Moon Society Volunteer Descriptions
Press Release Person
The Society is in need of a person experienced in issuing press releases to the media. We want the world at large to know the Moon Society response to important developments and its position on relevant subjects.
The Press Release Person will work with the Society President to develop responses to significant developments, helping fine tune the President's first draft, or proposing one him/herself. The Press Release Person will be free to take initiative in calling the President's attention to a matter where a statement would be appropriate.
The Press Release Person will also try to disseminate Position Papers and Policy Statements issued by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors.
Outreach
This is where Moon Society members bring our enthusiasm for lunar science and development to the outside world. Developing flyers, effective displays and strategies for getting interest and recruiting new members, ideas for working with teachers, youth groups, and other venues, and more. We could be doing a million different things here; what's needed is a leader to focus the effort and make sure the few things we can do right now are actually completed and effectively used.
A volunteer outreach coordinator can use additional volunteers to take on some of the bite-size outreach tasks below:
- developing flyers and other handout informational materials
- developing slidesets, transparencies, and power point presentation materials
- developing portable, transportable, and easily replicated displays and exhibits
- creating models that can either be inexpensively mass produced or easily replicated according to instructions
- developing curriculum aids for teachers concerning the Moon and the possibilities for using lunar resources to help solve problems on Earth
- developing programs that involve students including interactive Internet programs
- developing and coordinating student theme essay, design, and art competitions
The list of ways in which we can engage the public are open-ended. You may even have specific outreach projects of your own, not mentioned above that you would like to volunteer to undertake and pursue in cooperation with the Moon Society.
Grant Proposal Writers
There are many activities and ambitious projects the Society wishes to undertake that will require funding at levels that cannot be adequately supported out of general funds. There are many foundations, organizations, and individuals who may be willing to help us in undertaking individual proposals. Putting the Society and prospective sponsor together is the job of the grant proposal writer. We are looking for capable persons in this area to volunteer. Both a Grant Proposal Coordinator and assistant Grant Proposal Writers are needed.
Fundraising
This is really, in a sense, marketing - how do we "sell" the society to the world. Part of it means being effective in our programs; using the money we raise for good purposes should be a major factor in raising more from small donors. The other part of it is finding a few major sponsors for our work. If you think you know anything at all about this, you're ahead of the rest of us - why not volunteer?
Conferences
This has two major components: ensuring our presence and influence at existing space conferences and meetings, and organizing our own meetings or our own program as part of another conference. Fortunately, there are already a wealth of meetings every year that touch on science and development of the Moon; the interest is really there. Unfortunately, there are already a wealth of meetings every year we should be involved in, and one or a few of us as volunteers cannot attend all of them. We need a volunteer to keep track of Moon-related conferences and to coordinate the local chapters and contacts to try to be sure the Moon Society has an effective presence at as many of them as we can.
We could also use the services of a volunteer coordinator for a continuing series of Interactive Online activities, alternating Town Hall Meetings and Guest Speaker Presentations with question and answer periods following.
Liaison Coordinator
This person maintains contacts with other space-related (especially Moon-related) organizations to foster cooperation and coordination of activities, encourage sharing of information, and eliminate duplicated effort. To help the Liaison Coordinator we are looking to fill some holes in our list of volunteer members who hold joint membership in other organizations with which it might advance the goals of the Society to collaborate. To inquire about these, write president@moonsociety.org.
Bloggers
There
are always new and exciting developments and activities taking place
within the Moon Society and within the scientific, academic, and space
communities. Bloggers are needed to post news and information
about Society activities and external developments pertinent to the
Moon and the goal of creating a space faring civilization.
Area
of interest would be entirely up to the blogger, with approval from a
designated coordinator, and quotas/deadlines are
non-existent. If
you would like to blog about your Moon Society activities and other
Lunar developments that you enjoy, we would be happy to host your work.
Note:
Common sense and a professional mannerism is expected for our blogs
(e.g. If you wouldn't say it in front of small children, don't say it
here).
Project Managers
Some projects may be too ambitious and too complex to oversee and develop: for example, establishment of a Lunar Analog Research Station, and the program to operate and maintain it. Without someone with Project Management Experience and experience in the activity area under consideration, such a project would stall before it could be carrried as far as opening day! Another example might be a putting together a serious engineering competition.
Translators - English to Spanish top priority
As of mid-2009, we are working with people in Mexico and Chile, and have a request for help from Colombia. Anything translated into Spanish would also help us build support among the large Spanish-speaking population in the Unites States.We are not currently actively
seeking to spread the influence
of the Moon Society beyond the English and Spanish speaking world.
However, we would welcome the services of translators proficient in the
following additional languages:
- French
- Portuguese (Brazilian)
- German
- Italian
- Russian- with a major space program and strong interest in the Moon
- Japanese - with a major space program and strong interest in the Moon
- Note:English is already an official language in India and required for higher education
- Others
Please write: president@moonsociety.org
Illustrators and Artists
It would be much easier to get new concepts across if we had a good illustrator (á la Popular Mechanics or Mechanics Illustrated) and artists. There is almost no good artwork about lunar settlements (only small outposts, or phyiscally impractical domed cities of science fiction)Local and Campus Contacts
a) A Local Contact agrees to accept, read, and reply to any email inquiries about local activities (actual, planned, or possible) concerning Moon Society goals and Projects (including the Artemis Project) NOTE: you will not be able to handle email inquiries if you are using that block all mail from unknown persons.
b) A Local Contact can work with others who contact him/her to plan meetings, parties, and/or public outreach events that may including speaking, displays and exhibits, informational literature, etc. that promote the goals of the Society. Of course, in order to attract new local members, the local Contact can engage in such activities by him/herself in an attempt to get things going, if so motivated. There are many online resources tailor made for Moon Society use to help you engage in such activities at the Space Chapter Hub website: http://nsschapters.org/hub/
c) By agreeing to be a local contact in your community area, you are not committing yourself to be president or any other officer of any future chapter, only to work with others. Elections will pick the officers.ß
d) In sum, a Local Contact agrees to be just that. The Society does not expect you to work miracles by yourself.
e) This is a vital position, and the Society has dignified the it with the term Outpost. An Outpost is one or more persons, but short of the number needed for full chapter status (three), who represent the Society on the Outreach Frontier.
f) Take a look at our Chapters and Outposts Map. If there is no chapter or outpost in your area, you might consider bedoming a local contact person, and eventually trying to find others with whom to start a chapter. If there is a chapter or outpost in your area, why not get in touch?
For further information, contact the Chapters Coordinator at chapters-coordinator@moonsociety.org
The current Chapters Coordinator is Peter Kokh who can also be reached at kokhmmm@aol.com or by phone at 414-342-0705
