Major Gifts Officer-San Francisco based

Job Description

Location: San Francisco, CA, US. This is a hybrid role requiring a few days per week of regular in-person attendance at the office. Event-based travel required as needed.

Schedule: Full-Time | Monday–Friday | 9:00am–6:00pm

The Internet Archive is a non-profit library, headquartered in San Francisco, with an ambitious mission: to provide universal access to all knowledge—the books, web pages, audio, television and software of our shared human culture. Our 90 engineers, archivists, librarians, and team members have built one of the top 300 websites in the world, https://archive.org/. The Internet Archive digitizes thousands of books a day and collects a hundred million web pages a week. In its 25+ years, it has built one of the largest digital libraries in the world by working with hundreds of national and international libraries, archives, museums, universities, and non-profits.

About the Role

The Major Gift Officer reports to the Director of Philanthropy and serves as a key member of the Philanthropy team. This role is responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting major donors while identifying and engaging new prospects. The Major Gift Officer works collaboratively across the development team to advance fundraising strategies, donor engagement, and event-based initiatives that support the Internet Archive’s mission.

This position manages a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, securing significant philanthropic investments that advance the organization’s work and long-term sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

Major Gift Fundraising

• Secure five- and six-figure gifts to achieve an initial annual fundraising goal of $1 million, with growth expectations in subsequent years.
• Develop and execute individualized donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
• Align donor interests with Internet Archive programs and funding opportunities.

Donor Relationship Management

• Build and steward long-term relationships with donors through thoughtful and creative engagement strategies.
• Provide personalized stewardship to foster donor loyalty and sustained giving.

Portfolio & Pipeline Management

• Implement moves management strategies to advance prospects from identification through solicitation and stewardship.
• Use wealth screening tools and research resources to build donor prospect profiles and cultivation plans.

Systems & Reporting

• Maintain accurate records of donor interactions and pipeline activity in CiviCRM.
• Track performance metrics and regularly report progress to leadership.
• Maintain active communication and workflow alignment with the Philanthropy leadership team.

Collaboration & Culture

• Partner with Development leadership and team members on fundraising events and donor engagement initiatives.
• Contribute positively to team culture and participate in organization-wide events and programs.
• Perform additional duties as needed to support fundraising and organizational success.

Required Competencies

Mission Alignment & Adaptability

• Strong commitment to the mission of universal access to knowledge.
• Ability to thrive in a flexible, innovative, and non-traditional work environment.
• Creative, proactive, and solutions-oriented mindset.

Communication Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to craft compelling proposals, donor communications, and solicitation materials.

Interpersonal Skills

• Strong relationship-building skills and donor empathy.
• Collaborative team player who values feedback and shared learning.

Organizational & Strategic Skills

• Exceptional time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting deadlines.
• Skilled in creating and executing fundraising strategies.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Slack, Asana, and donor databases.
• Ability to analyze donor data to inform strategy and decision-making.

Critical Thinking

• Sound judgment and practical problem-solving ability.
• Data-informed and solution-oriented approach to challenges.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Major Gift Officer working with major donors and family foundations.
• Demonstrated success securing five-, six-, and seven-figure gifts.
• Experience managing full-spectrum donor portfolios with emphasis on long-term engagement and multi-year giving strategies.
• Experience using donor databases and tools supporting moves management.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with fundraising events management.
• Experience conducting donor prospect research.

This role operates in a mix of home-office and event environments with varying noise levels. Standard office environment with moderate physical activity (standing, walking, lifting up to 30 lbs). Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Benefits & Perks The Internet Archive works with Open Staffing Foundation to recruit, hire and retain staff. Open Staffing Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package, including PTO, paid holidays, medical, dental, and vision benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, short-term and long-term disability coverage, and a 401(k). Relocation assistance is not provided.

At the Open Staffing Foundation, we believe our best work happens when diverse perspectives come together. We strongly encourage applications from individuals in groups underrepresented in the tech and library industries. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, committed to fair employment practices regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We also aspire to make the online job application process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability that impacts your ability to complete the application process, and would like to request assistance or accommodation, please contact us: info@archive.com

Lastly, pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.