Senior Team

Diane G. Remin, Founder & President - Twitter.com/DianeRemin

[Diane Remin] MajorDonors.com combines Diane Remin's nonprofit consulting and fundraising expertise with her business and technology background, enabling smaller nonprofit organizations to tap more deeply into the annual $227 billion individual giving stream (Giving USA, 2010).

Always the entrepreneur, Diane earned a B.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University, an M.A. Ed. from George Washington University and an M.B.A. from Boston University. She launched a retail inventory control and point-of-sale software company in 1982 that served a natio.conal clientele of retail apparel stores. She also formed a real estate partnership that bought and sold land in the New England region.

In 1991, transitioning from the software business, Diane started consulting to a wide variety of small businesses—everything from bagels to mind-body healing.

She also started volunteering, becoming increasingly engaged in the nonprofit sector. Her first board experience, at Cambridge Family & Children’s Service, started with participation on the Development Committee. Diane subsequently served as Treasurer and helped launch the agency’s first-ever capital campaign. As part of that campaign, Diane successfully solicited multiple five-figure gifts.

By 2000, Diane was traveling across the country as a Senior Associate for Biondolillo Associates, Inc., a marketing and development company that creates innovative branded fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations. The company is nationally acclaimed as the “walk-a-thon” experts. Every solution was delivered in the form of a business plan—a new “business” within the “business.” The Biondolillo Associates programs have raised millions for nonprofits nationwide.

From her board and consulting perspective, Diane observed the “major gift divide^SM” between large and small nonprofits: large organizations building robust major gift departments with prospect research staffs and smaller organizations typified by a multi-tasking Development Director with responsibility for several job functions. This observation prompted the founding of MajorDonors.com.

In her time working with nonprofits, Diane learned that "ask resistance" is prevalent among board members and even staff, especially in smaller nonprofit organizations. To overcome this reluctance, Diane developed a results-driven approach that builds individual confidence and keeps everyone focused on the prize: making the “asks” that provide the crucial funds needed to further each organization’s mission.

Robert L. Durkee, Vice President of Business Development

[Rob Durkee]

A long-time resident of New York City and Westchester County, Rob's career has encompassed a wide range of for-profit and not-for-profit marketing assignments. He began his career aiming to be a headmaster at an independent secondary school, and enjoyed related adventures as director of development and admissions, teacher of African-American history and literature, varsity soccer coach, alumni association president, annual fund chairman and trustee (Hotchkiss School). The majority of his for-profit experiences centered around senior marketing and business development positions at Time, Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

Rob's not-for-profit experiences have focused on: independent education, public school reform, youth/community services, performing arts, medical research/patient services, cultural/civic literacy and sports marketing. Besides new business development, his past executive roles have consistently emphasized annual/capital campaign planning and solicitation; volunteer/board mobilization and training; net revenue-dedicated special events; corporate "cause branding" sponsorships; planned giving; and media "awareness" partnerships.

It has been Rob's ongoing professional pleasure to magnify public awareness of and produce significant sources of revenue for mission-driven nonprofits. His other sources of joy are generated in abundance by his 15-year old daughter, Charlotte, many decades of devotion to "the beautiful game" of soccer, and all colorful expressions of homemade fettuccine.

Rob graduated from the Hotckiss School, Williams College (BA), and Stanford University's Graduate School of Business (MBA).

Darcy H. Lee, Major Gift Specialist

[Darcy Lee]

Darcy Lee has more than 20 years experience in nonprofit management, event planning and government, the last 13 of which have been dedicated exclusively to fundraising. As Chief Development Officer for the Center for Women & Enterprise, Lee managed a team of professionals and volunteers who raised more than $1.7 million annually for services in Boston and Worcester, MA, and Providence, RI. As Campaign and Development Director at Pilgrim Hall Museum, Lee directed the museum’s $3.4 million capital campaign over goal, ultimately raising more than $4 million. She was the Development Director at Orchard House, and served as Director of the Clark Fund at Clark University. While at Clark, Lee directed a $2.1 million annual fundraising program and developed and implemented strategies to increase giving to the University from a worldwide constituency. Lee began her career as a staff member in the archives of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston. She served in a variety of roles as a staff member of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and later as Press Aide for U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Lee is a member of many professional organizations, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, the New England Museum Association (NEMA), the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce and Women in Development. Lee is Vice President of the Plymouth Rotary Club, and was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International. She is an active community member where she resides in Plymouth, Massachusetts, serves on the Development Committee of the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, co-chairs the White Cliffs Ladies Golf League Marketing Committee, and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and seminars throughout North America. Lee has a B.A. from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York. Her hobbies include golf, reading and keeping abreast of local, national and international current events.

Janice Wright, Director of Prospect Research

[Janice Wright] Janice Wright is the Director of Research for MajorDonors.com. She has held research and administrative positions in the fields of higher education, law, and finance. For the past decade, Janice has focused on development and institutional advancement, particularly on campaign-related activities. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Janice designed and implemented systems and procedures to support the launch of a $500 million initiative-based fundraising campaign. She also contributed as a senior research analyst to MIT's successful $2 billion capital campaign, which exceeded its goal. At Harvard Business School, Janice worked closely with faculty on case studies, performing research and compliance-related oversight prior to publication. She has also worked on alumni data recovery projects for the Smith College Alumni Association and the Longy School of Music.

A musician and writer, Janice enjoys supporting the Greater Boston arts community as a grant writer for arts and cultural organizations. In addition, she volunteers as an adult literacy tutor in metro Boston.

Wright earned a BA from Smith College and was awarded an Ed.M. degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Heather Willis, Senior Prospect Researcher

[Heather Willis]

Trained by one of the best in the business, experienced and committed to work-family balance, Heather opened Willis Research Services, a freelance prospect research firm, in 2007. She has provided donor prospect research profiles, electronic database screening and other research services to organizations in the health care, wildlife, land conservation, human services, performing arts and education arenas.

Heather started working in the nonprofit sector in 2000 at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a wildlife and natural resource conservation organization located in Missoula, MT. In 2002, she was selected as the Elk Foundation's first prospect researcher--the beginning of her prospect research career. While at the Elk Foundation, she was solely responsible for research and management of a constituent base of over 140,000 individuals, corporation and foundations. In 2004, Heather enhanced her research and fundraising expertise with a move to the higher education sector: Carroll College in Helena, MT.

Always fond of nonprofits, Heather was an active student volunteer. A leadership award from one of the nonprofit's for which she volunteered prompted her decision to pursue a career in the profession. Heather Willis received her B.S. degree from Colorado State University. She was trained as a prospect researcher by Helen Brown of the highly regarded Helen Brown Group.