Development Officer

The Center for Online Safety and Liberty (COSL) is looking for a volunteer Development Officer to help build and strengthen our fundraising program. The role will focus primarily on identifying funding opportunities, developing grant proposals, cultivating relationships with prospective funders, and supporting broader fundraising efforts.

This is an opportunity for someone with strong grantwriting and fundraising skills to play an important role in the growth and sustainability of an international nonprofit working at the intersection of online safety, digital rights, privacy, and civil liberties.

The Development Officer will work closely with COSL’s leadership and project teams to understand our programs and translate them into compelling funding proposals. The role offers considerable scope for initiative in developing new funding relationships and improving COSL’s overall fundraising strategy.

Key responsibilities

• Research and identify foundations, philanthropic organisations, corporate funders, government programs, and other potential sources of funding aligned with COSL’s mission and projects.
• Maintain a pipeline of prospective funders and track application deadlines, requirements, submissions, and outcomes.
• Assess funding opportunities and advise COSL leadership on which opportunities are worth pursuing.
• Develop compelling grant proposals, letters of inquiry, concept notes, applications, and other fundraising materials.
• Work with COSL project leads to gather the information, budgets, outcomes, and other material needed for funding applications.
• Develop clear descriptions of COSL’s programs, impact, theory of change, and funding needs for different audiences.
• Tailor proposals and other communications to the priorities and interests of individual funders.
• Support the preparation of project budgets and funding requests in collaboration with COSL’s leadership and project teams.
• Research prospective donors and develop strategies for cultivating relationships with them.
• Draft donor correspondence, briefing materials, funding updates, and other communications as needed.
• Help maintain relationships with existing funders and identify opportunities for renewed or expanded support.
• Assist with reporting requirements for grants, including gathering information from project teams and preparing narrative reports.
• Identify opportunities for collaborative funding applications and partnerships with aligned organisations.
• Help develop and improve COSL’s fundraising systems, records, templates, and processes.
• Monitor developments in philanthropy and funding priorities relevant to digital rights, online safety, technology, and civil liberties.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly the ability to write persuasive and concise proposals.
• Demonstrated experience with grantwriting, fundraising, development, philanthropy, or nonprofit communications.
• Ability to research prospective funders and assess alignment between their priorities and an organisation’s programs.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, including the ability to manage multiple applications and deadlines.
• Ability to translate complex projects and ideas into clear, compelling descriptions of goals, activities, outcomes, and impact.
• Demonstrated ability to build networks and develop effective relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong interest in digital rights, freedom of expression, privacy, online safety, and civil liberties.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and follow projects through from opportunity identification to submission.
• Comfort with collaborative international environments and cross-cultural communication.

Experience securing grants for nonprofit organisations, particularly from foundations or philanthropic institutions, is highly desirable. Familiarity with the digital-rights, technology, human-rights, or civil-liberties funding landscape is an advantage.

Location

Remote. COSL is an international organisation, and volunteers may be based anywhere in the world.

Commitment

Part-time, volunteer — approximately 5–10 hours per week.

The role is flexible and primarily asynchronous, with occasional meetings with COSL leadership and project teams. The Development Officer should be able to work independently and manage their own fundraising pipeline and deadlines.

What you’ll gain

• Practical experience in nonprofit development, grantwriting, and philanthropic fundraising.
• The opportunity to develop a portfolio of successful grant proposals and fundraising work.
• Direct experience working with an international organisation at the intersection of technology, human rights, online safety, and civil liberties.
• Networking opportunities with funders, digital-rights organisations, researchers, advocates, and other civil-society organisations.
• Experience developing fundraising strategy and building a nonprofit funding pipeline.
• The opportunity to make a tangible contribution to the sustainability and growth of COSL’s programs.
• A meaningful opportunity to support COSL’s mission of protecting online freedom and safety worldwide.

About COSL

The Center for Online Safety and Liberty (COSL) is a nonprofit organisation working to promote a safer and freer internet. We support research, tools, advocacy, and community initiatives addressing emerging challenges to online rights and safety.

Our work sits at the intersection of technology, human rights, and online safety. We believe that protecting people online should not come at the expense of fundamental freedoms.

If you are an experienced grantwriter or fundraiser who wants to use your skills to support digital rights and online safety, we would love to hear from you.