Director of Development, Technology Sector

CSU Careers • San José, CA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Development for Technology Sector at San Jose State University is a frontline fundraiser within University Advancement. The Director develops relationships with technology executives, founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders whose interests may span multiple areas of the university. The Director is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding alumni, parents, friends, and other prospective donors with professional or philanthropic interests in technology, information systems, entrepreneurship, innovation, and related fields. This position operates within a university-wide advancement model and is not assigned exclusively to a particular college, school, or academic unit. Working collaboratively with advancement colleagues, university leadership, faculty, and program partners, the Director connects donors’ interests with institutional priorities and develops philanthropic opportunities that advance the university’s mission. The Director will manage a portfolio of major-gift prospects and donors, with an emphasis on securing significant commitments in support of university-wide priorities, interdisciplinary initiatives, student success, research, innovation, entrepreneurship, technology-enabled education, and other strategic opportunities. The Director of Development reports to the Associate Vice President for Development/Executive Director of the Campaign and works closely with central development, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, alumni engagement, research and prospect management, donor relations, and campaign operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in development, major-gift fundraising, constituent engagement, business development, external relations, or a related field.
• Experience in building relationships with high-net-worth individuals and securing significant philanthropic or business commitments
• Excellent written communication skills
• Experience working with complex organizations and translating institutional priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities
• Proficiency with CRM systems

Nice To Haves

• Advanced Degree
• Experience in higher education advancement or business development in private tech related fields
• Experience cultivating and soliciting gifts of $100,000 or more
• Experience with technology, information systems, venture capital, startup, or entrepreneurial sectors
• Experience working with founders, executives, investors, or other high-capacity professional constituencies
• Experience developing interdisciplinary or institution-wide philanthropic opportunities
• Experience with planned giving, principal gifts, corporate engagement, or campaign fundraising

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of approximately [100–150] prospective donors, with primary responsibility for prospects capable of making major gifts of $50,000 or more
• Develop and execute individualized strategies for the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of assigned prospects
• Conduct a significant number of substantive donor and prospective donor visits and interactions annually, in person and virtually, in accordance with established performance expectations
• Prepare and present compelling philanthropic proposals aligned with donors’ interests and the university’s strategic priorities
• Solicit outright, multi-year, planned, blended, and other complex gifts in partnership with appropriate advancement colleagues
• Maintain a consistent pipeline of prospective donors at various stages of engagement and achieve annual fundraising, solicitation, qualification, and activity goals
• Build and maintain relationships with alumni and friends of the university who are founders, entrepreneurs, technology executives, information systems professionals, venture capital and private equity leaders, investors, innovators, and industry partners
• Develop a broad understanding of trends and philanthropic interests within technology, information systems, innovation, and entrepreneurial communities
• Create engagement strategies that connect technology-oriented constituents to the university through leadership briefings, faculty interactions, student programs, industry discussions and other meaningful experiences
• Identify emerging prospective donors within entrepreneurial and technology networks, including individuals whose university affiliation or philanthropic capacity may not yet be fully developed
• Help expand the university’s visibility and relationships within key technology and entrepreneurial markets
• Represent the full breadth of the university and develop philanthropic opportunities that may cross colleges, schools, departments, centers, institutes, and administrative units
• Assist in developing a university-wide philanthropic strategy for engaging technology and information systems entrepreneurs and industry leaders
• Ensure that donors receive timely, meaningful, and personalized stewardship
• Document prospect contacts, strategies, proposals, and other relevant information accurately and promptly in the advancement database

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director