Senior Director of Major Gifts

Who We Are

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 [email protected] or call (408) 795-6248.