665. Working Session: Activate Your Board + Grow Your Pipeline with Rhea Wong
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Overview
If year-end fundraising feels like an all-gas-no-brakes sprint, this Working Session is your moment to regroup, refocus, and rally your strongest allies. We brought in fundraising expert and author Rhea Wong for a rapid-fire strategy session on two mission-critical moves: activating your board before December 31 and turning year-end gifts, signals, and conversations into a predictable 2026 pipeline — in under 30 minutes.
Rhea walks us through her signature approach to board engagement and donor outreach: one rooted in clarity, specificity, and creating micro-yes moments that move relationships forward.
You’ll learn how to give board members turnkey actions they’ll actually complete, how to structure two-call closes for warm prospects, and how to use January to set up a smarter, stronger pipeline for the entire year.
Top 3 Takeaways:
Your Board Is Your Force Multiplier: Stop sending blanket emails. Start giving individuals clear, specific, low-friction tasks — from making their own gift to nudging warm contacts to posting on LinkedIn. Activated intentionally, your board becomes your most powerful surface-area expander.
December Is for Decisions: Rhea breaks down her two-step outreach process — the R for R.O. (Reason for Reaching Out), the alignment call, the opportunity call, and the art of making a clear ask and then staying quiet.
January Is Your Pipeline Launchpad: Retention workflows, short donor surveys, micro-engagement signals, and a simple “schedule time with me” link in your email signature can dramatically increase donor conversations. Plus her favorite January homework: donor interviews that build your 2026 avatar and deepen relationships with zero solicitation pressure.
This episode is packed with low-lift, high-impact tactics to help you close strong this year — and build a donor pipeline that carries you confidently into the next.
Welcome back to Working Sessions: hands-on, clarity-filled conversations designed to help you move real work forward inside your organization.
Let’s get to work.
“I want people to think of their board members as their force multipliers. Think of them as like your number one sales force.”
Episode Transcript
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Episode Highlights
Four Quick Board Actions for Year-End Fundraising (00:58)
Getting Your Nonprofit and Board Members on LinkedIn (03:39)
Making Board Engagement Fun & Effective (04:01)
Removing Friction: Scripts, Emails & Turnkey Tasks (05:08)
How to Move Unengaged Board Members to Action (05:39)
December is for Decisions: Triage Your Donor List (08:08)
The Two-Call Strategy for Major Gift Closes (09:10)
0:12:06 – Handling Objections & Building Consent at Every Step
What to Do in January: Retention & Stewardship (14:25)
Using Surveys & Engagement Data to Build Your Pipeline (15:16)
Hot Prospect Lists & Calendar Link Pro Tips (17:43)
Donor Interviews: Building Avatars & Deepening Relationships (18:15)
Final Reflections, Resources, and Closing (19:27)
Powerful Quotes
"Make your own gift first. If board members haven’t yet written the checks they pledged, you need them to do so, because it’s impossible to ask others to support something you haven’t supported yourself." - Rhea Wong
"Have them post on social media about your organization. Just something like, ‘I’m involved with this. Here’s what we’re doing. It’s really important to me. Hit me up if you want to learn more.’" - Rhea Wong
"Make sure board members list their board role on LinkedIn. It’s obvious, but many don’t." - Rhea Wong
"Board members can make thank-you calls. After Giving Tuesday gifts come in, this is a great chance: ‘I’ll need two board members to make thank-you calls. Here’s the script. Get on it.” - Rhea Wong
"Everyone should be on LinkedIn—it’s a goldmine. Make it parasocial." - Rhea Wong
"If you have an upcoming action, get everyone together for 30 minutes: ‘We’ll do this together, and once it’s done, that’s all I’ll ask this month.” - Rhea Wong
"Replace every ‘help’ with ‘take responsibility for’ to remind people of their commitment."- Rhea Wong
"Don’t expect blanket emails to get a response. Instead of generic asks, say, ‘Becky, can you pick up this piece of trash right there?’ And pick up the phone rather than defaulting to email." - Rhea Wong
"A common mistake: sending blanket emails to the board with no one directly addressed."- Rhea Wong
"December is decision time. ‘D’ is for decisions. Everyone listening should triage your list." - Rhea Wong
"Look at your prospect list—major gifts, mid-tier, annual—and overlay engagement: who opens your emails, clicks links, shows up, volunteers, shares, or comments. Use this to create a hot list of your most engaged prospects." - Rhea Wong
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