Director of Development

Work Arrangement: Hybrid, with regular on-site presence, frequent off-site donor and prospect meetings, and occasional evenings and weekends.

Reports to: Executive Director

About the Museum of Craft and Design

Founded in 2004, the Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) is a non-collecting museum exploring the material-based creative process and contemporary perspectives in craft and design. The Bay Area has been home to both Ruth Asawa and Apple, and it continues to reshape our relationship with tools, technology, and the environment. Here, we see our role as helping people discover their own creativity and agency to build a more humane future while supporting the ecosystem of artists and makers who keep imagining and making despite growing headwinds.

From our unique perch at the intersection of material practice, design thinking, and contemporary culture, we mount highly acclaimed exhibitions. Beyond the galleries, we engage people of all ages in hands-on making through the MakeArt Lab and MakeArt Mobile, and in conversation through the Designing Change series, talks, and events.

A Dogpatch pioneer, we occupy an 11,500-square-foot warehouse and remain a leader of the neighborhood’s vibrant maker and art community. We are governed by an 11-member Board of Directors, with an annual operating budget of approximately $2.7 million and a robust endowment for an institution of our size.

Position Summary

The Director of Development is a key strategic and thought partner to the Executive Director (ED) and leads MCD’s contributed revenue program, with an annual departmental goal of approximately $2 million and a mandate to scale it up.

The Director sets fundraising strategy across all contributed revenue streams; personally manages a significant major gifts portfolio; leads Development staff and consultants; and engages the Board in fundraising.

MCD is entering its next chapter: expanding its reach, strengthening its role as a cultural anchor in San Francisco, and deepening engagement with artists, audiences, and partners. Growing and diversifying MCD’s supporters, especially across the Bay Area’s craft, design, and technology communities, is central to this role.

Why This Role

MCD is agile and hands-on, driven by experimentation and direct engagement with our community. You will have real latitude: a direct partnership with the ED, a voice in institutional strategy, and the freedom to design and test new approaches in pursuit of ambitious, clearly defined goals. The work is unusually tangible. Donors meet the makers, step into studios, and watch exhibitions take shape, and you will see the impact of your work across the whole institution. If you are a builder-fundraiser, this is your chance to run your own philanthropy lab.

Key Responsibilities

Development Leadership, Planning, and Management

• Shape fundraising strategy and set annual and multi-year revenue goals in close partnership with the ED.
• Architect MCD’s growth and map the resources needed to get there.
• Translate strategy into annual workplans, track results against goals, and adjust course as needed.
• Develop revenue forecasts and manage the Development budget, working with the Deputy Director on grant expense tracking and financial reporting.
• Convert MCD priorities into compelling cases for support, campaigns, and donor journeys.
• Build an integrated, diversified revenue base across individual, institutional, corporate, event, and annual giving.
• Supervise, mentor, and set clear goals for Development staff and Development-related projects in the Director of Operations' portfolio; direct fundraising consultants and contractors, including the Institutional Giving Strategist and Grant Writer.
• Build the Development policies, practices, and workflows that will carry MCD’s growth.
• Ensure strong coordination among Development, Development Operations, the Executive Office, Creative & Content, Programs, and other departments.

Major and Principal Gifts

• Lead the major gifts program and build a pipeline of donors capable of significant annual and multi-year gifts.
• Personally manage a portfolio of at least 75 donors and prospects capable of five-figure+ gifts with an annual contributed revenue goal of $750,000 in the first year, growing to $1 million within two years.
• Focus on expanding MCD’s donor pool by identifying and engaging new donors across the Bay Area’s arts, design, and technology communities and beyond; grow support from existing donors.
• Maintain an active schedule of significant donor and prospect interactions.
• Partner with the ED and Board Development Committee on principal gifts, from cultivation through stewardship.
• Set portfolio goals, oversee moves management, and generate cultivation and solicitation opportunities for the ED and Board.
• Grow a planned giving program.
• Create philanthropic opportunities tied to exhibitions and programs, turning MCD’s visibility into lasting support.

Institutional Giving, Sponsorship, and Strategic Partnerships

• Set institutional fundraising strategy, working with the Institutional Giving Strategist, who manages the grant cycle, and the contract Grant Writer.
• Keep grant strategy aligned with the museum’s priorities and revenue goals.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with major institutional funders alongside the ED.
• Develop corporate sponsorships and strategic partnerships.

Board Engagement

• Serve as staff liaison to the Board Development Committee.
• Grow Board giving, with a goal of 100% participation.
• Support the Nominations Committee in identifying prospective Board members.
• Coach Board members to cultivate and solicit donors.

Annual Giving, Donor Engagement, and Fundraising Events

• Set strategy for the Annual Fund and appeals with Development Operations and Creative & Content.
• Lead gala fundraising strategy, partnering with the Creative Content and Programs Manager, Director of Operations, and production consultants.
• Reimagine year-round cultivation and stewardship, from studio visits, maker salons, and behind-the-scenes exhibition access to major donor travel.

Prospect Research and Development Operations

• Build and supervise a prospect research and analysis function tied to moves management.
• Partner with the Director of Operations on CRM, gift processing, benchmarking, reporting, and Development calendars.
• Use data and pipeline analysis to evaluate performance and guide decisions.
• Monitor and report on portfolios’ progress, revenue, and ROI against goals.

Measures of Success

• Departmental and personal portfolio revenue goals met.
• A board-endorsed growth plan in place and steady year-over-year progress against it.
• Growth in major gifts and a healthy, advancing pipeline.
• Strong results across Development staff portfolios and projects.
• Growth in institutional, sponsorship, Annual Fund, and event revenue.
• Growth in Board giving and Board participation in fundraising.
• Accurate forecasting and budget management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred
• 7+ years of progressive fundraising experience, with a record of closing major gifts and meeting substantial revenue goals.
• Experience leading a Development team and managing multiple revenue streams.
• Expertise in portfolio and moves management, prospect research, and CRM tools.
• Experience engaging Boards in fundraising.
• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills, with the diplomacy, discretion, and authenticity that donor work requires.
• A curious, creative, strategic thinker, aware of shifts in the philanthropy field.
• Genuine interest in craft and design and commitment to MCD’s mission and values.
• Campaign and multi-donor fund experience is a plus.
• Arts or museum experience preferred; Bay Area connections highly valued.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move throughout Museum galleries and public spaces.
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to attend donor meetings and events across the Bay Area.

MCD offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) match; paid time off; short- and long-term disability and life insurance; FSA/HSA options; and an employee assistance program.