The capital campaign consultant's quote said ten percent of goal. She hadn't asked what she was buying.

The "ten percent" figure that circulates in the sector is a total campaign cost benchmark. It means: raising money costs money, and across a full capital campaign — counsel, materials, prospect research, events, database work, extra staffing — the sector's rough rule of thumb has long been about a dime on the dollar. Consultants absorbed that number into their pricing, so you'll now see counsel quoted as a percentage of goal.

One thing to get clear before you sign anything: that percentage is quoted and fixed in advance, as a budget. Paying anyone a cut of what they raise is ruled out by the professional codes of ethics that fundraisers in Canada and the US sign, and a consultant who offers you a contingency deal is telling you something about themselves you should believe.

So when you see ten percent of goal, ask the follow-up question: ten percent of goal for what, exactly, over how long, delivered by whom?

The models you'll see quoted

Percentage-of-goal, full counsel. The firm runs the campaign with you for its full length — often three to five years. On a $5M goal it's usually more consultant than the campaign needs.

Flat monthly retainer. Somewhere between a few thousand and fifteen-plus a month, depending on the seniority and the days-per-month.

Project fees. A feasibility study usually runs $30,000 to $60,000 depending on interview volume and whether prospect research is bundled.

Embedded or interim staffing. A consultant working as your campaign director. Priced closer to a salary equivalent, and often the most honest option for a mid-size organization that genuinely needs hands rather than advice.

Coaching. A senior person, a few hours a month, on the phone with your ED and your development director. The cheapest thing on this list by an order of magnitude, and for a lot of $2M–$8M campaigns it's the right amount of help.

What actually moves the price

Geography — Canadian campaigns spread across rural catchment areas cost more in travel and time than a single-city campaign.

But the two biggest drivers are these.

How much they do versus how much they coach. A firm that writes your case, builds your gift table, recruits your cabinet, and staffs your solicitations is doing four jobs. A firm that teaches your team to do those things costs a fraction and leaves you with a capability instead of a dependency.

And how ready you are. A consultant walking into an organization with a clean database, an aligned board, and a case that already says something will spend their hours on donors. A consultant walking into an organization without those things will spend the first eight months doing organizational repair.

What the quote doesn't include

Campaign materials and design. Events. The additional development staff most campaigns need. The database upgrade you've been deferring. Prospect research, if it wasn't bundled.

And escalation. Construction costs have been climbing roughly five to eight percent a year, which means a goal priced today and launched in eighteen months may not build the thing. Ask your consultant how their plan handles a goal that has to move.

When not to hire one yet

If you can't pull a clean five-year giving history from your database without three people and a lost weekend — fix that first. A consultant cannot fundraise from a list that doesn't exist, and you'll pay them to discover it.

If fewer than four people on your board are willing to sit across from someone and ask — fix that first.

If your ED isn't certain she'll still be in the chair in year three — have that conversation with your chair first. Campaigns that lose the ED in year two lose about eighteen months.

If your case for support describes a building rather than a change in somebody's life — write the real one first.

If you want to know what you'd actually be paying a consultant to fix, run the free Campaign Readiness Assessment first — eight pillars, 34 questions, about fifteen minutes.