Major Gifts Officer

Cultivation and solicitation

• Identify and qualify new major gift prospects and directly solicit major gifts, partnering with executive leadership and board members.
• Oversee and expand a portfolio of 30-40 donors, strategically elevating mid-level donors to major donor status through personalized engagement.
• Engage directly with donors through calls and in-person meetings to build strong relationships and recommend individuals for further outreach.
• Utilize HubSpot to identify and prioritize new donors, enhance the pipeline of existing donors, and support strategic donor engagement opportunities.

Relationship management

• Serve as the primary contact for major donors (annual gift >$100,000), managing recruitment, engagement, and direct solicitations.
• Coordinate with development consultants on prospect list build-out and outreach strategy, and leverage events to cultivate relationships.
• Work collaboratively with the business development team to devise creative tactics and long-term engagement strategies to increase philanthropic giving.

Strategy and planning

• Create a comprehensive strategy for major donor cultivation, solicitation, and retention based on giving history and capacity.
• Design and implement tailored plans to cultivate and strengthen relationships, leading a proactive stewardship strategy for donor satisfaction.
• Utilize HubSpot to track, analyze, and report on donor activities, providing actionable insights to support strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with the CDO and business development team to develop annual fundraising goals and outline fundraising plans.

This role enables Activate's mission by growing the major gifts program to provide a durable foundation for the organization’s next stage of scale and impact, mobilizing resources that drive hard tech innovation and support scientists and engineers in bringing research to market.

• 7+ years of experience in major gift fundraising, with demonstrated success in identifying, cultivating, and closing six and seven-figure gifts, including qualifying prospects and upgrading donors.
• Strong listening skills and ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders in a thoughtful, inclusive manner.
• Exceptional oral, written, communication, and presentation skills, including the ability to listen and target communication to varied audiences.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with internal partners, donors, and board members while maintaining impeccable discretion.
• Comfortable maintaining the integrity of data management systems (e.g., CRM) and utilizing these systems to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions.

Competitive salary of $140,000 and a generous benefits package that includes professional development, $2,000 in annual wellness funds, flexible paid time off, healthcare coverage for employees and dependents (with 90–100% of premiums covered), and the opportunity to join a retirement plan with a 3% match beginning after 3 months at Activate.

Activate empowers scientists and engineers to reinvent our world by bringing their research to market through the Activate Fellowship, providing funding, community, mentorship, network, and time for scientists to become entrepreneurs, resulting in game-changing companies and job creation.