An anchoring fastener comprises, in one embodiment, a shaft (100) with straight and tapered portions, a tip (105) at the front end, cam follower surfaces (110, 111) at the rear end, a body (120) with a bore, a head (125) with a hole collinear with the bore in the body, and a pair of fins (115). The shaft and the body are joined at a bendable region by the fins. The anchor is fully inserted into wallboard (600) until the head comes into contact with the outer surface of the wallboard (610). The length of the body is approximately equal to the thickness of the wall. The fins slice into the wallboard, thereby preventing rotation of the anchor during and after insertion. An activating member (900), such as a screw or a pin, is inserted into the hole and bore and urged against the cam follower surfaces, thereby forcing the shaft to rotate until it comes into contact with the inner surface (615) of the wallboard. An object-holding washer (905), restrained by the activating member, is secured to the anchor which in turn is secured to the wallboard.