Senior Director, Major Gifts & Donor Strategy

The Tech; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tech Interactive seeks a Director of Major Gifts to secure significant philanthropic support and manage a portfolio of major gift donors. This senior frontline fundraiser will cultivate relationships and solicit five- and six-figure gifts, aligning donor interests with exhibitions, community impact, and long-term goals.

Based at The Tech Interactive in San Jose, this exempt role reports to the Vice President of Development and collaborates with the CEO and leadership team.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience with individual major donors.
• Experience personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing five-figure gifts; readiness for six-figure gifts.
• Ability to build relationships with donors, board members, and senior executives.
• Experience developing donor strategies and managing a portfolio and pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a portfolio of major gift donors from identification to stewardship.
• Regularly solicit five- and six-figure gifts and build a pipeline of new donors.
• Develop donor engagement strategies aligned with The Tech's programs and priorities.
• Build relationships through meetings, visits, events, and other engagement opportunities.
• Collaborate with leadership on donor strategy, proposals, and materials for major gifts.
• Support campaign fundraising with prospect strategies and customized materials.

Skills

Fundraising

Major gifts

Donor relations

Relationship management

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Since opening in 1998, The Tech Interactive has been an integral part of the San Francisco Bay area and is proud to serve families and young people through hands-on activities, experimental labs, and design challenge experiences.

Here at The Tech our mission is to inspire the innovator in everyone! We are a team of diverse individuals committed to creating learning experiences that empower young folks to innovate with creativity, curiosity, and compassion. We believe that technology is leading and transforming lives all over the world and we want to help develop the next generation of problem-solvers.

If you join our team, we know you will have a fulfilling and rewarding role focused on giving back to our community, especially those that have been historically marginalized and underserved.

Position Overview

The Director of Major Gifts is a senior frontline fundraiser responsible for building meaningful relationships with individual donors and securing significant philanthropic support for The Tech Interactive’s mission and future.

This role manages a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects, with a strong emphasis on identifying and cultivating new supporters and regularly soliciting five- and six-figure gifts. The Director will develop individualized engagement and solicitation strategies, partner closely with organizational leadership, and help connect donors’ interests with The Tech’s programs, exhibits, community impact, and long-term vision.

The Director will also contribute to The Tech’s broader campaign efforts, helping develop donor strategies, case materials, and customized campaign proposals for significant prospects.

This exempt position reports to the Vice President of Development and works closely with the CEO.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects, leading relationships from identification and qualification through cultivation, solicitation, closing, and stewardship.
• Regularly solicit five- and six-figure gifts and build a strong pipeline of new individual donors with the capacity and interest to make significant philanthropic investments.
• Develop thoughtful, individualized strategies that connect donor interests with The Tech’s mission, programs, exhibits, community initiatives, and strategic priorities.
• Build relationships through meaningful donor engagement, including one-on-one meetings, visits, events, and other opportunities to deepen connection to The Tech.
• Partner with the Vice President of Development, CEO, individual gift officers, board members, and other organizational leaders on donor strategy, cultivation, and solicitation.
• Support campaign fundraising by helping develop prospect strategies, compelling proposals, cases for support, and customized materials for major and principal gift opportunities.
• Work with the Individual Gifts Officer and Donor Communications Manager to create effective cultivation and stewardship experiences for Leadership Circle and other major donors.
• Maintain a strong understanding of The Tech’s programs, impact, and future plans and use donor and pipeline data to prioritize opportunities and drive results.
  
  

What You Bring

• Approximately 5+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including demonstrated success managing relationships with individual major donors.
• A track record of personally cultivating, soliciting, and closing five-figure gifts, with demonstrated experience or readiness to regularly solicit six-figure gifts.
• Strong relationship-building instincts and the confidence to engage donors, board members, community leaders, and senior executives.
• Experience developing donor strategies and managing a portfolio and pipeline toward ambitious fundraising goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to translate organizational priorities into compelling donor conversations and proposals.
• Strong judgment, initiative, organization, and follow-through, with the ability to manage multiple sophisticated donor relationships simultaneously.
• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Working Conditions and Schedule

• This role is based at The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose and requires a meaningful on-site presence because relationship building is central to the position. Some flexibility to work from an alternative location may be available depending on business needs and scheduled meetings.
• The position also includes meetings with corporate partners throughout the Bay Area and occasional evening and weekend events.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) at The Tech

Our success is dependent on building teams that include people from different backgrounds and experiences who challenge each other’s assumptions with fresh perspectives. To that end, we look for a diverse pool of applicants including but not limited to those from historically marginalized groups — women, people with disabilities, people of color, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or nonconforming, veterans, and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Tech will provide an equal opportunity in recruitment and employment to all individuals and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.Any applicant with a disability may contact The Tech Interactive to arrange for accommodations. Please contact the Tech at [e-mail] or call [phone].

The pay range for this role is:

130,000 - 140,000 USD per year (The Tech Interactive)