Major Gifts Meets Annual Giving: Can We Sit Together Now?

Major Gifts Meets Annual Giving: Can We Sit Together Now?

Bethany Dainton, Manager, Philanthropy: PRHC Foundation

This is an in-person event only.

In many organizations, Major Gifts and Annual Giving teams work side by side, but not always together. When those silos persist, donor experience, team morale, and long-term growth can suffer.

In this peer-led roundtable, we’ll explore how stronger collaboration between Major Gifts and Annual Giving can deepen donor relationships, support smoother moves management, and create more integrated fundraising strategies. Drawing from experience working across Major Gifts and Annual Giving, I’ll share real-world examples of what has helped improve alignment, where challenges tend to show up, and how small shifts can lead to stronger collaboration.

Together, we’ll explore how better communication and shared ownership of donor relationships can strengthen pipelines, support smoother transitions between giving levels, and create a more seamless experience for donors.

Expect a candid, solution-focused discussion with takeaways you can apply in your own organization, regardless of size or structure!

Guiding Questions:

• Where do you see the biggest disconnect between Major Gifts and Annual Giving in your organization?

• How have you successfully encouraged collaboration between the two — without stepping on toes?

• How do you manage donors who don’t fit neatly into one portfolio or giving level?

• What systems, tools, or touchpoints have helped keep teams aligned and transparency?

• How do you ensure a donor’s experience stays seamless as they move through different giving levels?

• Let’s talk culture: How do we move from “that’s not my job” to “we’re in this together”?

About Bethany

Bethany is an accomplished and community-focused fundraising professional with over seven years of experience in healthcare philanthropy. She currently serves as Manager, Philanthropy at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, where she leads major and legacy giving initiatives and partners closely with donors to inspire transformational support for care close to home. Her work plays a key role in advancing the Foundation’s $70 million Campaign for PRHC, an ambitious effort to strengthen and reimagine health and care across the region.

Prior to returning to a major gifts and planned giving focus, Bethany spent one year leading the PRHC Foundation’s Annual Giving portfolio, overseeing direct mail, digital appeals, monthly giving, and community and business-based initiatives, strengthening her donor-centric, systems-driven approach to pipeline development. Previously, she spent more than five years with the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation, including three years in a leadership role as Manager of Major Gifts & Planned Giving, where she supported the We Care, We Can Campaign and helped advance the redevelopment and expansion of Lakeridge Health Bowmanville Hospital.

Bethany holds a bilingual Bachelor of Arts from Glendon College, a Certificate in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Ontario Tech University, and has completed the Transformational and Charismatic Leadership Program with the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. An active member of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Bethany regularly contributes to sector leadership conversations through speaking and facilitation, and is driven by the opportunity to create meaningful, lasting impact in the communities she calls home.