HELP WANTED
FULL TIME AND PART TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE
The World Future Fund is expanding, and a number of full time and part time positions are opening up. Our pay levels are generally competitive.
We have found that it is often useful to hire people on a consultant basis before moving to a full-time position during the twelve years we have been in business. We have also made great use of consultants over the years for highly specialized areas of research such as work in Japan and China.
Whether a certain position should or should not be full time depends on the specific needs and abilities of the person. In many cases you would be able to do most of your work from home, and would not have to sit for long periods of time in Washington's ever growing traffic mess.
OVERSEAS APPLICATIONS ARE WELCOME. Foreign language skills are vitally important to us.
If you know of somebody else who might be interested in our positions, please call this web site to their attention.
Privacy is a top priority for us. All applications are confidential. Only two members of our staff have access to resumes.
Instructions on how to apply for a position with us are at the bottom of this page. Please follow these instructions and pay attention to the qualifications listed for each position. Here are the key positions that are open:
NOTE CONCERNING FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS. The ability to speak fluent German is a plus for almost all positions, though it is not essential for all. Building up a greater presence in Europe is a top goal for us. Thus, the more people who speak German on our staff, the better. We are very interested in hiring a competent fluent German researcher for our Washington, D.C. area office.
We are also looking for people who speak fluent Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Arabic. Please note that the term "fluent" means that you must be totally fluent in speaking, reading and writing. We are very interested in native speakers. Green card holders and foreign citizens are most welcome to apply for all positions.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT (TOP PRIORITY)
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT OR FUND RAISING CONSULTANT
GERMANY AND EUROPEAN UNION PROJECT DIRECTOR
CREATIVE WRITER ON GERMAN HISTORY, CULTURE AND MODERN POLITICS
MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE PROJECT - PART-TIME WRITERS
HOW TO APPLY - DETAILS Please pay attention to this and the qualifications listed for each position.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT (TOP PRIORITY)
This position is our top priority. This person is to share many of the executive duties of the President and to be able to take over as President if that was ever to be necessary. The number one job of this person is fund raising, particularly in terms of large contributions. This person must also be able to attend meetings and make contacts with key leaders in the government and in other organizations who could be valuable to the programs of the organization. It is very essential that this person have strong personal communications skills as well as management skills. These communications skills must relate to the world of fund raising from large donors. A limited amount of travel is required. This position might be upgraded to the title of Executive Director to enable the President to spend less time on management and more time on strategic planning.
We are open to exploring a short-term consulting relationship with a potential candidate if that would help create the basis on a full-time position.REQUIREMENTS. This person must have a proven track record of raising money from large donors and a sophisticated understanding of world affairs and politics. This job requires residency in the Washington, D.C. area. We are looking for somebody who has enthusiasm for our vision and a high level of ambition. We want a disciplined person who can stay on message and build coalitions for progress with people of different points of view. Ideally, this person would fluent in at least one foreign language. We are very open to hiring a foreign national for this position. We want a person with very long term potential and would be open to giving an ambitious person in their 20's a chance. We want a person who combines idealism and high ethical standards with a very tough-minded approach to business.
NOTE: PLEASE READ. We would prefer to get too many responses rather than too few but we need to make one thing clear. You need to have at least some experience in non profit work. You do not need to have been employed full-time in the non profit world but we need to see some experience, on a volunteer level for example. If your material shows virtually no experience in the non-profit world or politics, the chances of you being seriously considered are zero. We are receiving a considerable number of resumes for this position that have this problem.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT (FUND RAISING) OR CONSULTANT
We want to create a solid foundation for the future. We are looking for a person with direct experience raising large amounts of money from foundations and large individual donors. Our key focus is on large donors. We have no plans for direct mail. Ideally, this person could also serve as Executive Vice President (see above) although we are not assuming a person will answer this ad who could fill both positions.
