The 2026 State of Nonprofit Consulting
What nearly 400 nonprofit consultants told us about what they earn, what they charge, and what makes a consulting business last.
As featured in
A preview of what the data shows
83%
say demand for their consulting services is steady or growing
$87,000
estimated median earnings for full-time nonprofit consultants
Niche?
Income didn't follow specialty or cause area. Higher and lower earners showed up in nearly every one.
30%
of consultants who reported earnings made $100,000 or more
4–6
clients a year is where earnings jumped the most, compared with 1–3
80%
run their consulting business on their own
What's inside the report
- What nonprofit consultants earn, full-time and part-time
- How project fees, number of clients, and pricing models connect to income
- How consultants find clients, and what relying only on referrals does to earnings
- Common beliefs about consulting income that the data doesn't support
- How consultants feel about demand and the year ahead
- A data review section with the charts behind the findings
About Relatable Nonprofit
Relatable Nonprofit helps nonprofit consultants build businesses with steady clients and income. It was founded by Catalina Parker, a nonprofit professional turned consultant. We've worked with 170+ consultants to grow their businesses. We run this survey every year to see the bigger picture across hundreds of consultants: what's working, what isn't, and how the sector is changing.
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