Dawn Marie Dioguardo

Charged with identifying, researching, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding diverse portfolio of major gift and planned giving prospects nationwide.

• Strategically elevate existing donors to higher giving levels while expanding planned giving donor base.
• Directly oversee and mentor Major Gift Officer, Prospect Researcher, and other Development Associate to optimize performance and foster professional growth.
• Currently manage portfolio of 130+ individual donors, conducting research, cultivating relationships, soliciting contributions, and stewarding both restricted and unrestricted gifts.
• Provide ongoing leadership and direction to Major Gift Officer, Prospect Researcher, and Development Associate, assisting them in achieving their individual objectives.
• Collaborate closely with the Chief Growth Officer, President & CEO, staff, and volunteers to devise and execute strategies aimed at increasing donor engagement, driving revenue growth, and raising community awareness,
• Develop customized goals and plans for each donor within assigned portfolio, drawing upon their giving history and organizational knowledge.
• Identify, cultivate, and steward prospects for planned giving, while also educating Development staff on planned giving best practices and providing relevant educational materials.
• Craft and implement comprehensive marketing and communications plan to promote planned giving initiative.
• Actively represent Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs at events and meetings, advocating for missions of both organizations.

• Entrusted with assembling and leading dedicated team of development and marketing experts, collectively propelling evolution of organization's fund-development strategies to advance equitable access to affordable housing.
• Wholeheartedly dedicated to organization's mission of uniting communities to construct homes, foster community growth, and ignite hope.
• Devised and executed comprehensive strategy to elevate fundraising efforts, secure sponsorships, and cultivate dynamic volunteer network.
• Implemented best practices across various fundraising avenues including annual campaigns, major individual donations, student initiatives, faith-based and corporate partnerships, program sponsorships, and signature events, resulting in notable increases in financial support.
• Spearheaded creation of resource development budget and orchestrated annual activities to drive growth and innovation in alignment with Habitat Long Island's strategic goals.
• Provided leadership and support to Development, Marketing, Grants, and ReStore donations staff to optimize their performance and achieve organizational objectives.
• Coordinated and managed volunteer initiatives, maximizing their impact and engagement with organization.
• Led outreach efforts and fostered community engagement, effectively representing Habitat for Humanity of Long Island with enthusiasm and accuracy.

• Tasked with expanding major giving program into new geographic areas, specifically focusing on Long Island
• Collaborated closely with leadership, development staff, and Board of Directors to meticulously craft and execute strategic plan tailored to unique needs and opportunities of this region.
• Directly oversaw portfolio of 125+ major giving prospects and donors, responsible for cultivating relationships, soliciting contributions, and successfully closing major gifts.
• Utilized existing database, iWave, and Donor Search applications to conduct comprehensive research and uncover new major gift prospects.
• Actively solicited contributions from both existing and potential major contributors, ensuring timely follow-up and personalized engagement.
• Fostered positive relationships with donors, providing attentive stewardship throughout cultivation process.
• Maintained and updated prospect and suspect lists to ensure accuracy and relevance.
• Coordinated and scheduled cultivation and solicitation meetings for management and campaign volunteer leadership, facilitating productive engagements.
• Ensured meticulous tracking of gifts, challenge grants, and pledges received, guaranteeing accurate recording and timely acknowledgment.
• Generated weekly and/or monthly progress reports on donor meetings, providing insight into fundraising efforts.
• Planned and coordinated minimum of six Special Events annually in Suffolk County, NY, collaborating with Community Partners, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
• Represented WSHU Leadership Circle giving group and WSHU with enthusiasm and accuracy, actively engaging with community to promote our mission and initiatives.

• Liaised with leadership and approximately 120 prospective major gift donors, developing cultivation strategies including collaborating with volunteers to move rapidly towards solicitation and closure.
• Leveraged business and financial acumen in establishing critical relationships with external stakeholders.
• Collaborated with high-level university leaders to ensure attainment of appropriate benchmarks to achieve goals.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to align fundraising efforts with organizational goals and objectives.

• Collaborative role teaming with Dean of University Libraries and Head of Special Collections in creating cultivation and solicitation strategies as well as prioritization and goal setting for leadership and key gift donors.
• Directed more than 100 assigned and potential donors, driving solicitation and stewardship as appropriate.
• Teamed with advancement personnel to ensure alignment of activities with outside departments and alumni relations.

• Commanded development and execution of all corporate and sales events including sourcing venues and vendors, identifying target audiences, driving direct and email promotions, soliciting funding from business partners and coordinating logistics.
• Handled all incoming marketing requests, managed daily workload for marketing team and established deadlines to maintain efficiency.
• Managed partner relationships, direct mail and email campaigns, Direct Marketing Funds from Enterprise Partners, and execution of joint marketing campaigns and events.