Questions, answered straight.

The Colorado Nonprofit Advisory Collaborative is a peer-led network of independent Colorado consulting firms that serve nonprofits. We exist so a nonprofit leader can describe a problem once and be pointed to the right firm — fast.

CNAC is consensus-governed by its member firms. There is no parent agency, no holding company, and no one collecting a finder's fee. Operating decisions are made by the members.

CNAC is an informal collaborative of independent firms — not a 501(c)(3). Each member firm is its own business, contracted directly with its clients.

No. Membership is by peer invitation and vetting, not payment. Firms are admitted because the rest of the network would refer their own clients to them with confidence.

You share your situation through the connect form (or pick a firm directly if you already know who you want). A CNAC member reads it, identifies the firm or firms whose practice fits best, and introduces you. You take it from there.

Nothing. The intake, the conversation, and the introduction are free. You only enter a paid engagement if you and a member firm agree to one — and that contract is directly with the firm.

Most intakes get a response within two business days. Urgent situations — a sudden leadership gap, a crisis — usually get same- or next-day attention.

We'll say so. If the work is outside our collective expertise, we'll point you to a trusted external referral rather than force a fit. Mission before margin applies here too.

Through peer review. Each member is invited based on track record with Colorado nonprofits, referenced by people who have worked with them, and held to the collaborative's norms of practice. The bar is simple: would another member refer their own client here?

It means a member firm will tell you when you don't need their service, when a smaller scope would serve you better, or when another firm — inside or outside CNAC — is a better match. It's a posture, not a slogan.

If two member firms could legitimately serve a need, we disclose that to you and let you choose. If a member has a prior relationship with a party in your situation, we surface it. The goal is your decision, not ours.

Always with the firm. CNAC is the introduction layer — the working relationship, the scope, the contract, and the invoices are between you and the member firm you choose.

It varies widely by area. A coaching engagement might be a few months at a modest monthly retainer; a strategic plan is usually a 3–6 month project; fractional finance leadership is ongoing. Each firm scopes and prices directly with you, and we encourage you to ask for ranges up front.

Yes — and many nonprofits do. A common pattern is one firm on strategy, another on finance, another on a one-off comms push. Members coordinate gracefully when it helps.

Tell us. We'd rather hear it than have you stay in a bad fit. We'll either help recalibrate the engagement or introduce you to a different firm.

It's used to route you to the right member firm. We don't sell it, we don't add you to a marketing list, and we don't share it beyond the member(s) involved in the introduction without your consent.

Yes. Member firms operate under professional norms of confidentiality, and the network's job is to make a discreet introduction, not to broadcast your situation.