Consultant Blues
Sometimes not-for-profit organizations have an empty position that needs to be filled immediately, but they have trouble finding a candidate. Other times, the Board of Directors (sometimes called the Board of Trustees) wants an outside perspective on something. When either of these situations occurs, the Non-Profit Organization (NPO) will often contract with a consulting firm.
This is usually a double-edged sword, if the consultant is supposed to oversee the day-to-day operations of a team or entire department. The group s/he will be overseeing usually has an established dynamic, and the consultant's sudden appearance disrupts that. Sometimes the consulting firm will send in a consultant who turns out to be poor match, whether due to personality conflicts or lack of relevant experience.
In one case I am familiar with, a consultant about my age was brought in to oversee a team of no less than ten people - most of whom had many years of experience in the field of fundraising. She had, to be frank, pretty much no not-for-profit experience - and unlike an older consultant, she couldn't make up for that with management experience. Between that complete lack of experience and the frustration enveloping the team, the tension was palpable and affected not just that team, but the entire department. I can't even imagine what the consultant must have felt like, as most of the department actively gossiped about how poorly equipped she was to handle the job.
In addition to the gossip, some of the younger team members sought out further information about this young woman, using Google and other search methods. Whether they were seeking disparaging information or not, it certainly turned up - and that didn't help matters either. While things seem to have calmed down somewhat, as they always do, it's apparent that this young woman is still treated as very much an outsider, and the consulting firm made a misstep - how serious remains to be seen - in placing such an inexperienced person in a position of leadership. The organization in question, of course, should have stepped in and asked for a more experienced consultant.