Gian Booker
Executive Director, Stewardship, Donor Relations, Communications, and Marketing, University of Maryland Medicine (UM School of Medicine and UM Medical Center) 

Background Info

1. Can you tell us about your career trajectory? How did you come into donor relations as a career? 

I stumbled into fundraising as a college intern after interviewing for a position in HR; the development lead convinced me to join their team. Years later, I chose to build a donor relations program from scratch over an annual giving role, seeing its power as a strategic driver. Since then, I’ve led major gift stewardship, managed compliance, built scalable frameworks, and made donor relations indispensable. 

2. What influenced your interest in and passion for donor relations? 

Donor relations lives at the intersection of impact, storytelling, compliance, and trust. I’m driven not just to say “thank you,” but to demonstrate to donors through evidence, experiences, and transparency that their generosity truly changes lives. Connecting philanthropic intent with measurable outcomes, and daring to innovate beyond “best practices,” keeps me stimulated about this work. 

3. What lessons, words of advice/inspiration would you like to pass on to other donor relations professionals? 

Your role is not ornamental, it’s essential. Don’t play small – be confident, measure your results, claim your influence, and build strategies that fuse creativity with data. The most impactful stewardship is both deeply personal and scalable. We are the unicorns of fundraising – our skillsets, instincts, intuition, and creativity are unmatched. Keep being the superstar you are! 

Connection to ADRP

1. When did you become an ADRP member? 

2014 

2. Why is an ADRP membership important to you? 

ADRP has been the launchpad for my career. By connecting me with the most talented and giving minds in our field, I’ve gained unparalleled knowledge, mentorship, and lifelong colleagues who have poured so much into me without hesitation for over a decade. That momentum hasn’t stopped with me - it’s rippled outward to positively shape and impact the careers of others I’ve had the privilege to support. 

3. How does ADRP serve you in the form of professional development? 

ADRP keeps me at the forefront of donor engagement best practices and innovation. The learning opportunities, paired with access to leaders who openly share their successes and lessons, equip me to implement strategies that are both visionary and operationally sound, giving me and my institution a competitive edge in philanthropy.