The Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) is devoted to historic preservation and history in Galveston County, Texas. Its mission includes community redevelopment, historic preservation advocacy, maritime preservation and coastal resiliency, in addition to stewardship of historic properties. The GHF retained Dini Spheris to plan for and implement major gift initiatives to fund the restoration of the historic 1877 iron barque ELISSA ($3 million) and the purchase of the 1892 Bishop’s Palace ($3 million). Notably, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had granted GHF approximately $1.4 million to partially restore ELISSA after it was damaged during Hurricane Ike. Dini Spheris directed the strategy for these projects to reach a successful conclusion by including key volunteers in the fundraising process, identifying and engaging new major donors to the organization, and implementing a disciplined and intentional staff focus on major gift activities.
