Major Gifts Officer

Inside Philanthropy; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco seeks a Major Gifts Officer to lead major gifts efforts and expand our donor community. You will manage a portfolio of five-figure+ gifts and collaborate with the Director of Development and Executive Director to advance fundraising strategy.

This frontline role emphasizes in-person donor engagement, proposal development, stewardship, and event coordination, with regular hybrid work and occasional evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3+ years of frontline fundraising in major gifts.
• Proven success cultivating, soliciting, and closing 5- to 6-figure gifts.
• Experience managing donor portfolios and using moves management.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills.
• Experience supporting Board fundraising activities.

Responsibilities

• Meet annual major gifts goal and grow revenue with five-figure+ gifts.
• Manage a portfolio of 75+ donors with proactive engagement and clear next steps.
• Qualify prospects using research and wealth screening.
• Personally cultivate and solicit major gifts and upgrades.
• Maintain a robust schedule of donor interactions, in-person when possible.
• Support the Director of Development and Board in donor strategy.
• Coordinate donor events and stewardship activities.
• Document activity in CRM and report on progress.

Skills

Frontline fundraising

Major gifts cultivation

Donor portfolio management

Moves management

Prospect research

In-person relationship building

Donor communications

CRM tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Work Arrangement: Hybrid, with regular on-site presence, frequent off-site donor and prospect meetings, and occasional evenings and weekends.

Reports to: Director of Development or Executive Director

About the Museum of Craft and Design

Founded in 2004, the Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) is a non-collecting museum exploring the material-based creative process and contemporary perspectives in craft and design. The Bay Area has been home to both Ruth Asawa and Apple, and it continues to reshape our relationship with tools, technology, and the environment. Here, we see our role as helping people discover their own creativity and agency to build a more humane future while supporting the ecosystem of artists and makers who keep imagining and making despite growing headwinds.

From our unique perch at the intersection of material practice, design thinking, and contemporary culture, we mount highly acclaimed exhibitions. Beyond the galleries, we engage people of all ages in hands-on making through the John and Robyn Horn MakeArt Lab and MakeArt Mobile, and in conversation through the Designing Change series, talks, and events.

A Dogpatch pioneer, we occupy an 11,500-square-foot warehouse and remain a leader of the neighborhood’s vibrant maker and art community. We are governed by an 11-member Board of Directors, with an annual operating budget of approximately $2.7 million and a robust endowment for an institution of our size.

Position Summary

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) is a frontline fundraiser who builds and grows MCD’s community of individual donors. Reporting to the Director of Development (DoD) or Executive Director (ED), the MGO manages a portfolio of donors and prospects capable of five-figure+ gifts, with an annual revenue goal of $500,000, growing to $750,000 within two years. The role identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards donors and supports the DoD, ED, and Board in their own donor relationships. This is a frontline role, with most time devoted to direct donor engagement, relationship building, and active solicitation. As the Development team grows, the MGO may supervise and mentor individual giving staff.

Key Responsibilities

Major Gifts

• Meet or exceed the annual major gifts goal of $500,000 in the first year, growing to $750,000 within two years, focused on five-figure+ gifts.
• Manage a portfolio of at least 75 qualified donors and prospects, with regular, substantive contact and clear strategies, next steps, and solicitation goals for each.
• Qualify new prospects using prospect research and wealth screening, including donors below $10,000 with strong potential to move into major giving.
• Personally cultivate and solicit major gifts, focusing on increasing support from existing donors and converting qualified prospects.
• Maintain an active schedule of significant donor and prospect interactions, with an emphasis on in-person relationship building.
• Develop major donors, bringing in the DoD or ED at the right moment.
• Write tailored proposals, gift agreements, and impact reports, and track pledges with Development Operations.
• Identify and cultivate planned giving prospects.

ED and Board Support

• Maintain a steady pipeline of donor meetings for the ED, prioritizing relationships and coordinating scheduling with the Director of Operations.
• Prepare the ED and Board members for donor meetings and solicitations, including strategy, roles, and ask amounts.
• Work with the Board Development Committee to advance donor relationships and strengthen Board participation in fundraising.

Cultivation, Stewardship, and Events

• Create philanthropic opportunities, donor materials, and targeted appeals tied to exhibitions, programs, and access initiatives.
• Host donors at openings, studio visits, maker salons, and other cultivation experiences, planning events with Development Operations and Programs.
• Ensure timely, personal stewardship, including acknowledgments, impact reporting, and recognition.
• Drive gala fundraising, including revenue goals, sponsorships, table and ticket sales, and donor solicitation, partnering with the Creative Content and Programs Manager and production consultants.
• Serve as a visible, informed ambassador for MCD with donors, prospects, and community.

Moves Management and Coordination

• Document all activity in the CRM and use moves management to guide next steps; monitor and report on portfolio progress, revenue, and ROI against goals.
• Work with Development Operations on pipelines, reporting, campaigns, and donor events.
• Coordinate with the Institutional Giving Strategist on family foundations and donor-advised funds.
• Work with Creative & Content and Programs to connect donors with exhibitions, programs, and artists.

Measures of Success

• Annual major gifts goal met.
• Growth in the number and value of major gifts, including upgrades from existing donors.
• Consistent, substantive engagement across a portfolio of at least 75 donors and prospects.
• A growing pipeline of newly qualified prospects for major and principal giving.
• A steady cadence of donor meetings for both the MGO and the ED.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 3+ years of frontline fundraising in major gifts, with a record of cultivating, soliciting, and closing 5-figure and 6-figure individual gifts.
• Proven success managing a substantial donor portfolio through moves management and meeting revenue goals.
• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills, with the warmth, diplomacy, discretion, and authenticity that donor work requires.
• Ability to make a compelling case for support, in person and in writing.
• Experience engaging and supporting Board members in fundraising.
• Organized and self-directed, with strong judgment, follow-through, and comfort with CRM tools.
• Curious and creative, with a genuine interest in craft and design.
• Arts or museum experience preferred; Bay Area connections highly valued.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move throughout Museum galleries and public spaces.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to attend donor meetings and events across the Bay Area.