“A majority of what secures you the proposal or the winning bid is your relationship to that organization.” - Cindy Wagman

Let's talk RFPs (a rant) - confessions from ICON

In this eye-opening episode, we dive headfirst into the world of Request for Proposals (RFPs) within the nonprofit consulting industry. We’ll delve deeper into the pros and cons of RFPs for nonprofit consultants and share our personal experiences and offer some valuable advice for those who choose to pursue them. From building relationships to customizing proposals, we’ll reveal the secrets to standing out in a sea of RFPs (and when you should just ignore them). Join us as we explore the intriguing dynamics of RFPs and the unique challenges they present

Highlights:

• RFPs and standardized responses

• The pros and cons of RFPs

• What to include on a proposal

• The challenges and benefits of responding to RFPs

• The power of personalization

Find Us Online:  https://www.confessionswithjessandcindy.com/

Connect with Cindy:

Cindy Wagman Coaching https://cindywagman.com/

The Good Partnership https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/

Connect with Jess: 

Out In the Boons: https://www.outintheboons.me

Transcript:

00:00:00 Cindy: Welcome to the Confessions podcast. I'm Cindy Wagman.

00:00:03 Jess: And I'm Jess Campbell. We're two former in-house nonprofit pros turned coaches and consultants to purpose-driven organizations.

00:00:11 Cindy: After years of building up our separate six-figure businesses from scratch, we've thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall and have lived to see what sticks.

00:00:20 Jess: We're on a mission to help other nonprofit coaches and consultants looking to start or scale their own businesses past the six-figure mark by pulling back the curtain.

00:00:30 Cindy: Whether you're still working inside a nonprofit and thinking of one day going out on your own, or you've been running your consulting business for years, you understand that working with nonprofits is just different. We're giving you access to the business leaders who serve nonprofits as their clients. You know, the people who truly get it.

00:00:51 Jess: No more gatekeeping, no more secrets. This podcast is going to give you an inside look at what running a successful nonprofit coaching and consulting business looks like. Basically, we're asking people how much money they make, how they get paid, and what has and hasn't worked in their businesses.

00:01:10 Cindy: Listen in as these leaders share their insights, their numbers, and the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to building a nonprofit coaching or consulting business. We're going to empower you to make the power moves that give you the income and freedom you set out to create from day one.

00:01:28 Jess: You, ready? Let's go.

00:01:32 Cindy: Hey, Jess.

00:01:33 Jess: Hello.

00:01:35 Cindy: Welcome, listeners. This is our second episode that we're doing with confessions we collected at AFP ICON. If you didn't listen to the first one, AFP ICON is a ginormous fundraising conference, and we asked other consultants to share their confessions anonymously, and we're going to go ahead and play one of the confessions before we respond. So here you go.

00:01:35 PARTICIPANT 1: I wish that RFPs would be standardized for consultants because they're an awful lot of work and almost everyone that's issued is completely different, and I just think we could deliver better responses if they were standardized.

00:02:15 Cindy: Okay, Jess, RFPs. Now, you and I have talked about this before. Neither of us actually respond to RFPs.

00:02:23 Jess: No. They're just so opposite of my personality to do anything like that. So no.

00:02:29 Cindy: Is there a story there or it just was just, like, not happening?

00:02:33 Jess: I mean, I think it's kind of like I think of them as grants, almost. You know, like applying for a grant, right? And if you have no relationship with the person hosting the RFP, the likelihood that you are going to receive the contract is slim to none. And I've never received an RFP from someone I actually know. I mean it is just like... is seeping in bureaucracy, which, again, for my activator personality, is just not my jam, so yeah. I've just... there's never been one worth pursuing.

00:03:12 Cindy: Yeah, so like red tape equals red flag for Jess.

00:03:15 Jess: Oh, my gosh.

00:03:18 Cindy: Yeah. So I actually have a story where I provided... So I met with an organization, I actually presented my proposal to their board. It wasn't an RFP. I was just like, you know. I can't remember how they came across me. But anyways, I presented to their board, felt really good. I was like, "Oh, my God, this is a sure thing." And then they took my proposal and turned it into an RFP and asked me to apply for it. No, I was livid. I didn't apply. I was like, first of all, all the work and labor I did, they copied my proposal almost word for word, but then mixed a few things up. And actually I was like, well, this isn't even worth applying for because you don't understand. It was so gross. And that was like a turning point for me. Not happening. And actually, since then, I don't... I've responded to any RFPs, because to The Confessions point, first of all, some of them are just wrong. Like what the organization is looking for and what the scope of work that they've defined is not actually helpful for them.

00:04:39 Cindy: They're asking for the wrong things. It's not the kind of work I'm interested in doing. But I find that even if they have an RFP process, chances are they've already talked to a few people, and they will choose one of the people they talk to. They're not actually looking for a whole--

00:04:56 Jess: Brand new.

00:04:56 Cindy: Host of new people. Yeah.

00:04:57 Jess: No. No. I mean, don't you... I wonder how like before we wrap up this conversation, I want to go in two directions, because one of the directions is like, do you really want to be consulting or working with an organization that chooses that style, that even puts out an RFP? For me, the answer is no. But maybe there are people out there. And then I want us to try and be objective, like, okay, there are people out there that like RFPs, and can we offer anything helpful to those people?

