Strange Horizons calls for applications to the post of Fundraising Editor. 

The Fundraising Editor—like all other editorial positions at Strange Horizons—is a volunteer role. The Fundraising Editor will join the management collective and work alongside Gautam Bhatia (co-ordinating editor) and Romie Stott (administrative editor), and the communications editor (a rotating position). We call it a management collective because all the management positions overlap somewhat; we all talk about goals, share tasks, seek advice, and informally substitute for each other at times. You will be empowered but not alone.

The Fundraising Editor’s primary tasks include: (a) collaboratively conceptualize, plan, and execute the annual Strange Horizons Kickstarter Fund Drive, that (generally) takes place over a month in summer (typically launching the last weekend in May), with help from the management collective and from emeritus editors, not to mention a lot of other editors and authors; (b) take charge of running the Strange Horizons’ Patreon Account (alongside the communications editor); (c) create a regular cadence and plan for donor stewardship, recognition, and thank yous; and (d) plan and execute any other projects that contribute to the long-term financial sustainability of the magazine (with the administrative editor). In keeping with the magazine’s flat structure, the Fundraising Editor will have the freedom to pursue these goals in the manner that they deem best.

You will be joining an organization that already has success in these areas; it is largely because we have such a rich and varied network of donors that we’d like an editor who is able to focus on keeping the environment welcoming and responsive—an editor who is able to advocate, able to make sure we fulfill the promises we make to our community of supporters.

We expect the workload to be a few hours a month for the Patreon account, around four hours a week during the Fundraising Month, and at all other times subject to the Fundraising Editor’s bandwidth and inclination. There are exactly two weeks in the year that tend to be busy no matter how much you’ve prepared—the week leading up to the fund drive Kickstarter launch, and the week encompassing the last few days of the Kickstarter fund drive and the first few days after it. If you have a theatre background, you could think of these as analogous to “tech week” and “show week”—they’re exciting, they’re collaborative, they’re in front of an eager audience, they’re what you’ve been working toward… and you maybe want to make sure you don’t have other errands scheduled for those weeks.

Applications from individuals with a prior background in fundraising, and whose vision aligns with the overall vision of Strange Horizons, are particularly welcome. With that said, we have a long history as a mentoring organization; in exchange for your time and effort, our current and emeritus management-level editors can share industry knowledge with someone looking for experience in the field. If you believe you have the skills and the passion, but your resume doesn’t reflect it yet, tell us why; you could be the person we’re looking for.

Interested applicants, please email a brief statement of interest to Gautam Bhatia (gautam.strangehorizons@gmail.com) along with past experience in the field, if applicable.