Nonprofit Lowdown Episode #375 Summary

Main Theme:

Why Boards and Executives Keep Talking Past Each Other About Fundraising
Host Rhea Wong candidly unpacks why nonprofit boards and executives often misunderstand or misalign regarding their roles in fundraising. She outlines why current systems are broken, what a modern fundraising approach should look like, and how both parties can collaborate more effectively.

Episode Breakdown

1. Reluctance to Address the Topic (00:53–02:55)

• Rhea opens up about her hesitation to discuss board and executive relationships in fundraising, highlighting the prevalence of dysfunction:
  • “For every highly functioning board exec relationship, there are a hundred dysfunctional ones.”
    — Rhea Wong [01:43]
• She emphasizes that major gift strategies cannot succeed without involving boards, despite the topic’s complexity.

2. Broken Systems: The Car Analogy (03:00–05:30)

• Analogy: Boards as passengers, executives as drivers, both blaming each other when the “car”—the fundraising system—breaks down.
  • “The problem isn’t the driver and it isn’t the gas. The problem is the car. The system itself is broken.”
    — Rhea Wong [04:10]
• The present system is outdated, not fit for current fundraising realities.

3. What Boards Are (and Aren’t) Supposed to Do (05:35–07:30)

• Boards should not:
  • Chase donors
  • Write appeals
  • “Magically bring in money like magical money fairies”
• Boards should:
  • De-risk fundraising
  • Create clarity so that asking doesn’t feel reckless

4. Introducing the Engagement Fundraising Operating System (07:35–13:30)

• Rhea references Greg Warner’s Engagement Fundraising Operating System, which:
  • Replaces traditional 5-step models (identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, steward) with a 6-step, consent-based approach.
  • Focuses on engagement, segmented qualification, and co-created proposals.
• Notable Quote:
  • “…one of the big problems… is that you’re chasing people who you’ve ‘added to your caseload,’ who have never consented to be in your caseload.”
    — Rhea Wong [09:55]
• Example/Analogy:
  • High school crush: “In my mind, he was my boyfriend, unbeknownst to him, however…” — likening improper caseload assignment to personal misunderstandings.

Key Stages:

1. Engagement: Noticing who’s interested; boards help by validating important relationships and giving “social permission.”
2. Pre-Qualification: Establishing prospects meet readiness indicators; boards align on which prospects are the right fit.
3. Qualification: Deep dive into interest and capacity, asking for consent to engage; boards normalize purposeful engagement, offer reputational cover.
4. Cultivation: Relationship-building, not just events; boards stabilize relationships and reinforce institutional trust.
5. Co-Created Proposal: No surprise “asks” — boards ensure timing and priorities are right, support aligned proposals.
6. Stewardship: Ensuring meaning and long-term relationships, not just one-off “thank you’s”; boards reinforce gratitude, prevent immediate next asks.

• “Boards at their best are helping to...with great discernment, help staff to focus their efforts and energy in a world of constraints.”
  — Rhea Wong [12:30]

5. The “Elephant Problem” (15:15–18:00)

• Rhea uses the story of blind people examining different parts of an elephant to illustrate misalignment:
  • “Everyone is just kind of touching their own part of the elephant...but without a view of the entire elephant, we don’t have a clear picture…So everyone keeps adjusting their piece…and nothing fundamentally changes.” — Rhea Wong [16:22]
• Consequence: Fixing the wrong things; e.g., board wants more money, exec wants more capacity, staff want more direction—partial truths, incomplete solutions.

6. Fixing the System: Upcoming Work Session (18:10–21:00)

• Rhea plugs an upcoming 90-minute work session to help boards and execs diagnose and fix system failures:
  • Not a webinar—an interactive session on February 11th, where teams can gain a shared understanding and a 90-day action plan.
  • Key Message:
    • “Fundraising only gets safer when leadership sees the same thing at the same time. You can’t fix what you don’t share and you can’t install a system where everyone is diagnosing a different problem.”
      — Rhea Wong [19:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On system dysfunction:

  • “We’ve all inherited a system…that was designed for a different era. It doesn’t work today. I don’t know if it ever really worked.”
    — Rhea Wong [04:32]

• On board engagement:

  • “Nobody is going to do that. That is not a strategy. That’s coercion.”
    — Rhea Wong [08:50]

• On shared responsibility:

  • “It’s not the exec’s fault, it’s not the board’s fault. It is the system’s fault, or should I say, lack of system’s fault.” — Rhea Wong [19:30]

Key Takeaways

• Most breakdowns between boards and executives in fundraising stem from outdated systems and unclear roles, not individual failings.
• Boards play a pivotal role in de-risking fundraising by providing permission, alignment, and stability—not by directly soliciting funds.
• A shared, transparent operating system is crucial to replacing blame and confusion with responsibility and effective collaboration.
• Diagnostic sessions, like Rhea’s upcoming work session, help teams audit their systems and synchronize their efforts toward major gift success.

Segment Timestamps (Select Highlights)

• 00:53 — Rhea expresses reluctance and introduces the episode’s theme.
• 03:00 — Car analogy: “driver vs. gas vs. car”
• 05:35 — What boards should and shouldn’t do
• 07:35 — Introduction to the Engagement Fundraising Operating System
• 09:55 — Consent in prospect assignment, high school boyfriend analogy
• 12:30–14:15 — Board engagement across fundraising stages
• 16:22 — “Elephant Problem” analogy
• 18:10 — Invitation to work session for systemic change

Tone & Style

Rhea Wong’s delivery is candid, relatable, and lightly humorous—mixing professional advice with real-world analogies and self-deprecating anecdotes.

“If you like big asks and you cannot lie, I’ll see you in the program.”
— Rhea Wong [End]

This episode is invaluable for nonprofit staff and board members frustrated by blame cycles and eager to build clear, modern fundraising systems together.