Radio Observatory Fundraising Lead

About Us

Titan Astronomical Observatory is a Florida-based nonprofit working to acquire and modernize a 10-meter radio telescope and make it remotely accessible to students, educators, and the public through an online dashboard. We are incorporated, have an option contract with the seller, a site secured, and a community of 400+ people following the project. We are now in the early fundraising phase toward full 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship. Learn more at https://titanobservatory.org.

Role Overview

We’re looking for a volunteer to help design and run our initial fundraising efforts to purchase and relocate the telescope. You’ll work directly with the founder/executive director in a primarily behind-the-scenes role focused on research, planning, and donor materials rather than making live donation asks.

Key Responsibilities

• Research prospective individual donors, foundations, and small grant opportunities relevant to science education and STEM outreach.
• Help shape a simple, realistic early-stage fundraising plan.
• Draft or refine donor-facing materials (emails, one-pagers, short pitch decks).
• Set up and maintain lightweight systems to track prospects, outreach, and follow-ups.

What We’re Looking For

• Interest in fundraising/development and comfort working in an early-stage environment.
• Clear writing and comfort communicating with donors in writing.
• Ability to work independently on agreed tasks and suggest next steps.
• Honest communication about your capacity and feedback on what is realistic.
• Interest in astronomy, STEM education, or scientific outreach is a plus, not a requirement.

Experience in nonprofit fundraising, grants, sales, or related work is helpful but not required. Reliability and judgment matter more than specific titles.

Time Commitment

• Approximately 4–8 hours per week, remote and flexible.
• Regular check-ins with the executive director to set priorities, review work, and adjust plans.
• Ideally able to commit for at least 4–6 months.

What You’ll Gain

• Direct experience shaping the fundraising function of a science-focused nonprofit from the ground up.
• Concrete outputs you can reference (prospect lists, fundraising plans, donor materials).
• Close collaboration with organizational leadership and insight into real budgeting and strategy decisions.
• A meaningful role in helping bring an online-accessible 10-meter radio observatory to life.