Most of the time consultants do not actually raise money. If a consultant offers to do all your fundraising for you, run the other way. This is not an effective solution because, at best, it postpones the necessity of getting the board, staff and volunteers involved in fundraising. Guarantee their work. There are no standards or guidelines for how much to pay a consultant.
Most consultants charge by the day or the hour, but some charge by the job.
Establish clearly just what you are paying for. For example, you pay for the consultant s time. Find out if the consultant charges for phone calls, and at what rate. If you are hiring a person for several days or months of work, build in evaluation points. This benefits the consultant also, who may need to re-estimate the time involved, or may have run into some unforeseen obstacles.