Why Consultants Still Work.
Organizations of every size face the same question: when you need new expertise, do you hire a full-time employee or bring in a consultant? For nonprofits, startups, and lean teams, the answer often comes down to money, flexibility, and results.
Full-time hires add long-term costs and require significant onboarding. Consultants, on the other hand, bring specialized skills and immediate impact without the overhead. At Joe Co., we’ve seen time and again how external expertise can unlock capacity, save resources, and help organizations grow smarter.
Here’s why consultants are often the better choice.
1. Cost Savings
Hiring a full-time staff member isn’t just about salary. Employers also carry the cost of payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement contributions, technology, training, and sometimes even office space. These “hidden” expenses can easily increase the real cost of an employee by 30–40%.
Consultants eliminate those extra costs. You pay for the time and expertise you actually need — whether that’s 10 hours a month or 100 hours for a short-term project. For organizations working within tight budgets, this flexibility can be the difference between staying stuck and moving forward.
2. Flexibility
Full-time roles are fixed commitments. If the workload shifts, you still carry the cost of that staff position. Consultants are different — you can bring them in for a single project, a defined timeframe, or ongoing support at a lower commitment.
For example, you might need a consultant to:
Run a year-end fundraising campaign.
Redesign your donor CRM.
Facilitate board training.
Guide AI integration over a three-month contract.
When the work is done, the engagement ends — no layoffs, no long-term overhead.
3. Specialized Expertise
It’s rare to find a single employee who brings deep skills in fundraising, CRM systems, AI, board governance, and hiring. Consultants, however, often have broad backgrounds and niche expertise built across multiple organizations and industries.
At Joe Co., that expertise comes from years of experience across every level of nonprofits — from frontline staff to executive director to board president. That means when we help with a CRM, an AI integration, or a board training, we bring not just technical knowledge but lived understanding of what works in real organizations.
4. Faster Impact
Onboarding a new staff member can take months. Consultants are used to parachuting into complex situations and producing results quickly. They arrive ready to assess, design, and implement without needing weeks of orientation.
Because consultants are external, they can often cut through internal bottlenecks. They’re focused on outcomes, not office politics, which accelerates timelines and ensures deliverables.
5. Fresh Perspective
Sometimes teams are too close to the problems they face. A consultant brings an outsider’s perspective, spotting blind spots and opportunities that internal teams may overlook.
This perspective is especially valuable for foundations and nonprofits. We understand the systemic pressures nonprofits face, but we also bring the objectivity to ask tough questions, challenge assumptions, and propose new solutions.
The Bottom Line
Hiring a consultant isn’t an expense — it’s an investment. You gain high-level expertise, flexible support, and faster results at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.
At Joe Co., we help organizations scale smarter through strategy, automation, and AI integration. Whether you need project-based help, fractional leadership, or targeted expertise, we can help you grow without taking on unnecessary overhead.
👉 If you’re debating whether to hire or bring in a consultant, let’s talk. We’ll show you how external expertise can free your team to focus on what matters most.
