Rhea Wong Consulting, New York, NY (2026)

08/21/2026

Most fundraisers wait for permission to tell the story differently.

You don't need it.

You are the one who decides how your community is represented.
You are the one who decides whether a donor walks away feeling guilty or feeling genuinely invested. That is real power, and too many of us give it up because we assume the board has to sign off on it first.

Here is where it tends to go wrong.

You tell the donor you distributed 400 food hampers. It sounds good. It feels good. But then what?

You have just framed the problem as something that can be solved with hampers. You have not explained why people face food insecurity in the first place.
You have not shown what it actually takes to create lasting change. So the donor gives $10 a month, feels satisfied, and moves on without a second thought.

That is not a partnership. That is a guilt transaction.

The moment you bring donors into the real conversation, something shifts. They stop being someone who felt uncomfortable and wrote a check.
They become someone who is as committed as you are to making a meaningful difference.

Guilt produces $10 a month.

Partnership produces the gift that transforms your organization.

Tell your story in a way that builds partners, not just donors.

08/20/2026

I use Claude every day. At this point, he might actually be my side piece.

But I'm here to say something that might surprise you: 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀.

I know. Everyone's fired up about AI for fundraising right now. Wealth screening software. Donor personalization platforms. AI qualification tools. The pitch is always the same: these tools will solve your major gift problem.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: AI amplifies what you already have. Full stop. If your strategy is broken, AI just drives you faster into the ditch. And right now, most nonprofits don't actually have a strategy for major gifts. No qualification criteria. No framework for moving donors through a meaningful process.

So instead, they spend on expensive tools and produce content that is technically personalized and completely forgettable.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿.

In the latest episode of Nonprofit Lowdown, I'm breaking down the five components of real donor qualification: timing, capacity, reason, engagement, and permission. Spoiler: wealth screening covers maybe one of them.

I'm also walking through what I call the Ferrari metaphor, specifically why most nonprofits crash their tools, and what actually changes when you lock in your strategy first, then layer in AI.

Your major gift program deserves a foundation, not just faster wheels. Hit play on the new episode now.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0qHePCvFucukHh0yTPcFFb?si=rSBoVDddTjiT_taL3kZsSA

08/13/2026

When you do good work, you think donors will find you.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁.

They're researching you. On Google. On LinkedIn. On YouTube. And if you're not visible there, you're invisible.

Most nonprofits operate on a ten-year-old playbook. Brilliant work. Real impact. Hope that excellence speaks for itself. It doesn't. The real gatekeepers are the platforms where donors self-qualify, your website, your content, your social. Those decide if you're worth their trust.

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

Here are four ways to actually build visibility that converts:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆.
One human connection still gets you the lunch. But a system turns that lunch into $50K annual for five years.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆.
Donors don't want coffee meetings. They want to self-qualify through your content. Build enough good material and they'll trust you before they call.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆.
You don't need a studio or editor. Your iPhone and real voice beat polish every time. Everything feels fake now. Zigging while others zag works.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆.
Show up on one platform. Every week. Done beats perfect. Consistency compounds.

In this week's episode, I walk through exactly how to build a visibility engine that nets 50+ warm prospects annually, and the math on what that actually means for your budget.

New episodes drop Monday mornings at 7am
Listen to Episode 400 now. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6WvXScaDLkc2guOUGTqGKq?si=Flp9KsjpRbWbsY5tXFEwBg

08/06/2026

When a founder gets $47M in liquidity, they don't call you.

They call their advisor.

And here's what happens next: that advisor asks, "Where should they give?"
If your nonprofit isn't in that conversation, you're not getting that money.

Here's the blind spot. The largest wealth transfer in a generation is happening right now. Most nonprofits are still cold-calling newly wealthy people or hoping they show up at a gala.

Meanwhile, the real gatekeepers are the advisory team: wealth advisors, tax attorneys, and family office professionals. They're the ones steering where the money goes, not the donor.

So stop chasing newly liquid people. Start positioning your organization so they find you. Instead of pitching to donors, become the nonprofit their advisor recommends.

Four ways to do it:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆: One board member with a connection to a wealth advisor can generate $250K to $300K annually in referred gifts.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗻: Spend 15 minutes every Monday on Crunchbase. Find five names, check LinkedIn, and make one board introduction each week. That's 48 introductions a year.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆: Make sure your profile is complete and specific when newly liquid people search for where to give.

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: Get direct access to people who are already thinking about impact and legacy.

These aren't lottery tickets. They're predictable, repeatable revenue streams if you set them up right.
The best time to position your nonprofit for newly liquid wealth was three years ago. The second best time is today.

Listen to Episode #399: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7wVnVCruiQ0IjsgGjPlicZ?si=uZE2J83_ROqEWip5E5kPjA

07/22/2026

Who's been giving to your nonprofit the longest?

Not the biggest. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧.

Because retired schoolteachers giving $10/year to Channel 13 left million-dollar bequests.
The transformational money isn't in credit card donations. It's in assets: wills, stock, estates.

This week on Nonprofit Lowdown, planned giving evangelist 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶 (author of the upcoming Planned Giving Accelerated) busts the 6 myths keeping small nonprofits on the sidelines:

❌ "𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱" → 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝘁.
❌ "𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻" → 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
❌ "𝗜𝘁'𝗹𝗹 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱" → 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝟳𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘.

