Podcast Summary: Nonprofit Lowdown with Rhea Wong

Episode #371 — Focus on What Matters: Goal Setting for Nonprofit Leaders in 2026
Release Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Rhea Wong

Episode Overview

In this energizing episode, Rhea Wong delivers a powerful message to nonprofit leaders about effective goal setting for 2026. With clarity, humor, and actionable strategies, she urges leaders to stop piling on endless tasks and instead “focus on what matters.” By drawing on ideas from Essentialism by Greg McKeown and the Pareto Principle, Rhea reframes goal setting: less is more, and focus is the antidote to burnout and ineffectiveness. Throughout the conversation, she offers reflective exercises and tools to help listeners identify, clarify, and protect their single most important revenue-driving goal for the year.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myth of Doing More

• Beginning the Year with Focus

  • Many leaders mistake productivity ("doing all the things") for progress.
  • Rhea sets her word of the year to “focus”—encouraging others to simplify.
  • “You need to double down on what works and ignore the rest. It's all about signal versus noise.” — Rhea (02:06)

• The History of ‘Priority’

  • The word “priorities” only became plural in the 1930s; originally, there could only be one.
  • “You can't have multiple one things at the same time.” — Rhea (03:30)

2. The Power of Deciding

• On Making Trade-offs
  • Leaders suffer not just from overwork, but indecisiveness: not choosing means spreading focus (and results) thin.
  • Etymology of “decide”—to kill off alternatives.
  • “When we decide to do something, we are literally killing off all other options and possibilities.” — Rhea (04:16)

3. Identifying the True Priority

• A Call to Ruthless Focus
  • Rhea challenges listeners to select just one major goal for the year—acknowledging the discomfort in doing so.
  • City Slickers’ “one thing” analogy: find the one thing that matters most to your mission right now.

4. Moving from ‘Busyness’ to Impact

• Exhaustion in the Sector

  • Leaders are tired, not just because of external chaos, but because they’re “working hard on too many things that do not matter.” (07:10)

  • Rhea introduces the concept of “fundraising theater”: activities that look productive but don’t move the needle (e.g., planning hors d’oeuvres for the gala, sending redundant follow-up emails).

  • QUOTE:

    “Busyness without impact… motion that makes us feel like we're leading, but we're not.” — Rhea (11:12)

• Essentialist Principle

  • Focus on the few actions that drive the majority of results.
  • Reference to Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule).

5. Reflective and Practical Exercises

• Activity Dump [13:30]

  1. List every fundraising activity you currently do.
  2. Star those that directly, measurably, and materially drive revenue (ideally, no more than 3).
  3. Be ruthless in evaluating their real impact.

• Finding the Single Most Important Outcome [17:30]

  • What’s your most important revenue outcome for the year? Free write for 10 minutes.
  • What’s the one thing you know is a waste of your time? Free write for 10 minutes.

• The Kill List [21:40]

  • Write down three things you do that aren’t moving the needle.
  • Say aloud: “I am going to stop doing X, Y and Z this year.”

6. Protecting the Asset: You

• Leaders are the most valuable resource; “your time is the only non-renewable resource and it is the most precious.” (09:35)
• Burnout results from overwork on low-leverage activities.
• Analogy to Boxer the horse in Animal Farm: “Hard work has gotten you probably to the point of burnout.” (23:00)

7. Turning Focus into Practice

• From Vision to Execution

  • Once you know your one goal, “deprioritize everything else except for this one thing.”

  • FILTER QUESTIONS for a good goal:

    • Is it revenue meaningful?
    • Is it specific and measurable?
    • Is it defensible?

  • Examples of strong fundraising goals:

    • “Secure 10 new 6-figure donors in 12 months.”
    • “Convert 50% of one-time donors to monthly.”
    • “Raise $500k from a specific gala event.” (29:40)

• 3-2-1 Goal Framework (via Greg McKeown) [30:25]

  • What must be true this quarter to accomplish your goal?
  • What must be true this month?
  • What must be true this week?
  • Daily prioritization: 1 essential thing, 2 urgent things, 3 maintenance things.
  • “If it does not exist on your calendar, it does not exist.”

• Blocking Protected Time [33:10]

  • Block 90 minutes weekly for your “one big thing.” Communicate this boundary to team/board.
  • “This boundary is invaluable; short of like you need to go to the ER, you don't move it.”

• Monthly Reflection

  • “If someone looked at your calendar, would they see evidence that your essential goal mattered?” (35:15)
  • When you say “I didn’t have time,” what you really mean is, “It wasn’t a priority.” (35:45)

8. Letting Go of Energy Sinks

• Stop the useless meetings, update emails, and coffee dates with no outcome.
• Rhea gives “official permission slip to stop doing stuff that doesn’t matter and that suck up your time.” (37:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Focus:

  • “The true focus comes from subtraction. Saying no is a leadership act…” (19:44)
  • “[If] you lose focus, you will lose impact, you will lose energy, you’ll burn out and you will lose money on the table…” (20:30)

• On Time and Priorities:

  • “Your time is the only non-renewable resource and it is the most precious.” (09:35)
  • “If it does not exist on your calendar, it does not exist.” (33:15)
  • “When people tell me that they don't have time for something...what I hear is it wasn't a priority for you. And that's fine, just own it.” (35:50)

• On Leadership:

  • “Choosing to decide to kill off all other options is what separates the truly effective leaders from the leaders who are burning out.” (24:40)
  • “Clarity is a choice, focus is a discipline, and revenue follows leadership.” (38:15)

• On Commitment:

  • “I commit to leading fundraising by focusing on what matters and letting go of what doesn't.” (38:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:06] — Focus is the word of the year; “signal vs. noise.”
• [03:30] — The real meaning of “priority.”
• [04:16] — The true meaning of “decide.”
• [07:10] — Why nonprofit leaders are so exhausted.
• [11:12] — Introduction of “fundraising theater.”
• [13:30] — Activity dump and analysis.
• [17:30] — Two crucial self-reflection questions.
• [21:40] — The Kill List: what to eliminate.
• [23:00] — Animal Farm’s Boxer and nonprofit burnout.
• [29:40] — Examples of outcome-focused fundraising goals.
• [30:25] — The 3-2-1 goal-setting framework.
• [33:10] — Protected “one big thing” time blocking.
• [35:15] — Is your calendar aligned with your most important goal?
• [38:15] — Permission to stop useless activities.
• [38:30] — Verbal commitment to focused leadership.

Final Takeaways

• Less is more: Doing fewer things, but with more intention and skill, yields greater results.
• Clarity and boundaries win: Effective leaders ruthlessly choose, subtract, and protect their time.
• Strategy beats activity: Don’t fall for “fundraising theater”—focus on what will drive revenue and impact.
• Accountability matters: Regularly revisit your goal and calendar to ensure alignment.
• Permission to say no: Protect your energy by dropping tasks that are just busywork, even if they seem expected or traditional.
• Take action: Rhea invites listeners to email her their clear goal, reinforcing accountability.

For anyone leading a nonprofit or fundraising team, this episode is an essential reset—encouraging you to trade exhaustion for focused impact in 2026.

[End of summary.]