In New York City, pounded hard during the recession, local fund-raising consultants and charity officials came together this week for a mutually beneficial “speed consulting” event.

The benefit for charity officials: The chance to get 15 minutes of free advice from one or more consultants at the event.

And the consultants, who have seen their business shrink along with the economy, were eager to interact face-to-face with potential clients while also helping the city’s beleaguered nonprofit groups.

Organized by Nancy Raybin, head of a fund-raising and strategic-planning consulting firm that bears her name, the event featured experts from three other companies: Phillips Oppenheim (executive search), Prasad Consulting (prospect research), and Susan Ulin Associates (special events).

A big key to the success of the event, which filled up to capacity just a few days after it was announced, was inviting consultants with different types of expertise, Ms. Raybin says. An initial effort to recruit consultants who offer similar services did not go over well, she says, perhaps because the experts didn’t want to appear to be competing for business.

Ms. Raybin who, along with her colleagues, plans a repeat event in January, says that she hopes consultants in other cities will imitate the event. In these hard times, she says, charities “have lots of questions but nowhere to go.”