When professional service firms discuss transitioning from project work to retainer work, the conversation often stalls when discussions turn to pricing services. Andrea Grant has heard it all. As a transformational COO and strategic advisor who has spent her career aligning purpose and performance inside complex nonprofit and cross-sector environments, Grant has implemented a non-refundable retainer model to protect capacity, signal value, and create predictability. For her, it’s an operating discipline. “The core idea was that I needed to protect my time,” explains Grant. “But I also needed to create a consistent revenue stream to attract serious and ready-to-invest clients.” That balance, protecting the investment for both sides, is what she now coaches other firms to adopt.
Moving from Deposit Thinking to Commitment Thinking
Grant says the first problem is vocabulary, explaining that many firms misunderstand the concept of a retainer. Firms tend to treat retainers like deposits or down payments, but that framing makes clients think something can be returned. “It is a professional commitment fee,” says Grant, whose approach shifts the model; the client is not paying for hours, rather, the client is reserving access to senior-level expertise, strategic focus, and a guaranteed response as their situation evolves.
That distinction matters because it brings both parties to work fully invested from day one. There is no “long courtship” where the advisor wonders if the client will sign, and no client wondering if the expert will be available when a challenge appears. “We can expedite and jump right into the work instead of having the typical song and dance,” Grant says. She likens it to “dating seriously.” Both parties intend to get to an outcome, so the structure reflects that intent.
Three Moves to Launch with Confidence
Grant’s approach to a non-refundable retainer can be reduced to three practical moves that early-stage companies, consultancies, and nonprofit advisory teams can adopt.
- Research before you price. Grant never names a retainer number before she understands the client’s sector, current risks, public profile, and internal rhythm. “I have to do the work up front,” she says. She wants to know whether the organization has been in the news, whether its values align, and whether the scope will likely expand. That prep allows her to explain the fee in business terms rather than in abstractions about time.
Educate on what the client is buying. Because many buyers confuse retainers with deposits, Grant treats the initial conversation as an opportunity to teach. “You are guaranteeing access to me or to one of my colleagues,” and that this access protects them when the unexpected happens. That framing helps preserve the relationship when she enforces the non-refundable clause later, because expectations were set early.
Align the structure to the business rhythm. Grant customizes the retainer, so it reflects how the client actually operates. A fast-moving organization that faces regular compliance or partnership decisions will need more immediate availability than a slower-moving policy shop. By matching cadence, she reduces friction and shows that the fee is a tool for mission acceleration, not a hurdle.
This is where her COO background shows up. She thinks in systems, not one-offs. A good retainer, in her view, protects staffing, cash flow, and strategic attention, which is why mastering the model is tied directly to long-term profitability.
Using AI to Strengthen, Not Replace, the Model
Grant is currently pursuing a certification in strategic leadership for AI and is already using AI to compress her research window from hours to minutes. In her work, AI helps her scan for reputational issues, pull sector benchmarks, test retainer ranges by geography, and even forecast when a retainer should be increased. “The people that leverage AI appropriately are the ones that are going to replace the people that do not embrace AI fully,” she says. For firms that worry AI will make it harder to justify non-refundable retainers, Grant’s view is the opposite. AI makes it easier to prove ongoing value because the advisor arrives more informed, more contextual, and more predictive. “Data tells a story. We either really like it or we do not. If we do not like it, we can change the narrative of the data.” Grant believes AI is now part of that opportunity.
Purpose, Performance and Protecting Capacity
Grant’s larger leadership philosophy comes through in how she talks about retainers, emphasizing that they are ultimately about people: how teams use their time, how trust is built between partners, and how shared commitment enables better collaboration and impact. At CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, she serves as a change architect, driving operational excellence, strategic growth, and sustainable impact for a leading nonprofit advancing community health. She partners with the CEO and Board to turn bold vision into measurable results, optimizing systems, processes, and people across Operations, HR, IT, Facilities, Risk, Legal, and Compliance.
That kind of mission requires operational stability. A non-refundable retainer model inside a service business offers the same stability. It protects the time of the people doing the work so that they can show up fully for the organizations that are ready to move. “Every great partnership begins with mutual accountability,” Grant says. “A non-refundable retainer is a promise to respect time, value expertise, and commit to outcomes. When both sides show up prepared and purposeful, that’s when the real transformation happens.”
Connect with Andrea Grant on LinkedIn for more insights.
