The Atabey Guide to Selecting a Consultant

A Practical & Values-Aligned Resource for Purpose-Driven Organizations 

🧠 Why This Guide?

Hiring a consultant is more than outsourcing expertise. It’s an act of trust, alignment, and often culture-shaping.

Whether you need strategic planning, leadership coaching, policy design, or organizational development — the right consultant should:

• Understand your mission

• Match your values

• Challenge and support your leadership

• Leave your organization stronger, not more dependent

🔑 1. Clarify Why You’re Hiring a Consultant

Use these prompts before beginning outreach:

Question	Purpose
What problem are we solving or opportunity are we seizing?	Avoid vague scopes and consultant overfunctioning
Do we want expertise, facilitation, capacity, or change leadership?	Match the skillset to the outcome
What will success look like 3 months after they’re gone?	Clarify legacy and sustainability

🔍 2. Criteria for Evaluating a Consultant

Here are essential criteria to assess any potential consultant:

Domain	What to Look For	Red Flags
Clarity of Approach	Do they explain their process and adapt to yours?	Vague buzzwords, cookie-cutter plans
Expertise	Do they have experience with your issue and your context (e.g., racial equity, civic engagement)?	Generalists without mission-alignment
Relational Fit	Do they listen well, ask deep questions, and reflect your values?	Over-selling, under-questioning
Adaptability	Can they work with where you are, not just where they want you to be?	Rigid frameworks, inflexibility
Capacity Building	Will they leave your team stronger and more equipped?	Dependency or “only I can fix this” energy
Equity Lens	Do they integrate justice, inclusion, and power analysis into their work?	“DEI optional” or disconnected from systems impact

📋 3. Interview Questions to Ask a Consultant

Ask the following in an RFP or live conversation:

Values & Practice

• “What values guide your consulting practice — and how do they show up in your work?”

• “Can you describe a time you helped a client center equity in their decision-making?”

Process & Customization

• “How do you customize your process to fit each organization’s unique culture?”

• “What happens if the scope changes midway through an engagement?”

Legacy & Impact

• “What does a successful project look like to you after you’ve stepped away?”

• “How do you ensure your work strengthens internal capacity, not just deliverables?”

Ethics & Boundaries

• “How do you handle conflicts of interest or misalignment with leadership?”

🪞 4. Self-Check Before You Hire

Use these questions internally:

Question	Why It Matters
Do we have time and bandwidth to participate fully?	Consultants amplify, not replace your engagement
Are our leadership and staff aligned on the need?	Misalignment will show up in the engagement
Are we open to challenge — or do we want validation?	Don’t hire someone to affirm the status quo

📑 5. Sample Consultant Evaluation Rubric

Criteria	Weight	Score (1–5)	Notes
Alignment with Mission & Values	25%
Expertise in Issue Area	20%
Experience with Similar Clients	15%
Equity-Centered Approach	15%
Communication & Facilitation Style	15%
Capacity Building & Legacy	10%

🚩 6. Red Flags to Watch For

• Overpromising without asking deep questions

• Lack of fluency in justice, equity, or community-centered work

• Poor references or no follow-through examples

• “One-size-fits-all” templates with little customization

• Disregard for internal culture or dynamics

🧠 Bonus: 3 Myths About Hiring Consultants

Myth	Truth
“A consultant will fix our culture.”	Culture must be changed from within — consultants can guide, not own it.
“We need a big firm to look credible.”	Trust, alignment, and expertise matter more than firm size.
“We’re not big enough for consulting.”	Coaching, fractional support, and advisory services exist for all sizes.

🤝 How Atabey Strategies Shows Up Differently

Atabey isn’t just a consulting firm — it’s a strategic partner rooted in justice, clarity, and care.

We help organizations:

• Develop values-aligned strategies that don’t compromise equity

• Build resilient leadership structures and shared governance

• Strengthen internal clarity so your mission stays centered, even under pressure

• Lead from purpose, not panic

✨ We don’t just show up with answers — we help you ask the right questions.