00:05:31 Cindy: Yes. So definitely we can. Let's talk about that. So the first thing is, I also understand that some organizations from a governance perspective, think that that process is important. I just submitted a proposal, so I got asked for a scope of work that I don't do. I sent them to some friends of mine, but the organization came back and said, "Do you know anyone else? We need at least two quotes." So I actually just gave them a quote as if like from my business, knowing that they weren't going to choose it, and I told them, "I'll give this to you." I shouldn't even say this on air, but I was like, "For your paperwork, here's another quote." And sometimes organizations actually just need multiple bids from a governance perspective. And so I understand that. Yeah, but even in those circumstances, chances are they're just speaking to someone they already know or a few people they already know.

00:06:25 Cindy: But sometimes actually, I think Emily Taylor just posted she was successful with an RF, like, a really big one. Emily, is someone in your community. Jess who I've worked with.

00:06:39 Jess: From Tiny Big. I love that name.

00:06:42 Cindy: So there are especially, I think with really large scale projects which you and I don't do anymore or I don't do anymore you don't really have ever done. I understand that. That is part of the game. So what advice do I have? In the same way you mentioned grants, you're like, what advice do you have? I don't know. You mentioned grants. I actually always approach it as similar to grants. Whereas you're not going to cold submit, please don't cold submit. Reach out, find out who you can talk to. If they're not willing to have conversations, red flag, don't do it. But if they're willing to have a conversation, clarify the scope of work, better understand if you're the right fit, just talk to them. And that generally will give you the information to identify if this is worthwhile.

00:07:40 Cindy: But it also gives you the opportunity to set yourself apart in their process. Whether it's just by actually picking up the phone and having a conversation, which not everyone does, or by figuring out fit, like if there's that kind of connection and you're like, oh yeah, this is a great conversation, you are going to stand out in the process. And the other thing that I always include in proposals. I still do proposals, but not like response in an RFP is I always, always include information that they talked about in our phone call in the beginning of the proposal. And so that when someone looks at that proposal they're like, "Oh yeah, they understand us. They know our needs, they listen." It just helps you stand out. So I'm not saying all RFPs are bad. Okay, maybe I am saying that. But I also understand that it just might be a necessary part of business. And so those are ways that you can kind of take more advantage of doing it well or increasing the likelihood of actually getting that project.

00:09:01 Jess: I guess what I would just advice I've seen this come through in my survey responses after a Make It Happen conference or something when I'm asking what future topics would you like to cover? And I'm shockingly surprised at how many people want information on what to include on a proposal. And to Cindy's point, I don't think that that is a majority of what they're looking at. A majority of what secures you the proposal or the winning bid is your relationship to that organization. And so you can have the prettiest, best worded, whatever.

00:09:39 Jess: And if you're not the person that they know best or that they trust, frankly you're not getting that. And so I just don't know that as a new consultant that would be my tried and true strategy. I think that it can be a part maybe... if maybe you came from an organization that submitted RFPs and so that's super familiar to you. But if you're a nonprofit consultant and you think like, oh, I'm just going to submit all the RFPs and that's how I'm going to get the work. No, sorry.

00:10:08 Cindy: No, not happening. That's so interesting about the proposal piece? Because I have a freebie download of the proposal that I use the template, and I can tell you it's most important that the organization sees themselves in the proposal so that you're actively responding to the conversation you've had with them and that they feel seen and heard because that is going to set off the working relationship on the right foot and feeling like you are a responsive consultant. Everyone wants to feel like they're special. And if you do, I template 95% of my proposals, but it's that 5% that stands out because that's what people feel. They're like, oh yeah, they listened, they understand us.

00:11:01 Cindy: So we can have a whole conversation about proposals, which would lead to pricey, which leads to so many different things. Maybe that should be a separate episode, but for the most part it all goes back to conversations and getting to know the organization. And that gives you the opportunity to ask questions about their budget and their process and...

00:11:29 Jess: And like what they're really looking for. Because I find that so many people actually they just want an agency.

They do not want a single service, nonprofit, consultant, provider and if you just knew that up front, would you make a different decision versus wasting your time submitting this thing?

00:11:47 Cindy: Yeah. Exactly. Or like organizations that I know what small organizations need at this point in my career and they'll be like, a small organization is looking for a five year fundraising strategy. And I'm like, no you're not. That's not helpful to you. It's going to sit on a shelf and no one's going to look at it or sit on your computer and no one's going to look at it for five years until you have to do the next one. That is money down the toilet. And if I responded to that RFP, obviously I wouldn't anyways, but then I'm not doing the work that I think is actually helpful. So if I had a conversation, I would say, actually think you need a twelve month plan to just get into action, do the work and learn so that you can look forward in the future. So I have been successful in having those conversations and changing what people are asking for to what they really need. But typically, again, that's not part of the RFP process. That's more just like a one on one conversation.

00:12:52 Jess: Totally. So go forth. Good luck. [crosstalk]

00:12:58 Cindy: If you do have the conversations and build those relationships and also don't feel like you have to respond to every single RFP. So good luck.

00:13:10 Cindy: Thank you again for listening to The Confessions Podcast for nonprofit coaches and consultants. If you enjoyed today's episode, which I sure hope you did, you can show your support in one of three ways.

00:13:22 Jess: Number one, post a screenshot of this episode to your Instagram stories or LinkedIn profile and tag Cindy and I so we can repost you.

00:13:30 Cindy: Number two share this podcast with a fellow nonprofit coach or consultant.

00:13:35 Jess: And number three leave a positive review on Apple podcasts so we can continue to grow and reach new listeners.

00:13:41 Cindy: And of course, make sure you subscribe so you can get the latest and greatest interview use as they drop every Thursday.

00:13:48 Jess: And to our fellow nonprofit, coaching and consulting friends, remember, we're an open book and here to answer your burning biz questions.

00:13:56 Cindy: See you next time.