Beyond the Contract: How Nonprofit Consultants Can Be a Force for Sector-Wide Change

The Sector Is Under Pressure—and So Are Our Clients

If you’re a nonprofit consultant—whether you focus on fundraising, governance, grant writing, finance, or strategic planning—you’re likely feeling the shift. The ground beneath our sector is shaking. Policy decisions and budget cuts are undermining the very infrastructure our clients depend on, and increasingly, nonprofits themselves are being dragged into political crossfire.

It’s not just your clients who are impacted. It’s all of us.

But here’s the good news: we’re not powerless. In fact, as consultants, we are uniquely positioned to fight back—not just by helping our clients adapt, but by pushing for systemic change ourselves.

We See the Patterns Others Don’t

Because of the work we do, we have a bird’s-eye view of the sector. We see patterns that individual organizations may miss. We notice when an entire stream of funding quietly disappears, or when boards in different cities start facing the same political pressure. We hear the anxiety in executive directors’ voices when they talk about staff burnout, donor hesitancy, and navigating increasingly hostile environments.

We’re in a position to connect dots—and connect people. That makes us not just service providers, but stewards of the sector.

Neutrality Isn’t an Option When the Sector Is Under Attack

Many of us have been trained—or told—to be “neutral.” We’re supposed to stay out of politics and focus on deliverables. But silence in the face of sector-wide harm isn’t neutral. When nonprofits are under attack, when funding for essential services is slashed, when marginalized communities are being legislated out of public life, speaking up is not a political act—it’s a professional responsibility.

You don’t have to be a lobbyist to make a difference. You can share what you’re seeing (while respecting confidentiality), amplify the voices of impacted clients, and use your platform to call attention to harmful trends. You can sign on to letters or join coalitions pushing for change. You can offer a discounted hour of strategy support to a scrappy, overburdened advocacy group. You can host a virtual roundtable to help clients share what’s working in a shifting landscape.

Consultants Are a Critical Source of Connection and Calm

Perhaps most importantly, you can remind your clients they’re not alone. When a nonprofit loses a key funder because of political pressure, or suddenly has to rethink its programming due to new legislation, they don’t just need a tactical response—they need community.

They need expert guidance, and they need to be connected to others facing similar challenges. As consultants, we can help them find that support. We can say, “There’s a policy expert you should talk to,” or “Let me introduce you to someone who’s been navigating this, too.”

We can be that calm, connected presence in the middle of the storm. The sector needs that. Right now, it needs us.

We Are More Than Advisors—We’re Advocates, Too

This is a moment for nonprofit consultants to reclaim our role not just as behind-the-scenes advisors, but as advocates for the entire nonprofit ecosystem. The decisions being made in legislative chambers and budget offices directly impact our work. It’s time we acted like it.

We have influence. We have insights. And we have relationships. Let’s use them—not just to keep nonprofits afloat, but to demand better conditions for the sector as a whole.

How Snyder Strategies Can Help

At Snyder Strategies, we’re here to help you step into that role. Whether you’re looking for tools to help your clients navigate hostile policy environments, want to get more engaged in nonprofit advocacy yourself, or need a partner to help frame these challenges for funders and boards, we can help.

Our work sits at the intersection of strategy, policy, and communication—because we believe that every consultant in this space deserves to feel confident and connected when the stakes are high.

Let’s build a stronger sector together. Not just project by project—but powerfully, collectively, and unapologetically.