When contemplating hiring a facilitator or using a volunteer, many non profits will turn the job over to their executive director or a board member who Awas in a planning session once@. Not surprisingly, these sessions rarely achieve the results the board is seeking. The plans which evolve from these leaderless sessions usually do not have action plans included, and board members are not assigned specific duties, nor are there measurement-of-success parameters, timetables or responsible parties assigned. Three to five years later, after achieving nothing with the original plan, the board tackles another planning session, and does it the exact same way!! 

 

AWhy should we pay for a facilitator? He knows nothing about our organization, and we have smart people on the board who have been through a session before@. When selling your services, you will likely encounter that question, or hear the board state, “we tried a planning session a few years ago and it was a flop. Why will your session be any different?”

 

When you are selling your facilitation services, you will undoubtedly be asked why a professional facilitator is needed.   You may hear one or both of the above objections stated. The list below provides you the answer to virtually every question which could be asked of you and why you should be retained to facilitate. If you apply these answers to the common objections you will face, you should be able to secure some lucrative facilitation business!!