REQUIREMENTS. Must have a proven track record of raising money from large donors. We are particularly interested in people with skills in political and issue oriented fund raising. This position could be started on a consulting basis. In particular, we want somebody who can relate to a number of major foundations that do not accept unsolicited grant proposals.
It is a matter of the highest importance that high ethical standards are maintained as well as high standards of professionalism. We would rather under promise and over perform than promote goals that are not attainable to donors. We have been in business for ten years and have a consistent track record of meeting objectives.
NOTE: PLEASE READ. We would prefer to get too many responses rather than too few but we need to make one thing clear. We have received a number of replies of people whose main idea about "fund raising" seems to be the notion that they are going to "show" us how to get more money from our current donors. If this is your main focus, we are not for you. What we want is access to new large donors including some major foundations that currently do not accept unsolicited new proposals. Our staff already has extensive experience in fund raising. We know what we are doing. Our main problem is time. This is why are running this ad - to have some person who can devote 100% of their time to this important task.
GERMANY AND EUROPEAN UNION PROJECT DIRECTOR
FLUENT GERMAN REQUIREDThis position is to study the European Union with a particular focus on Germany and its current politics in the context of its controversial history. The exact location for this person is open to negotiation. It could be in Germany, America or England in the near term. In the long term it is to be in Berlin, Germany
We would strongly prefer to hire a native German speaker but will consider non-German applications if this person is FLUENT in German.
As Europe unites, it is becoming a global power equal to America. The center of Europe is Germany. Modern Germany is in a stronger position that at any time in 500 years on the continent of Europe. The power of today's Germany is not as apparent as it might be due to the deliberate effort of German leaders to understate this power as a result of the legacy of the two World Wars. It is important to monitor Germany to understand the future of modern Europe. Our German links page can show you some of our interests here.
Europe today has a bigger economy than America, a larger population and just recently the capitalization of European stock markets passed America to be number one in the world. What is less well known is that the combined European armies are now larger than the American Army, and Europe has the high tech defense industrial base to build a military equal to or superior to America's if it ever chose to do so. Two European states, France and England, already have a nuclear military capability. A wild card in the long term future of Europe is Russia. It is far from inconceivable that Russia might one day join the EU creating a global colossus dominating the giant Eurasian mainland.
We are looking for researchers who have a very good understanding of German history from 1870 to 1945 and current German politics. Of very great importance to us is the highly sensitive debate in Germany about its past and present. We want somebody who is well informed about that debate, including books such as Jorge Friedrich's Der Brand and the controversy it produced. We want a professional analyst who can engage in a disciplined study of subjects like this.
We would also like somebody to be informed about German artistic and cultural trends. An interesting vignette for example is the connection between ancient paganism, Richard Wagner and many aspects of northern European heavy metal rock. We are not purely talking about fringe and extreme elements like the "skin heads" here but rather the larger aspects of black metal and death metal in modern Europe.
We eventually plan to open an office in Berlin. This person is to help prepare the groundwork for this.
Requirements: This project requires a good understanding of European and German history. We would prefer to hire a German native speaker but other applications will also be considered. You must be absolutely fluent in German, very good in English and have a sophisticated understanding of modern German politics.
Note: You could begin this position on a part-time consulting basis if this seemed practical.
CREATIVE WRITER ON GERMAN HISTORY, CULTURE AND MODERN POLITICS
We are looking for a part-time German writer and researcher. This position might become full-time if things worked out. It could evolve into the position of Germany and EU Project Director (listed above) if this position remains unfilled while you are here.
Requirements are similar to above. It could also be helpful if you could cover various aspects of the underground culture scene in Germany, particularly metal and neo-paganism.
It would also be useful if you could contribute your writing skills to our Future Watch Indicators Project here in Washington.
Preference will be given to people in the Washington, D.C. area but we are open to all inquiries, including those from Germany, particularly Berlin.
You must be absolutely fluent in German and English for these positions.
We are always looking for creative people who could contribute to our web site.
We are looking for writers on our planet's global environmental crisis and other important matters. We combine a professional study of the present with a study of history, religion and philosophy.
