Background: The Mars Society of Canada is a federally registered not-for-profit corporation that is actively engaged in promoting Canada’s participation in Mars science, exploration, and eventual inhabitation. All of our activities are spearheaded by an enthusiastic, talented team of volunteers and we are headed into what’s shaping up to be an extremely busy year! Therefore, it will be critical that we start generating the level of funding that’s going to be required to develop and complete our various projects, and sustain our operations. Our present range of activities include the deployment of the Mars Explorer Mobile Education Station (MEMES), staging various events, and participating in analog research missions. We have an active Fundraising Committee, but we would like to add to this crew!
Specifics: Members of the Fundraising Committee will identify potential funding and sponsorship opportunities, make initial contact, and assist with the development of funding strategies including crowdfunding. As such, we need volunteer assistants who are willing to focus on any of the following key areas:
- Membership Campaigns: Having an engaged and expanding membership base is one of the keys to our success! Do you have ideas that invigorate the public and inspire them to join us?
- Donation Campaigns: Giving a donation requires an exceptional level of trust that the funds involved, no matter how large or small, are going to be used to help a cause that’s important to the donor. Do you have actionable ideas that will assure potential donors that their contributions are not just appreciated, but respected?
- Corporate Sponsorships: Many of our projects will likely be of interest to organizations from a variety of backgrounds. Do you have ideas that can meaningfully connect these organizations to appropriate projects while ensuring that they get the recognition that they deserve?
- Identifying and Applying for Grant Opportunities: Government grants can be essential to ensuring the success of our education and research endeavors. Do you have experience identifying grant opportunities and writing successful applications?
- Project Specific Campaigns: These include MEMES, our Hackathons, and future analog missions. Which project are you the most enthusiastic about and can you move a campaign forward with creative, intriguing ideas!
Talent: Fundraising relies on a wide variety of skills to make things happen. Although we encourage people with seasoned experience in this field to apply, anyone with enthusiasm, a commitment to our cause, and at least some of the following skills will be considered:
- Experience with fundraising in general
- Writing skills for compelling introductions
- A high level of creativity
- Graphic design skills
- A knowledge of the corporate ecosystem
- Grant sourcing and proposal writing
- A knowledge of crowdfunding
If you would like to apply, please send your CV and a brief introduction that explains your interests in the Mars Society of Canada and fundraising to: [email protected]
Further information about what it’s like to volunteer with us can be found here: https://www.marssociety.ca/volunteer-opportunities/
We look forward to hearing from you!
