The collapse of the US foreign aid system and the erosion of funding elsewhere caused a financial crisis in the nonprofit world. This reminded many civil society organisations of the risks of relying too heavily on a narrow range of donors. In response, many are considering ways to earn consultancy fees or generate other forms of income from the services they can provide. The move into social enterprise can be rewarding – both financially and in terms of impact – but it can be complex to get right.
From the very beginning, Open Briefing has operated as both a nonprofit and a social impact consultancy. Alongside our donor-funded programmes, we have always provided consultancy and advisory services to foundations and nonprofits. Even as our grant income has grown considerably, social enterprise still contributed 20% of our total income in 2025 – in some years it has been as high as 40%. This dual approach has allowed us to build a more resilient and sustainable organisation while remaining focused on our mission.
After 15 years, we have learned a few lessons worth sharing.
1. Keep services mission-related
Your consultancy work should be an extension of your mission, not a distraction from it. For us, that means every service we provide enhances efforts to protect civic space and those leading change under pressure. So we offer security risk management, information security and data protection, and staff care and counselling services to nonprofits and foundations. These are the same areas of holistic security that we offer grassroots activists and social movements through our donor-funded programmes. Our client work becomes another route to achieving change. If you stray too far from your core purpose, consultancy risks becoming a bolt-on that dilutes rather than strengthens your impact.
2. Think and act like a social business
If you are going to offer consultancy, you have to do it properly. It starts with running your consultancy with the rigour of a business while staying rooted in your values and mission. You must understand the market and ensure you offer a service clients will pay for. Robust processes for quoting, contracting, and invoicing are essential, as is a strong customer-service mindset. Above all, deliver high-quality work on time and on budget, every time. Consistency is vital to building trust. Consultancy is in our DNA, and this discipline has raised standards across our whole organisation, not just the social enterprise side of our work.
3. Value your people
Social enterprises are only as strong as the quality of their teams. This starts with providing fair pay, meaningful benefits, the right to switch off, and progressive leave policies. It means investing in staff wellbeing and professional development opportunities. And it means recognising that consultancy cannot simply be added to existing workloads – teams need the capacity and support to deliver it well. These are prerequisites for delivering the kind of excellence clients expect. They are also what every nonprofit should already be doing. In our experience, happy and supported staff are the ones most able to innovate and deliver outstanding results.
4. Stay flexible
Clients shift priorities and markets change. When we first began offering consultancy, demand centred on security audits and policy frameworks. Today, much of our client work is retained support – helping organisations navigate the crises and challenges of the present moment while building longer-term capacity. A social enterprise must understand its market and be able to adapt while staying true to its mission. For us, that has meant evolving our service lines and experimenting with new ways of working with clients.
5. Don’t be afraid to say no
Not every opportunity is the right one. It can be tempting to take on projects for the income, the visibility, or the relationship. But if the work does not align with your mission, values, or capacity, saying yes can do more harm than good. In fact, sometimes the most strategic decision you can make is to walk away. We have learned that turning down the wrong opportunities protects our team, safeguards our reputation, and creates space for impactful work. We have a clear ethical policy to help guide these decisions.
Closing thoughts
If you are considering social enterprise, begin with three questions:
- First, ask peers and potential clients: What do you need, and what would you actually pay for?
- Second, ask yourself: Which of our existing strengths can we offer on a consultancy basis without diluting our purpose?
- And third, ask your team: What do you need to deliver this sustainably?
Answering these questions truthfully is the difference between building resilience and drifting off course.
Being a social impact consultancy and a nonprofit has not always been easy. It has required discipline, focus, and at times, some tough decisions. But it has also given us resilience and independence at a time when civil society faces growing uncertainty.
Fifteen years in, the lessons are clear: stay mission-focused, run a tight ship, support your people, adapt when needed, and have the courage to say no. These foundations have allowed us to grow from a small start-up to a trusted partner delivering over 7,000 hours of support to those at risk across 68 countries last year alone. And if our grant income dried up today, our social enterprise would still enable us to deliver impact and advance our mission tomorrow.