Podcast Summary: What the Fundraising

Episode 271: "Calling All Heroes: Stronger Together with Tammy Zonker"

Host: Mallory Erickson
Guest: Tammy Zonker
Date: November 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode of What the Fundraising, host Mallory Erickson interviews fundraising veteran Tammy Zonker, celebrating the release of Tammy’s new book, Calling All Heroes: Combining the Best of Donor Centered and Community Centered Fundraising for Greater Impact. Their rich discussion centers around the evolution of fundraising practices, exploring the tensions and overlap between donor-centered and community-centered approaches. Tammy shares her vision for a unified, human-centered fundraising philosophy and opens up about the challenging process behind reclaiming the term “hero.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tammy Zonker’s Fundraising Journey & New Book

[02:57-07:21]

• Tammy brings nearly 30 years of experience, helping raise over $1 billion for nonprofits.
• She describes the sector’s shift: from agency-centric to relationship fundraising (Ken Burnett), to donor-centered (Penelope Burke), and most recently to community-centered fundraising.
• Tammy identifies the “shadow sides” of each model, particularly the power imbalance and mission creep that donor-centered fundraising can exacerbate, as well as potential limitations and adoption challenges of community-centered fundraising.
• The book Calling All Heroes emerges from this questioning, proposing an integrated approach that acknowledges both models’ merits and drawbacks.

Rethinking the “Hero” in Fundraising

[08:48–14:06]

• Tammy discusses feedback received on her use of “hero” in the book title, acknowledging how the term can evoke saviorism, especially in a sector reckoning with equity and justice.
• She shares her own connection to the concept of a hero—courage, selflessness, justice—drawing from childhood inspiration (e.g., Wonder Woman).
• Tammy makes a call to reclaim “hero” as inclusive: “Let’s take back the word hero ... something about justice and integrity and community and doing what’s right above your own self-interest.” ([13:54], Tammy Zonker)
• Emphasis that everyone—donors, volunteers, staff, program participants—can be a hero, and no one holds more value than another.

Human-Centered Fundraising & Sector Leadership

[15:46–18:37]

• Tammy talks about the risks and responsibilities of challenging the status quo within the sector:

  “It would be easy to stay safe and give a keynote...and a few people have come up… and said, ‘I would never ever stand in front of a room and say that because I’m a white man or I’m a white woman. It’s risky, but I do it because I believe in it… it’s not donor centered, it’s not community centered, it’s human centered.’” ([15:46], Tammy Zonker)

• She argues for moving from binary thinking—donor-centered or community-centered—to an integrated, inclusive, collective approach.
• Parallels between comic book teams like the Justice League and nonprofit sector collaboration:

  “Each of those heroes are powerful in their own right... There’s an exponential power when we come together…” ([17:22], Tammy Zonker)

The Power of Dialogue & Iterative Practice

[19:21–22:47]

• Mallory and Tammy highlight the need for open dialogue, not paralysis, when navigating fundraising methodologies, and for honoring the contributions and wisdom of thought leaders in both donor- and community-centric spaces.
• Tammy stresses that improvement happens through conversation, iteration, and co-created evolution:

  “…It’s about balancing, it’s about choosing, trying it out and then iterating. Like, is my approach to human centered fundraising perfect? No… But let’s start here and then let’s come together and evolve it and iterate and make it better for everyone.” ([21:09], Tammy Zonker)

Power Dynamics, Values, and Conscious Choices

[22:47–26:46]

• The conversation turns to managing power dynamics with donors and boards, particularly for younger or under-pressure fundraisers.
• Tammy references James Baldwin:

  “If we can agree to disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my right to exist.” ([23:48], Tammy Zonker quoting Baldwin)

• Emphasis on making conscious choices about fundraising approaches and openly discussing their implications:

  “We should be in dialogue about the implications of that just so we are not surprised.” ([25:28], Mallory Erickson)

Prioritizing Reflection, Iteration, and Expectation Management

[25:37–26:57]

• Tammy identifies a symptom across the sector: lack of time to pause, reflect, and make intentional decisions—which often leads to surprises or unintended consequences:

  “…When do we make time to reflect, to really think things through, to be conscious about the choices that we’re making…?” ([25:37], Tammy Zonker)

• Advocates for setting clear expectations with leadership and boards as organizations evolve their fundraising practices.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On sector evolution:

  “I watched as the sector moved from very agency or organization centric fundraising...to relationship fundraising with Ken Burnett...Then came Donor centered Fundraising...But there was the shadow side, right?...And then of course came Community centered fundraising, which, oh, it speaks to my soul.”
  — Tammy Zonker ([03:19])

• On reclaiming “hero” and resisting saviorism:

  “Let’s take back the word hero. Let’s take it back from that negative connotation...and let’s take it back into what it really was—something about justice and integrity and community and doing what’s right above your own self interest.”
  — Tammy Zonker ([13:54])

• On moving past binary choices:

  “Why is it an either or? Can it be a yes, and? And that began the exploration of the book.”
  — Tammy Zonker ([07:05])

• On collective strength:

  “...Each of our heroes in our sector, each of our constituents, if you will, are heroes in their own right. But it’s when we come together ... we collectively are more powerful...”
  — Tammy Zonker ([17:22])

• On conscious decision-making:

  “We should know. We should be in dialogue about the implications of that just so we are not surprised.”
  — Mallory Erickson ([25:28])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tammy’s background & book genesis: [02:57–07:21]
• Debating & redefining “hero”: [08:48–14:06]
• Human-centered fundraising and leadership risks: [15:46–18:37]
• Dialogue, tools, and evolving fundraising practices: [19:21–22:47]
• Power dynamics, values alignment, and James Baldwin’s wisdom: [22:47–24:20]
• Making conscious, intentional choices; managing expectations: [24:20–26:57]
• Where to find the book & final thanks: [27:09–27:50]

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is candid, inquisitive, and deeply respectful. Mallory and Tammy are unafraid to discuss discomfort, ambiguity, or past missteps; their dialogue is punctuated by encouragement, curiosity, and a sincere invitation to sector-wide introspection and growth.

Further Resources

• Book information: callingallheroesbook.com
• Tammy Zonker: [LinkedIn | TammyZonker.com]
• Past episodes & resources: MalloryErickson.com/Podcast

This episode is essential listening for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and anyone seeking to navigate or reshape the nonprofit fundraising landscape with greater integrity, inclusivity, and impact.