Why I Do This Work
I’ve spent my career removing barriers—to opportunity, to growth, to impact.
First, that looked like policy work with Governor Wilder, removing barriers to opportunity for Virginians. Then, as Chief Strategy Officer for Royall & Company (now EAB), where we removed barriers to college access for hundreds of thousands of students.
And here’s what I discovered at Royall:
Whenever I’d work with one of our 400 client colleges, I’d immediately fall in love with their mission. Whether it was a small liberal arts college in New England or a large public university in the Southwest—even schools that would have been a terrible fit for me personally—I could see how they were exactly right for thousands of students and families.
After a few years, I realized something: I would never want to work for just one college.
I wanted them ALL to be successful.
That’s why the work we did at Royall mattered so much to me. We created campaigns, programs, products, and tools that worked for all our colleges—regardless of their size, mission, or student population. We gave them systems that empowered each institution to succeed on THEIR terms, in THEIR way.
And we measured our impact: we demonstrably increased access to higher education, especially for first-generation and underserved students.
The Same Mission, Different Sector
I feel exactly the same way about nonprofit boards.
Whenever I work with a nonprofit—whether it’s arts education, environmental conservation, housing advocacy, or youth development—I immediately understand their value and the importance of their mission to their community.
And I face the same realization: I don’t want to work for just one organization.
I want ALL of them to succeed.
That’s why I created Networks to New Donors.
I’m not trying to become an Executive Director. I’m not building a consulting practice that serves only organizations with similar missions.
I’m creating tools, frameworks, and systems that empower nonprofit boards across the entire sector—regardless of mission, budget size, or service area.
The network mapping methodology? It works whether you’re raising money for a food bank or a theatre company.
The Board Member Resource Guides? Equally valuable for environmental organizations and education nonprofits.
The professional introduction frameworks? They work for introverts and extroverts, teachers and lawyers, rural boards and urban boards.
Why This Matters
Most board fundraising training focuses on motivation. Pep talks. Obligation. “You must give or get.”
But motivation isn’t the problem.
Board members WANT to help. They care deeply. They’re already giving their time.
What they lack are SYSTEMS that make their capacity visible and TOOLS that give them confidence to act.
That’s what I build.
Just like at Royall, where we created enrollment systems that worked for diverse institutions, I’m creating fundraising systems that work for diverse nonprofits.
The goal isn’t to make every board the same.
The goal is to give every board the frameworks to succeed in their own context, with their own networks, advancing their own mission.
That’s sector-wide empowerment.
That’s removing barriers at scale.
That’s why I do this work.
Want to explore whether this approach could work for your board?
About Elizabeth Wilson Clark
Elizabeth Wilson Clark is the founder of WilsonClark Associates, working with nonprofit boards to unlock their fundraising capacity through systematic network mapping and professional development.
Career Highlights:
- Chief Strategy Officer, Royall & Company (now EAB) – Led strategy for 400+ colleges and universities
- Royall & Company – Pioneered enrollment marketing approaches that increased college access for underserved students, and which are now standard to the industry
- Chief Development Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Communications Officer to multiple nonprofits
- Policy work with Governor L. Douglas Wilder
Approach: Elizabeth’s methodology combines systematic network mapping, professional tool development, and implementation support. Board members discover their hidden capacity, receive confidence-building resources, and follow proven frameworks for making warm introductions.
Results: Boards typically identify 50-100 prospects in their first workshop. Organizations report revenue increases of 30%+ within six months.
Based in: Charlottesville, Virginia