge from a difficult season stronger than before.

I’ve thought about that meeting many times over the years because it reminds me what nonprofit leaders are really looking for. They don’t simply need someone who can improve the next fundraising campaign. They need someone who understands their organization and can help them interpret what they are experiencing so they can chart a wise course forward.

Embedded in the Mission, Independent in Perspective

One of the unique aspects of our work is that we become deeply familiar with the organizations we serve while remaining independent enough to offer objective counsel.

Over time, we learn about an organization’s mission, its donors and culture, and its fundraising history. We see how decisions made years earlier continue to shape today’s results. That history is important since fundraising rarely changes overnight. Most organizations are living with the cumulative effects of years of decisions, investments, successes, and missed opportunities.

Often, the most valuable thing we bring isn’t another fundraising idea. It’s context.

Helping leaders understand why they are seeing what they are seeing often makes the next decision much clearer.

Trust Is Built Between the Big Moments

The rescue ministry eventually found its next Executive Director, but the challenges didn’t end there. Like many nonprofits, the organization navigated a pandemic, staffing changes, evolving priorities, and the ongoing work of strengthening its programs.

Looking back, I’ve come to believe that’s where enduring partnerships are really built. Not just during moments of crisis or transition, but also during the steady work of showing up, asking good questions, taking responsibility, and helping organizations make wise fundraising decisions year after year.

What Trust Makes Possible

Years later, that same Board Chair prepared to hand leadership to the next generation. Before stepping away, he thanked our team—not just for helping the ministry navigate that initial season of uncertainty, but also for walking alongside the organization through everything that followed.

I’ve never forgotten that conversation.

It reminded me that trust isn’t earned through a proposal, a presentation, or even a successful campaign. It’s earned through consistent counsel, honest conversations, and a genuine commitment to the organization’s mission.

Every nonprofit deserves a partner who brings more than fundraising expertise. They deserve someone who understands where they have been and can help make sense of what they are experiencing today. From there, it’s possible to think more clearly about what comes next.

The ministries and nonprofits Douglas Shaw & Associates serve are part of what’s right with the world. We simply have the privilege of helping them build the donor relationships that make their work possible.

For me, that’s what it means to have a trusted seat at the table.

Contact us today if you need a partner who is dedicated to the long game—a partner you can trust through today’s challenges and tomorrow’s triumphs.