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Nonprofit leaders are not buying commodities when they hire campaign or strategic planning consultants. Yet closed RFPs often force boards and executives to evaluate judgment-driven work as if it were standardized procurement. The result may be compliant—but it is rarely well-aligned. In this piece, Jim Bush examines why closed RFPs fall short for fundraising and strategy work, and what nonprofit leaders unlock when selection processes allow for dialogue, discernment, and fit.

In the third installment of our Making the Ask series, we explore the transformative power of empathetic listening in donor relations. This post breaks down the six practical habits of high-impact listeners—from mastering the "one-second pause" to using feedback loops—that transform a solicitation into a collaborative partnership.