Now recruiting co-founders

Help build something life-changing

Zero Balance Fund is recruiting three volunteer co-founders to lead us from waitlist to launch later in 2026. If our mission moves you and your skills match one of these seats, we'd love to hear from you.

Who you'd be building with

Michel T

Founder & CTO

The idea for Zero Balance Fund was born in a hallway conversation: as a Canadian, I was struck to hear seasoned US colleagues — a decade-plus into their careers — still quietly carrying student debt. This nonprofit exists to take real, accountable action so fewer Americans keep paying for their education long after the diploma is on the wall.

Background: 30+ years in the software industry, with a deep focus on applied AI over the last year.

Open seat

President

Sets the vision, leads fundraising relationships, and is the public face of the organization.

Ideal candidate

  • Senior nonprofit, mission-driven, or social-impact leadership experience
  • Comfortable speaking publicly to donors, press, and partner institutions
  • Strong network in education, financial services, or philanthropy
  • Bias toward action — willing to roll up sleeves alongside a small team
  • Aligns deeply with our mission to eliminate student loan debt

Time commitment: ~5–8 hrs/week to start, scaling at launch

Open seat

Treasurer

Owns financial stewardship, compliance, and the trust we build with every donor dollar.

Ideal candidate

  • CPA, CFA, or 5+ years in nonprofit finance, audit, or accounting
  • Familiar with 501(c)(3) reporting, IRS Form 990, and state charitable filings
  • Disciplined about controls, reconciliation, and donor-facing transparency
  • Comfortable building lightweight financial systems from scratch
  • Plain-language communicator — can explain the books to non-finance peers

Time commitment: ~3–5 hrs/week, with quarterly close cycles

Open seat

Secretary

Keeps the organization organized — governance, records, board operations, and bylaws.

Ideal candidate

  • Background in legal, compliance, governance, or executive operations
  • Detail-obsessed: meeting minutes, resolutions, and document hygiene
  • Comfortable with nonprofit governance frameworks and Robert's Rules
  • Familiar with privacy and recordkeeping obligations for donor data
  • Diplomatic communicator who keeps everyone aligned and accountable

Time commitment: ~3–5 hrs/week

Volunteer co-founder application

Tell us about yourself

Volunteer, unpaid co-founder seats. We review every submission personally and respond within two weeks.

0/2000

These are unpaid, volunteer co-founder seats while we finalize 501(c)(3) approval and launch programs later in 2026.