153. Building for What’s Next
What if the very pressure we feel to meet today’s fundraising goals is quietly keeping us from building the future our missions require?
In my conversation with Mark Stuart, President and CEO of San Diego Foundation, I was reminded that philanthropy is far more than revenue generation. It is about helping people act on their values, creating the conditions for long-term impact, and ensuring our organizations are strong enough to meet both urgent needs and future opportunities.
Mark’s insights are especially timely for major gift officers, development directors, executive directors, and board members who are navigating uncertainty while trying to build lasting donor relationships. In this conversation, I’ll share the mindset shifts and practical ideas that can help you move beyond the tyranny of the urgent and build a more resilient, donor-centered fundraising future.
Fundraising Is Everyone’s Work
One of the strongest messages Mark shared is one I wish every nonprofit team would take to heart: fundraising cannot live only in the development department.
Yes, fundraisers bring specialized skills, discipline, and relationship expertise. But a thriving culture of philanthropy requires board members, executive leaders, program staff, volunteers, and development professionals to understand their shared role in advancing the mission.
I have seen too many organizations treat fundraising as the job of one person or one department. That approach limits both capacity and possibility. It can also leave development staff carrying the emotional and operational weight of an entire organization’s revenue goals.
Mark put it plainly: “Fundraising is a team sport.”
When the whole organization participates, fundraising becomes more authentic. Program staff can share firsthand stories of impact. Board members can open doors and build trust with peers. Executive directors can connect a donor’s vision to the organization’s strategic direction. And development professionals can orchestrate those relationships with intentionality and care.
For board members, this does not mean becoming a professional solicitor overnight. It means becoming a committed ambassador, a generous listener, and a champion for the mission. For executive directors, it means protecting time for relationship-building and treating development as a strategic leadership function—not simply an operational necessity.
When everyone understands that philanthropy is about partnership, not pressure, the culture begins to change.
Resist the Tyranny of Urgency
Our sector is built around urgent needs. There are grant deadlines, gala contracts, year-end campaigns, monthly reports, donor meetings, and the very real needs of people and communities depending on us.
But Mark offered a necessary caution: if we spend all our time reacting to what is urgent, we risk neglecting what is important.
I find this distinction incredibly helpful. Major gifts, planned giving, donor pipeline development, stewardship, prospect research, and board engagement may not always scream for our attention today. Yet they are precisely the investments that allow an organization to thrive tomorrow.
When resources tighten, it can be tempting to cut relationship-building activities first. We may tell ourselves we can pause cultivation, reduce staff, or defer investment in systems and talent just until things stabilize. But as Mark observed, those choices may help us survive the moment while undermining our ability to serve the mission in the years ahead.
I encourage leaders to ask: What are we doing today that our future selves will thank us for?
That question can reshape a development plan. It can protect time for meaningful donor conversations. It can justify a more robust moves-management process. It can encourage boards to prioritize relationship-building instead of only event attendance. And it can help executive leaders see development capacity as a long-term asset rather than a short-term expense.
Give Donors Agency, Not Just Options
One of my favorite parts of this conversation was Mark’s description of philanthropy as “a declaration of agency.”
That idea is powerful. Donors do not wake up simply wondering where they can send money. They wake up with concerns, hopes, values, memories, and visions for the world they want to help create.
Our role is not to push a transaction. Our role is to help donors see how their values can become action through our mission.
This is why curiosity matters so much in major-gift fundraising. Before I talk about my organization’s programs, priorities, or funding needs, I need to understand the person sitting across from me. What matters deeply to them? What experiences have shaped their generosity? Who do they hope to become through their giving? What kind of impact would make them feel that their philanthropy truly reflects who they are?
Mark’s advice captures this beautifully: “It’s always better to be interested than interesting.”
That principle applies to every fundraising conversation. The most meaningful donor relationships are not built by delivering a perfect institutional pitch. They are built through thoughtful questions, patient listening, and the humility to let the donor lead us toward what matters most in alignment with our mission.
When we do that well, we create space for donors to exercise agency. We help them become active participants in shaping a better future—not passive sources of revenue.
Plan for Multiple Futures
Mark also made a compelling case for scenario planning. In uncertain times, it is not enough to create a single strategic plan and hope the world cooperates.
Scenario planning asks us to consider several possible futures: the best case, the most likely case, and the difficult case. Then, rather than waiting for disruption to arrive, we identify how we will respond.
For fundraising leaders, this might include questions such as:
What would happen if a major funding source changed or disappeared?
Which donor relationships are most critical to our long-term sustainability?
What capabilities would we need if demand for services increased sharply?
How could we protect donor trust during organizational change?
What investments should we make now to diversify future revenue?
This work does not eliminate uncertainty. It does, however, replace helplessness with preparation.
Mark shared that scenario planning can create “an immediate comfort and a deep exhale.” I love that. When we have considered the possibilities and made thoughtful plans, we are less likely to make fear-based decisions in the heat of the moment.
Use Technology to Create More Humanity
I also appreciated Mark’s optimism about AI and the future of fundraising. The opportunity is not to automate human connection away. It is to automate the repetitive, behind-the-scenes work that prevents us from spending time with people.
Used ethically and transparently, AI can help organizations prepare for meetings, organize information, personalize communications, identify patterns, and reduce administrative burden. That gives fundraisers more capacity to listen, build trust, and steward meaningful relationships.
The goal is not less humanity. The goal is more room for it.
Mark’s message is ultimately one of hope
The future is not predetermined. We can build it through courageous choices, deeper relationships, shared responsibility, and disciplined long-term thinking.
I hope this conversation reminds you that fundraising is not merely about meeting this month’s number. It is about building the capacity, confidence, and community your mission will need for many tomorrows to come. Stay curious. Be courageous. Persist. And make space for the important work, even when urgency is loud.
See you in San Diego
Join us at the fourth annual 2026 San Diego Fundraising Conference, "Build for What's Next," presented by PNC Bank, on September 9–10 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. If you’re a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or board member who’s ready for practical tools, peer learning, and real-world strategies you can put to work right away, this gathering is for you. Hope to see you there!
Learn more and register at https://www.sdfundraisingconference.com/.
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