3 simple ways to make your nonprofit RFP accessible to all qualified consultants
This is a guest blog by Consultants for Good (C4G).
Before your nonprofit posts its RFP or scope of work, let’s make sure it’s accessible for all qualified consultants — including candidates who are neurodivergent, disabled, or face other systemic barriers.
Accessibility barriers are often easy to miss
Some of the most common barriers show up in small ways:
A scope of work is overly complex or lengthy — making it harder for some consultants to parse
Work experience requirements are rigid — excluding consultants who are highly skilled, but have nontraditional backgrounds
Interviews involve surprises, such as impromptu presentations — putting candidates who process or communicate differently at a disadvantage
It’s easy to unintentionally create or overlook common accessibility barriers, but they can significantly narrow your pool of qualified candidates.
The good news? Accessibility barriers are often easy to prevent
Many accessibility improvements are surprisingly simple:
1. At the outset, explicitly invite consultants to contact you with questions or accommodation requests.
Many consultants pass over RFPs and scopes of work that lack contact info for a specific point person or an offer to schedule a short call before they invest more time in the application process. And even for those who don’t need accommodations, your explicit invitation signals that your organization values inclusion and accessibility.
2. Use clear, plain language in your scope of work.
And don’t worry about including all the nitty gritty details. Make it easy for consultants to grasp the essential information needed to get an idea of whether the project is a good match.
Clarity and brevity make your scope of work accessible to a wide range of readers. Plus, sticking to the essentials allows flexibility for consultants to offer alternative solutions that may be even more effective than your initial plan.
3. Tell candidates what to expect in your decision process.
Be transparent about your evaluation criteria, timeline, and other key info.
For example, Consultants for Good (C4G) — the leading nonprofit consultant community — offers tips to let consultants know what to expect ahead of interviews: “Inform candidates of the topics you'll cover beforehand. This helps them prepare better answers and reinforces your commitment to mutual trust-building.”
Not only does this allow all candidates to prepare in their own way; it also lets your team see their real capabilities, rather than testing how well they improvise under pressure.
Free tools to lead an inclusive, accessible hiring process
C4G offers a free Consultant Hiring Toolkit for nonprofits, which includes equity-driven resources like:
A step-by-step guide to conduct an inclusive hiring process
Customizable templates, including a sample scope of work written with accessibility in mind
And more supportive tools
Ready to start? Download C4G’s Consultant Hiring Toolkit for free.