Writers could be full-time or part-time. Since our founding over ten years ago, we have made excellent use of consultants.
MODERN EVENTS
Projects include updating our Global Indicators Program. This means updating the indicators themselves and our Signs of the Times news section on these indicators. We recently added a special Signs of the Times section on Iraq. We also want to write a summary piece on proposed solutions to the current global crisis covering material such as the recent writings of people like Lester Brown.
THE STUDY OF HISTORY
(A reconstruction of ancient Athens at the time of Pericles,
painted by the great neo-classical architect, Von Klenze)It is our belief that history matters. We combine a highly professional study of the present with a study of the past, including the ancient past. For example, we believe that the study of democracy's strengths and weaknesses in ancient Greece and Rome has huge lessons for our democracies today. We already have a brief page on the ancient Greek and Roman influences on the U.S. Constitution. A study of the deep ancient roots of totalitarianism is also relevant as a warning about what could happen in the future.
We want to produce some studies on the reasons for the suicide and ultimate failure of democracy in ancient Greece and Rome and the lessons we need to learn from all this.
THE STUDY OF WORLD POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES AND RELIGIONS
We believe that the study of political philosophy and religion on a global basis is critical to developing a global vision of a political future. As Al Gore states in his excellent film, "An Inconvenient Truth", the global environment crisis is more than a crisis of technological and policy challenges, it is a moral crisis. An understanding of different religions and political visions is critical to building a global consensus for positive change. For example. we have some very interesting pages on China and part of its political heritage. (Note, these pages are bilingual, and Chinese characters may not display for all viewers.) Modern America could be in a position similar to that of ancient Greece when it became a world power as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great. Its political institutions needed to evolve to be more respectful of non-Greek cultures. It had to make the evolution from the polis to the cosmopolis.
As noted above, we also want writers to cover political developments in Europe, particularly Germany, aspects of underground culture related to environmental awareness, ancient pre-Christian religions and their respect for the earth and totalitarian political theories from the ancient world to the present.
You need to be able to have good research skills and the ability to write in a manner that can explain complex issues to leaders and ordinary people. Ideally, you would have good people skills to help us relate to other organizations.
Students are welcome. Foreign language speakers and immigrants are particularly welcome.
GLOBAL MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE PROJECT
PART-TIME WRITERS NEEDED
We are looking for part-time writers in the Washington, D.C. area in America and in Berlin, Germany.
Popular culture is a huge subject. Our primary focus is metal, particularly in relation to its connection to the rebirth of paganism in Europe and Latin America. We are interested in the connection between metal, paganism and respect for our planet's environment. We are also interested in science fiction art, landscape painting and nature photography.
UNDERGROUND CULTURE WEB PORTAL
We have already set up a web portal dealing with underground culture Underground Web World, concentrating primarily on metal and science fiction art for the near term. We have received a very positive response to this.
We are particularly interested in seeing how popular culture can be influenced to bring to public attention the need for a global effort to focus on environmental and social problems. At the moment, the environment simply has not reached adequate critical mass on the global political agenda. We need to see how popular culture can be influenced to correct this situation.
SUBCULTURES OF ALIENATION. We see relevance in the emergence of various subcultures of alienation around the world. These could potentially be mobilized as forces of positive change since they are at odds with the status quo. Obviously, there is not an automatic correlation between alienation and intelligent political action. However, it is a subject well worth studying. A key to is reach out to artists in terms of their needs as artists (as opposed to delivering a direct ideological appeal.) We want to try to direct alienation into positive channels (effective political action) as opposed to negative directions such as self destruction via hedonism or violence and terror.
REQUIREMENTS. We have received a veritable flood of applications for positions in this field. Unfortunately, a lot of these applications contain virtually no information about the applicant's credentials for this field. While prior media business experience is not absolutely essential, you do need to show some basic understanding of what is going on. For example, we would like to know what bands and or films are important to you. (This can be from an artistic point of view or a political point of view. Please list some bands and movies that are well-known so we can have some idea of what you are talking about.) It would be useful to be well informed about metal.
