“How hard can it be?”
That’s what Diana Marquis thought when she first tried to raise money as a volunteer. Spoiler: it was harder than expected. But that early experience launched a 20+ year fundraising career that eventually led her to found DMgroup Consulting—where she now serves as a fractional development director for multiple organizations.
In this episode of ChatBytes, Diana shares the realities of managing major gifts when you’re also running events, writing appeals, and doing everything else. Her advice? Stop trying to do it all yourself.
One of Diana’s most powerful insights is about calculating your major gift threshold. Don’t let board members or executives arbitrarily decide what counts as a “major gift” for your organization. Use your own database to determine the right number based on your actual giving patterns. And be realistic—if you’re a one-person shop, you might only be able to handle five to ten deep major gift relationships. That’s okay. Quality beats quantity every time.
Diana also emphasizes that major gifts work is a team effort. Your executive director should have their own portfolio. Board members can open doors. Program staff can speak powerfully about the work. And here’s something development officers need to hear: sometimes the best thing you can do is stay behind the scenes, orchestrating relationships and putting the right person in front of the donor.
For prospect research professionals, Diana’s message is clear: your work matters more than most nonprofit leaders realize. She wishes every executive understood the power of good research and the value of that investment. Her practical suggestions for organizations without dedicated researchers include leveraging volunteers and interns, starting with free resources like county appraisal districts and LinkedIn, and making research a team effort.
Her final advice for overwhelmed development directors? Block your calendar. Dedicate specific times—maybe Tuesday and Thursday mornings—for major gift work. Make it visible so everyone knows this time is protected. Use it for scheduling visits, updating records, and doing research.
Because when it comes to major gifts, the secret isn’t working harder. It’s working smarter—with the right team, the right research, and the right person in front of the donor.
Resources Mentioned
- Connect with Diana: LinkedIn | DMgroup Consulting