Monica Vandeventer is the Chief Executive Officer of Major Gifts Fundraiser, the firm she helped launch in 2008. Under Monica’s leadership, Major Gifts Fundraiser has transformed from a one-man operation providing fundraising council and into a firm that offers a systematic approach to fundraising for all non-profits, ranging from small start-up organizations to the nation’s largest and most prestigious institutions.

Monica has the mind of an engineer. A graduate of Woodbury University with a degree in architecture, Monica practiced architecture for several years in Santa Barbara, California where she worked on a range of projects ranging from multi-million dollar custom builds to small remodels. She is passionate about systems and helping organizations build a framework that allows them to develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with their donors – and raise more money – than they ever thought possible.

As someone who is frustrated by inefficiencies and a natural inventor, she is the creator of some of Major Gifts Fundraiser’s most successful programs, including Stewardship Basics and the Major Gifts Startup. Monica is also a trusted advisor to Major Gifts Fundraiser’s clients in all areas of fundraising and non-profit development.

A born entrepreneur, after graduating from college, Monica was the co-founder of the surfboard company, Wayne Rides. With zero inventory, she traveled to Kirkland, Washington and pitched Costco executives the idea of selling Wayne Rides Surfboards in Costco’s stores. Within a month, Wayne Rides Surfboards were being sold in Costcos on the West Coast.

Monica’s start in fundraising occurred around the same time her career in the surf industry was ending. After going on a short-term mission trip to Ireland, she felt called to spend a year living and working as a missionary in Ireland. She began her fundraising efforts and met a fundraiser who offered to help her raise her money.

Not only did Monica successfully raise the money to fund her mission, but the donors who supported her work also became lifelong friends, and most became increasingly invested in missions programs even after Monica returned from Ireland. Shortly after she returned to the United States from Ireland, Monica and the fundraiser she worked with to raise her support were married.

Monica and her husband Clark are avid travelers — including three months in Thailand when their kids were 6, 3, and 1 — and they spent a year and a half living in Guatemala working with the humanitarian organization Cultiva International. In 2022, looking for something different for their family, they moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They also spend time in Lake Tahoe, California where they have a home and enjoy outdoor adventures with their kids who are now 15, 13, and 9.