Store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE) is a universal Ca²⁺ influx pathway that is important for the function of many cell types. SOCE occurs upon depletion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca²⁺ stores and relies on a complex molecular interplay between the plasma membrane (PM) Ca²⁺ channel ORAI1 and the ER Ca²⁺ sensor stromal interaction molecule (STIM) 1. Patients with null mutations in ORAI1 or STIM1 genes present with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)-like disease. Here, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which a loss-of-function STIM1 mutation (R429C) in human patients abolishes SOCE. R429 is located in the third coiled-coil (CC3) domain of the cytoplasmic C terminus of STIM1. Mutation of R429 destabilizes the CC3 structure and alters the conformation of the STIM1 C terminus, thereby releasing a polybasic domain that promotes STIM1 recruitment to ER–PM junctions. However, the mutation also impairs cytoplasmic STIM1 oligomerization and abolishes STIM1–ORAI1 interactions. Thus, despite its constitutive localization at ER–PM junctions, mutant STIM1 fails to activate SOCE. Our results demonstrate multifunctional roles of the CC3 domain in regulating intra- and intermolecular STIM1 interactions that control (i) transition of STIM1 from a quiescent to an active conformational state, (ii) cytoplasmic STIM1 oligomerization, and (iii) STIM1–ORAI1 binding required for ORAI1 activation.