If you have a Myspace site, it would be useful for us to see it to get a concept of your artistic interests.
Foreign language skills are very important, particularly German, Chinese or Japanese since the international media world is of great importance to us.
A key part of clerical work here is filing and ordering research material, as well as picking up and delivering material that we need. We are looking for people who have potential for promotion and have an interest in our programs. You MUST have:
Reliable transportation (car or motorcycle). (Metro alone will not do it.)
Basic Windows computer skills, and we would hope you would have your own Windows computer (although this is not an absolute precondition of being hired).
You must live in Washington, D.C. area, and preference is given to people near Old Town, Alexandria.We do offer training for promising clerical people to increase their earnings and potential by developing their computer, artistic and research skills. (Note, however, that basic Windows computer skills are required. We do not and will not offer training for people who lack basic computer skills.)
The more you relate to our programs, the better. Ability to speak German a major plus.
This could be a good way to get a start here and get promoted to more important positions.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A POSITION AT WORLD FUTURE FUND
PLEASE SEND RESUME BY E MAIL TO worldfuturefund@aol.com
YOU MAY ADDRESS YOUR E MAIL TO: Employment Applications
These rules may seem a bit bureaucratic but over the years we have found them useful.
We strongly recommend that you copy and paste your resume into the text of an e mail (even if the formatting does not look perfect). This is the most reliable way to reach us. If you prefer, you can also attach your resume as a file. (We have, however, had problems with a number of file attachments.) Please list the position(s) that you want in the e mail.If your resume does not mention a key point related to our needs, it would be a good idea to mention it in the e mail. Don't hesitate to send us another e mail if you forget to mention something that you feel we need to know about your abilities.
If you do not wish your current employer to know that you are seeking a new opportunity, please let us know. All replies are handled in a very confidential manner. Only two people have access to the above e mail address.
We check e mail seven days a week so don't hesitate to e mail us on a weekend.
If your resume is not in electronic form, please send it by regular mail to: Employment Applications Department, World Future Fund, Box 1829, Alexandria, Va. 22313
OUR FAX NUMBER IS NOT PUBLIC. WE DO NOT ACCEPT FAXES FROM PEOPLE WE DO NOT KNOW.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: WE ARE RECEIVING A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF RESPONSES. THUS, WE HAVE TO SET SOME GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSES. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THESE RULES.
THE CORRECT MEANS OF RESPONDING TO THIS OFFER IS LISTED ABOVE. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO APPLY BY PHONE.
ALSO, WE CANNOT REPLY TO EVERY APPLICATION. WE DO REPLY TO ALL PEOPLE WE WANT TO INTERVIEW WITHIN A MAXIMUM TIME PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS, USUALLY MUCH SOONER. If you have not heard from us in two weeks, the odds are 95% that we are not interested in you.
If you wish to follow up or to make sure that we got your first e mail, please send a second e mail with your resume and the words "second e mail" in your subject line. We shall do our very best to get back to you within a week. If you do not hear from us within a week, you can be sure that your resume did not make the cut.
THE KEY POINT OF CONTACT IS worldfuturefund@aol.com As noted, only two people on our staff have access to this mail box. The privacy of all who reply is a top priority for us, and every effort is made to keep all applications totally confidential. Unless we have called you, please do not try to follow up about your resume by phone.
These rules may seem bureaucratic but we have found that they are a useful system to give all applicants a fair and professional means of reaching us. We have received hardly any complaints and have already been able to hire some truly top quality people from the huge response that our ads have generated.
This ad is a means for people to begin a business relationship with us. Even if there is not an opportunity for you today, there could be a chance for you in the future. We are very open to the idea of exploring your potential for a full-time position by hiring you on consulting basis first.
We have a long term agenda, and are looking to find really top quality people who share our goals and can be part of our team.
