When community needs are rising and funding is uncertain, it’s easy for nonprofit teams to spend every day responding to what’s urgent. Long-term strength, however, depends on making space for what’s important.

That’s the central idea in Build for What’s Next, a new episode of The Intentional Fundraiser Podcast featuring San Diego Foundation President and CEO Mark Stuart and host Tammy Zonker. Their conversation explores how nonprofit leaders can build fundraising capacity while navigating immediate pressure, shifting donor behavior and rapid changes in technology.

The episode arrives ahead of the sold-out 2026 San Diego Fundraising Conference presented by PNC Bank, taking place September 9-10 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Build for What’s Next is the theme of this year’s conference, where Tammy will lead the breakout session “Calling All Heroes: Building Bridges for a United Nonprofit Sector.”

The conversation comes at a consequential time for the region.

According to the 2025 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy Annual Report, 68% of San Diego County nonprofits reported increased demand for services in 2025, while 81% reported reductions in funding from government, corporate sponsors, foundations and individual donors. The challenge is immediate, but the choices organizations make now will shape their ability to serve communities for years to come.

Fundraising Is a Team Sport

One of Mark’s clearest messages is that fundraising cannot live within one department. Sustainable growth takes participation from board members, executive leaders, program staff, volunteers and fundraisers, each contributing in ways that fit their role.

“Fundraising is a team sport,” Mark says. When responsibility is shared, a culture of philanthropy can take root across an organization, strengthening donor relationships and helping the organization prepare for the long term.

For nonprofit leaders, that can begin with a practical question: Who outside the development team has a meaningful role in helping donors understand the work, see its impact or feel connected to the people and communities at its center?

Protect the Important Work from the Urgent

Grant deadlines, events and year-end goals create necessary urgency. But when every decision is driven by the next deadline, relationship-building, major gifts, planned giving and long-term planning can slip to the bottom of the list.

Mark encourages nonprofit leaders to distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s important, drawing on the urgent-important matrix popularized by Stephen Covey. The framework organizes work according to urgency and importance, encouraging leaders to protect time for priorities that may not demand immediate attention but are essential to long-term success, including scenario planning, donor relationships and sustainable fundraising strategies.

San Diego Foundation used this same discipline to prepare for potential federal policy changes, assessing which challenges or opportunities could significantly affect its staff, mission and ability to serve San Diego and which might be “mere road bumps.” As Mark describes it, doing that work ahead of time creates “an immediate comfort and a deep exhale,” along with confidence about the path forward, whichever scenario unfolds.

Philanthropy Gives People Agency

At the heart of the conversation is Mark’s view that “philanthropy is a declaration of agency.” People give because they want to help shape a future that reflects their values, hopes and concerns.

A fundraiser’s role is to listen closely, understand what matters to each person and connect those values to meaningful opportunities for impact. That means moving beyond a transaction or a generalized appeal, and building trust through curiosity, care and a genuine interest in the person in front of you.

Mark returns to this idea in his advice to fundraisers: it’s better to be interested than interesting. He recalls watching his board chair spend an entire lunch with a prospective donor asking thoughtful questions and never once turning the conversation back to himself. A small moment that, for Mark, captures the whole philosophy. Strong questions and attentive listening can reveal why a donor gives, what future they want to help create and how an organization can invite them into that work with respect.

Use AI to Create More Space for Human Connection

Mark and Tammy also discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence in fundraising.For small teams in particular, accessible AI tools can expand capacity by handling some back-office work that once required significantly more time or resources.

That can give fundraisers more time to meet people where they are, listen to what matters and create thoughtful donor experiences. Tammy underscores the need to use these tools ethically and transparently, pointing listeners to resources such as an AI governance policy template.

That balance reflects a broader conference focus: using data and AI to inform fundraising decisions while keeping trust, relationships and mission at the center.

Rapid-Fire Wisdom from Nearly 40 Years in the Field

Near the end of the episode, Tammy puts Mark through a round of rapid-fire questions—the three characteristics he believes every fundraiser needs, the advice he’d give his younger self starting out, and the two books he recommends. It’s a candid, generous close to a conversation built for anyone trying to lead a nonprofit through uncertainty without losing sight of the mission and worth hearing in Mark’s own words.

Learning into Action at the San Diego Fundraising Conference presented by PNC Bank

The same future-focused thinking shapes the 2026 San Diego Fundraising Conference presented by PNC Bank on September 9-10. Designed to help nonprofits move beyond short-term reaction, the conference gives nonprofit professionals space to sharpen their skills and make intentional decisions about what comes next for their organizations.

The experience is designed for application. Mark encourages attendees to bring one pressing problem with them, learn from subject-matter experts and peers, then return to their organizations with ideas they can begin using right away.

Listen to “Build for What’s Next” on The Intentional Fundraiser Podcast to hear the full conversation between Tammy Zonker and Mark Stuart.

 

FAQ

What is the “Build for What’s Next” podcast episode about?
Tammy Zonker and Mark Stuart discuss how nonprofits can strengthen fundraising through shared responsibility, long-term planning, donor trust and thoughtful use of AI ahead of the San Diego Fundraising Conference presented by PNC Bank.

Who is Tammy Zonker?
Tammy Zonker is the founder and president of Fundraising Transformed, host of The Intentional Fundraiser Podcast, and a 2026 San Diego Fundraising Conference speaker.

Who is Mark Stuart?
Mark Stuart, CFRE, is President and CEO of San Diego Foundation and a fundraising and community-building professional with nearly 40 years of nonprofit leadership experience.

When is the 2026 San Diego Fundraising Conference presented by PNC Bank?
The San Diego Fundraising Conference presented by PNC Bank takes place September 9–10, 2026, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.