Nonprofit Consultants Collaborative: de Tocqueville Was Right
By Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP, LPEC
A few years ago, ASAE did not provide a staff liaison for the Consultant Community (we have one now!). Not having a staff person to support our community caused a domino effect: no staff person, no regular community networking, no community services. It was a frustrating time for ASAE Consultant members, and a lot of negative energy was created.
Some of us realized that things were not going to change and we were wasting our energy on complaining. This small group decided to follow the motto, “Consultant, advise thyself.” We started organizing in-person activities in the Washington, DC area and encouraged our colleagues around the country to do the same.
We rebooted a tool from the pandemic lockdown called the Nonprofit Consultant Directory, which is an online tool that is no fee for anyone to use. Consultants can add their businesses and update their information whenever they need to, and potential clients can review the list and see the variety of consulting services available. You can check it out here,
We organized a monthly networking call for full-time professional nonprofit consultants. The conversation is guided by the group; while the facilitator identifies a “main topic” for each month the topic will change if someone has a pressing issue (or a more interesting topic) to suggest. The calls are confidential and we do not allow any recording tools of any kind.
We help each other answer questions and find solutions. We support each other and celebrate everyone’s wins. The first thing we do is share good news! We all come away positively charged and knowing we have peers who really understand what we do.
It’s an example of the power of people coming together with a common purpose and a grown-up attitude. We don’t charge membership fees. We don’t have committees. We don’t have bylaws. The only rules are act like a grown-up professional and turn off your A.I. notetaker.
In the years since this group started, we have created our own online community where we can share resources and information. By sharing guidance and our experiences, we help new consultants get their footing and experienced consultants find solutions in a rapidly changing environment. In my opinion, this attitude of positive collaboration is what directly led to our biggest project so far: our Nonprofit Consultants Collaborative booth at ASAE’s Annual Meeting in August 2026.
I floated the idea last year to the group about sharing a booth. After doing some research and getting the information we needed, people committed to participating and we pulled together a final group of nine people who will be present in the Exhibit Hall. But wait: there’s more!
While two of us are the leads on booth management, everyone in the group is contributing an additional item (outside the financial investment) such as design services, tech support, and even producing a podcast about our group. This is team building and expertise sharing at its best.
The nine of us will be there to talk with the association community about our specific services and how we can help. I do hope you will stop by Booth 1329 and see this wonderful example of the power of collaboration. It’s a wonderful example of what Alexis de Tocqueville identified in his travels around the United States: the freedom to associate leads to wonderful outcomes.
