About Dianna

Dianna Smiley has developed a deep knowledge of nonprofit effectiveness, funding sources, philanthropy, and fundraising strategies that work. She has served as a development director, executive director, grant maker, donor education expert and board member. In these various roles, she has served The Oregon Community Foundation, Reed College, SOLV, the City Club of Portland, the National Center for Family Philanthropy and the Tektronix Foundation, among others. Her fundraising philosophy and practices have been shaped in charitable organizations small and large, with annual budgets ranging from less than $1M to over $20M.

Having served in leadership roles, Dianna understands the challenges of the CEO and the Board from her own experience.  She has directed and/or implemented all categories of fundraising and development:

  • Major Gifts

  • Planned Giving

  • Campaigns

  • Endowment

  • Annual and Membership Giving

  • Corporate Relations

  • Foundation Relations and Grant-Writing

Dianna’s work has resulted in an estimated $46 million raised to date, not including her consulting work, where her clients get all the credit!  In 2010, she attained the internationally recognized professional designation of CFRE – Certified Fundraising Executive and has maintained it continuously through professional education and service.

Dianna is familiar with the experience of donors through her work in grantmaking foundations, specifically at the Tektronix Foundation and The Oregon Community Foundation.  Following her contributions to the  Northwest Giving Project, a nationally funded philanthropy initiative, Dianna was recruited in 2005 by the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP), a thought leader and resource center in Washington, DC.

At NCFP, Dianna became Vice President in charge of education, outreach, and program.  She managed NCFP’s services and content generation for family foundations, community foundations and individual donors.  She was a keynote speaker to groups of  philanthropists and financial and legal advisors and was quoted in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the New York Times, Black Enterprise Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal on issues of family and legacy giving.

Since returning to the Pacific Northwest from Washington, DC, in 2008, Dianna has made herself available to non-profit organizations, believing that her experience and insights can be best deployed on behalf of those producing valuable benefits for our communities.

Dianna grew up in the Midwest and attained B.S. and M.Ed. degrees at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  She and her husband live near downtown Portland, Oregon.  They walk, bike, and take public transit everywhere.  (And occasionally a ZipCar!)

For more information on Dianna’s career, see her profile on LinkedIn:   www.linkedin.com/in/diannasmiley

Photo by Dianna Smiley of a favorite Ginkgo tree in Washington Park, Portland, OR