How to Hire a Nonprofit Marketing Agency: Questions and Red Flags
Hire the agency that can explain how its work will move the numbers your board and donors care about, protects your donor data, and isn't paid a cut of what you raise.
Portfolio polish matters less than those three things. A beautiful campaign that brings in one-time donors who never give again can look like a win in a slide deck and still leave you worse off next year.
Below are the questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, and a simple scorecard you can bring to your board.
Start with the job, not the agency
Before you talk to anyone, write down the one outcome you need most in the next 12 months. For example:
- More first-time donors giving a second gift
- A clearer message that board members and staff can repeat
- A bigger year-end or capital campaign
- More people using a program you already run
That sentence becomes your brief. It also tells you what kind of help you need. A messaging problem calls for a short strategy project. An ongoing capacity problem may call for part-time leadership. If you're still deciding between an agency, a freelancer, a fractional lead, or a hire, compare those first.
Ask about the metrics your board will ask about
This is where most agency conversations go wrong. Agencies often report on reach: impressions, clicks, followers, open rates. Boards ask about donors and dollars.
The gap matters because keeping donors is hard. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project, run by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy and GivingTuesday, reported overall donor retention of 43.3% in 2025. In plain terms, more than half of the people who gave the year before didn't give again.
Existing supporters also carry most of the weight. In FEP's first-quarter 2026 data, repeat donors who were retained contributed roughly 61% of total dollars.
So a good agency should be as interested in your second gift as your first.
| Metric that sounds good | Metric your board cares about |
|---|---|
| Impressions and reach | New donors, and how many give again |
| Email open rate | Gifts and recurring sign-ups from email |
| Social followers | Event sign-ups, volunteers, program referrals |
| Website traffic | Donation page conversion rate |
| "Engagement" | Donor retention and average gift over time |
Reach metrics aren't useless. They just shouldn't be the headline of a report that goes to your board.
Questions to ask every agency
Ask each shortlisted agency the same questions so you can compare answers side by side.
1. Walk us through how a first-time donor becomes a repeat donor. You want to hear about welcome emails, thank-yous, and reporting back on impact, not just acquisition ads.
2. What would you report to our board each quarter? Ask to see a sample report with the client details removed.
3. How will you work with our development team? Marketing and fundraising need one calendar and one set of stories. An agency that only talks to your comms lead will create friction.
4. How do you handle our donor data? Who can access it, where it's stored, and whether it's ever shared. The Donor Bill of Rights, created by AFP and other fundraising associations, says donors should be able to have their names removed from any list an organization plans to share. Your agency should know that.
5. How do you tell stories about the people we serve? Listen for consent, dignity, and accuracy. If they jump straight to the most emotional photo they can find, keep looking.
6. What will you need from our staff each month? Small teams often hire an agency and then can't supply the approvals, photos, and data it needs. Get the time commitment in writing.
7. How exactly do you charge? Flat project fee, monthly retainer, or hourly. Any answer is fine if it's clear. See the first red flag below for the one structure to avoid.
Red flags
They want a percentage of what you raise. The AFP Code of Ethical Standards says fundraisers should decline finder's fees, commissions, or compensation based on a percentage of funds raised. Commission pay rewards short-term results over donor relationships, and donors rarely know their gift is paying a commission.
Their reports lead with reach. If every case study celebrates impressions and nothing mentions donors, gifts, or retention, that's how they'll report to you.
They want to rent, swap, or "enrich" your donor list. Treat any plan that moves donor data outside your organization with caution, and make sure donors can opt out.
They pitch a rebrand in the first meeting. Sometimes a rebrand is right. But an agency that proposes one before understanding your programs, donors, and history is selling what it likes to make.
Their stories strip people of dignity. Images and copy that present the people you serve as helpless can raise money once and damage trust for years.
There's no plan for your capacity. A 20-piece content calendar for a three-person team isn't a plan. It's a burnout schedule.
A board-ready scorecard
Score each agency from 1 (weak) to 3 (strong) on each line. Share the totals and your notes with the board or finance committee.
| Criteria | What a 3 looks like |
|---|---|
| Understands our goal | Restates our brief accurately and asks good follow-up questions |
| Donor metrics | Talks about retention and second gifts without prompting |
| Board reporting | Shows a clear sample report tied to outcomes |
| Works with development | Has a specific plan for shared calendars and stories |
| Donor data | Clear, written approach to access, storage, and sharing |
| Storytelling ethics | Describes a consent process and dignified storytelling |
| Fit for our capacity | Realistic about what our staff can supply |
| Pricing | Clear structure, not tied to a percentage of funds raised |
How to run the process in four weeks
Week 1: Write a one-page brief: your goal, audience, timeline, budget range, and who decides.
Week 2: Shortlist two or three agencies. Send the brief and the questions above.
Week 3: Hold calls. Ask each for one reference from a nonprofit close to your size.
Week 4: Score, check references, and decide. If you're unsure, start with a small first project before committing to a long contract.
The short version
The right agency speaks your board's language, treats donor data with care, and is paid for its work, not for a cut of your gifts. If an agency can't answer the questions above clearly, that's your answer.
Weighing outside help and want a second opinion? We're happy to look at your brief with you, even if Zaha isn't the right fit. Book a free 30-minute call.
Sources
- AFP, "Fundraising Effectiveness Project Reports Strongest Revenue Growth in Five Years, Even as Fewer Donors Give" (Q4 2025)
- NonProfit PRO, "Repeat and Recaptured Donors Power Growth on a Shrinking Donor Base" (Q1 2026 FEP data)
- AFP, Code of Ethical Standards (amended Dec 2023)
- AFP, "Ethical Standard Deep Dive: Standard 21" (percentage-based compensation)
- AFP, The Donor Bill of Rights
- AFP, "Ethical Standard Deep Dive: Standard 19" (donor lists)