Unlocking Major Gifts: How to Identify Your Largest Donors

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2025

Time: 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET

Are you overlooking donors who are ready to make a transformational impact?

From leveraging donor data to spotting key indicators of giving capacity and intent, this webinar will review industry data and proven strategies for uncovering major gift and legacy donors hiding in plain sight.

Join us to discover: 

• Techniques for identifying high-capacity donors within your database 
• Key data points and behaviors that signal major giving potential 
• Strategies for targeting high-potential donors outside of your database
• Using donation matching to engage, retain, and acquire donors
• And more

Whether you’re just starting your major gift program or looking to take it to the next level, this webinar will help you unlock new possibilities for growth and impact. 

Speakers

Pooya Pourak is the Co-Founder and CEO of MatchNice, where his mission is to inspire more giving by making donation matching easy, transparent, and accessible.

With a foundation in industrial engineering, data analytics, and human-centered design, Pooya has consulted across the for-profit, government, and nonprofit sectors, applying systems thinking to drive social impact. As the host of The Nonprofit Lab podcast, he challenges the status quo by spotlighting bold ideas that reshape generosity and nonprofit innovation. He also serves as the research and analytics consultant for The Nonprofit Alliance, where he drives insights and supports advocacy to protect the nonprofit sector amid today’s complex political landscape. Outside of work, Pooya is an Ironman triathlete, dog lover, avid hiker, and certified yoga instructor—bringing presence, vulnerability, and empathy to everything he does.

Pooya holds a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Lisa Zola Greer is a philanthropist, nonprofit advisor, convener, and bestselling author of Philanthropy Revolution and The Essential Fundraiser’s Handbook. A relentless advocate for transforming fundraising, Lisa has trained and spoken to thousands of fundraisers worldwide, including groups such as AFP, CASE, APRA, Philanthropy Ireland, Fundraising Everywhere, Jewish Funder’s Network and the UK Chartered Institute of Fundraising – challenging outdated practices and pushing for a more sustainable, donor-centric approach.

Over the past decade, Lisa has hosted nearly 200 charitable salons at her Beverly Hills home, fostering real connections between nonprofits, donors, and the community. She currently serves on the California State Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, sits on the boards of ALLMEP (The Alliance for Middle East Peace), MatchNice, Jewish Story Partners, and New Jewish Narrative, and has held leadership roles with Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors, the New Israel Fund, and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Other board participation includes the L.A. District Attorney’s Crime Prevention Foundation, Make-a-Wish of Greater Los Angeles, and Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, among others.

Lisa’s career spans leadership in media, business, and philanthropy, including time as a studio executive at NBC and Universal Studios. Now a doctoral candidate at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Lisa is committed to ending the nonprofit starvation cycle and ensuring a more honest, impactful philanthropic culture.

A Los Angeles native, Lisa holds degrees from UCLA and Pepperdine and is the proud mother of three Millennials, two Gen Z’ers, and two dogs.