The launch plan: query your CRM for loyalty and longevity (ignore gift size), pick your top 3-6 relationships, start conversations. Ten hours a month.

You don't need a lawyer. You don't need a website. You need to start 𝗡𝗢𝗪.

🎧https://open.spotify.com/episode/1GbI6p5DnbLUZSshoLJqSD?si=9Nk0xvNDRzevV8n8NrODRQ

07/18/2026

When I see problems in fundraising, the fundraising itself is almost never the real issue. It's the tip of the iceberg.

Dig underneath and you find something else. A strategy problem. A staffing problem. A culture problem. Usually all three.

Here's what I've learned after twenty years of doing this work: teams that have trust and safety are willing to take risks. They have open conversations. They're more diverse and more inclusive. They tell each other the truth, even when it's hard.
And when a leader can show vulnerability and own the mistakes they've made, it raises the whole team's tolerance for risk and imperfection, which is exactly what fundraising requires.

Fundraising is complicated because of the psychological weight underneath it.
Fear of asking. Fear of no. Fear of looking greedy or unprepared.
A leader who builds trust and safety inside their own team, and then teaches their team how to build it with donors, will go further than any tactic or template will take them.

Boards feel this too. Board members who don't trust their staff won't fundraise.
Staff who don't trust their board won't lean on them. And nothing moves.

On July 21st at 2:30pm Eastern, I'm running a free workshop for board members and the executives who work with them. We're going to get you on the same page, in the same system, with the same language. That's where trust starts.

Register: https://go.rheawong.com/forboardmembers-929795-6901

07/17/2026

I get this question all the time from executive directors: what's a reasonable amount of my budget to expect from individuals?

It's a hard question, and the honest answer is that it depends. But here's the number I want to see for most organizations: at least a third of your operating budget coming from individual donors.

Here's why. I've watched a lot of instability in federal funding over the last few years. Foundation funding is under pressure too. Individuals tend to be the most stable and the most fungible form of funding you can build. When a grant falls through or a government contract shifts, individual donors are the ones who show up. But only if you've done the work to build the relationships.

If you're sitting well below a third right now, that's not a crisis. That's a strategic gap. And it's fixable.

Here's the piece most executives miss: you cannot build individual giving without your board.

Your board is the bridge to the individual donors you don't know yet. Their networks, their credibility, their willingness to open doors is what turns a thin individual giving program into a real one.

On July 21st at 2:30pm EST, I'm running a free workshop for board members and the executives who work with them. We're going to cover exactly how to get your board activated on individual giving so you can start closing that gap.

Register: https://go.rheawong.com/forboardmembers-929795-6901

07/16/2026

Every good major gifts system has a spine.

By spine, I mean a clear sequence of steps that everybody in the organization understands.
Board and staff. Same page. Same plan. Same language.

When any part of that spine is weak or skipped, asking for money starts to feel uncomfortable. That discomfort isn't a sign your board is bad at fundraising, or that your staff is behind, or that your donors aren't ready.

It's a sign your system has a design gap. That gap is almost always the real villain.

You cannot fix a system gap with better tactics. You cannot fix it with a stronger appeal letter. You cannot fix it by pushing your board harder at the next meeting. You fix it by building the spine.

That's what I'm teaching on July 21st at 2:30pm Eastern. Ninety minutes, free, designed specifically for board members and the executives who work with them to be on the same page for once. No quick tactics. No feel-good talk. Just the system.

Bring your board chair. Bring your development committee. This is the one you want them in the room for.
Register: https://go.rheawong.com/forboardmembers-929795-6901

07/15/2026

Amy is in my BAG program.
While in BAG, brand-new foundation gave her organization a $30,000 gift, pledged the same amount for next year, and made it unrestricted.

Unrestricted. From a foundation. As a first gift.

That doesn't happen by accident. That happens because Amy runs a system.
She and her board know who they're talking to, why, and what they're asking for. They don't hope. They don't wing it. They work the plan.

This is what I want for every nonprofit board in this country. Not luck. Not one lightning-strike gift a year. A repeatable system that produces results like Amy's on a regular schedule.

On July 21st at 2:30pm Eastern, I'm running a free workshop for board members and the executives who work with them. I'm going to teach the system that Amy and dozens of other BAG members are using to bring in gifts like this one.

If you want a board that produces results instead of excuses, come to this.
Register: https://go.rheawong.com/forboardmembers-929795-6901

07/14/2026

One line from this week's podcast has been stuck in my head:
"𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲."

This week's guest, Lucy Madden, thought she was calling a donor simply to say thank you.

That thank-you call turned into the first six-figure gift in her organization's history.
People hear stories like that and assume the donor came out of nowhere.
But here's what they don't see:
Lucy had a clear vision.

She knew exactly what the investment would accomplish.
She had done the mindset work to stop treating major gifts as uncomfortable conversations and start treating them as invitations.
The gift wasn't luck.

She was ready when the opportunity showed up.
If you're waiting for the "right" donor to appear, they may already be in your database.

The better question is: 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝘀?
I unpack this story and the fundraising lessons behind it, with Lucy on this week's episode of Nonprofit Lowdown.

🎧 Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/396-how-a-teacher-turned-ceo-landed-her-first-six-figure-gift/id1436858854?i=1000776583025

Rhea Wong Consulting

08/21/2026

08/20/2026

08/13/2026

08/06/2026

07/22/2026

07/18/2026

07/17/2026

07/16/2026

07/15/2026

07/14/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request