Director of Communications (Volunteer)

Mentor A Promise is a New York City–based nonprofit serving children and youth (ages 5–18) experiencing housing instability, grounded in the belief that every child is a Promise—full of potential, dignity, and possibility. We deliver consistent, high-quality programming across mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, and creative expression in shelters, schools, and community spaces, creating structured environments where students can grow, be seen, and build lasting skills. Through signature experiences like The Imagination Studio, The Kitchen Table, The Sound Lab, and The Story Space, we nurture academic development, emotional well-being, and creative voice, all within a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and accessibility-centered framework. Our work prioritizes dignity-protective storytelling, consent-driven engagement, and deep community partnership, ensuring that how we serve is as intentional as whom we serve. We are not only addressing immediate needs - we are building pathways to confidence, belonging, and long-term opportunity, so every child has the support and foundation to carry their promise forward.

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Director of Communications (Volunteer)

PromiseVoice | Strategic Communications, Storytelling & Organizational Messaging

Organization Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Location Remote with NYC-based collaboration opportunities

Type Senior Leadership Volunteer Role

Commitment Length Minimum Six (6) Month Commitment Preferred

Reports To Executive Leadership

Works Closely With PromiseVoice, PromiseStories, PromiseStudios, PromisePublic, Program Leadership, Creative Teams, Community Partners

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based, volunteer-powered nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and youth experiencing housing instability through mentorship, education, literacy, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and community-centered programming.

MAP was built through the collective effort of mentors, educators, creatives, advocates, technologists, community leaders, and mission-aligned volunteers who believe every child deserves stability, opportunity, dignity, belonging, and access to transformative support systems.

As a volunteer-driven organization, collaboration, accountability, communication, and shared responsibility are foundational to how we operate and grow. Our volunteers are not viewed as passive supporters; they are active contributors helping build programs, systems, public trust, and long-term community impact.

Our work is rooted in dignity, accessibility, safeguarding, trauma-informed practice, ethical storytelling, and public trust. Across education, communications, creative initiatives, civic engagement, and community partnerships, MAP develops people-centered systems designed to strengthen communities while protecting the voices and experiences of the young people and families we serve.

We believe communication is not simply promotional.

It is institutional trust-building.

It is operational leadership.

It is public responsibility in practice.

Every communication shapes how communities, families, students, volunteers, partners, and stakeholders experience the organization.

Role Overview

Mentor A Promise is seeking a strategic, emotionally intelligent, and highly collaborative Director of Communications to lead and strengthen organizational communications, storytelling strategy, messaging systems, and cross-functional communication efforts across the organization.

This senior leadership role is responsible for helping shape how MAP communicates internally and externally while supporting organizational visibility, operational coordination, institutional consistency, and mission-aligned growth.

The Director will oversee communication initiatives across multiple platforms and departments, helping ensure that messaging remains clear, accessible, organized, ethical, culturally responsive, and aligned with MAP’s safeguarding-centered values.

The ideal candidate understands that nonprofit communications require more than marketing expertise. They require emotional intelligence, operational discipline, community awareness, ethical leadership, and long-term trust stewardship.

This role is well-suited for a communications professional, nonprofit communications leader, journalist, storyteller, media strategist, editor, or organizational communications specialist interested in helping build mission-driven communication infrastructure within a growing nonprofit environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee organizational communications strategy across internal and external platforms
• Supervise and support communication coordinators, writers, storytellers, editors, and communications volunteers
• Develop and maintain communication systems, workflows, calendars, standards, and operational processes
• Oversee newsletters, announcements, campaigns, public-facing messaging, organizational updates, and institutional communications
• Collaborate with executive leadership on strategic messaging, organizational visibility, and communication priorities
• Support communication efforts connected to education programs, podcasts, campaigns, storytelling initiatives, partnerships, and organizational events
• Ensure organizational messaging reflects accessibility standards, safeguarding principles, trauma-informed practice, and dignity-centered storytelling
• Support ethical and consent-driven storytelling practices involving youth, families, volunteers, and community members
• Help strengthen organizational visibility, consistency, responsiveness, and public trust
• Coordinate cross-functional communication between creative, education, operational, and engagement teams
• Review and edit written materials to maintain professionalism, clarity, tone consistency, and mission alignment
• Assist with crisis-sensitive communication coordination and reputation-conscious messaging when necessary
• Support volunteer communication systems, onboarding communication practices, and organizational messaging workflows
• Maintain organized communication documentation, archives, templates, and shared resources
• Collaborate with PromisePublic on aligned public engagement and external communications initiatives when appropriate
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational management abilities
• Experience in nonprofit communications, journalism, media, public relations, storytelling, marketing, civic engagement, or related fields preferred
• Experience managing communication workflows, contributors, or collaborative teams preferred
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong emotional intelligence and ability to navigate sensitive or community-centered communication responsibly
• Ability to manage multiple communication priorities, deadlines, and initiatives effectively
• Familiarity with communication platforms and systems including Google Workspace, Canva, Mailchimp, social media platforms, or similar tools preferred
• Understanding of accessibility-conscious and culturally responsive communication practices preferred
• Commitment to ethical storytelling, safeguarding, confidentiality, and public trust
• Alignment with MAP’s mission, values, and community-centered approach
  
  

Impact of the Role

The Director of Communications plays a critical role in helping Mentor A Promise strengthen organizational trust, improve coordination, deepen community relationships, and responsibly expand awareness of the organization’s mission and impact.

This role helps shape how the organization is experienced internally and externally — ensuring that communication practices remain thoughtful, organized, accessible, ethical, and aligned with the dignity of the communities we serve.

What You’ll Gain

• Senior-level nonprofit leadership and communications experience
• Opportunity to help shape the voice, communication systems, and storytelling strategy of a growing mission-driven organization
• Cross-functional collaboration with leadership, creative, education, technology, and community engagement teams
• Portfolio-building leadership experience in communications strategy and organizational development
• Experience helping build scalable communication infrastructure within a nonprofit environment
• Flexible remote collaboration environment
• Meaningful opportunity to contribute to youth-centered and community-centered impact initiatives
  
  

Commitment Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum six (6) month commitment strongly preferred to support organizational continuity and long-term communication initiatives
• Attendance at one (1) weekly leadership or coordination meeting expected
• Consistent communication, professionalism, responsiveness, and operational follow-through required
• Additional meetings, campaign planning sessions, or organizational coordination calls may occur based on active projects and organizational priorities
  
  

Equal Opportunity, Accessibility & Safeguarding Statement

Mentor A Promise is committed to maintaining a respectful, inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed environment for all volunteers, students, families, staff, and community members.

MAP maintains safeguarding-centered, consent-driven, and dignity-protective practices across all organizational activities, communications, and storytelling initiatives. We strongly encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Additional Information

Please note that due to the volume of applications received, only candidates selected for further consideration may be contacted. Mentor A Promise reserves the right to close, modify, pause, extend, or withdraw this opportunity at any time based on organizational needs, operational considerations, funding, or program priorities.

Submission of an application does not guarantee placement, onboarding, assignment of responsibilities, continued participation, leadership authority, or future opportunities. All volunteer opportunities are contingent upon organizational alignment, operational capacity, successful completion of onboarding requirements, adherence to organizational policies and safeguarding standards, and ongoing performance expectations.

How to Apply

Please submit

• Resume or CV
• Brief cover letter or statement of interest
• Optional portfolio, writing samples, communications campaigns, or relevant work examples
  
  

Applications may be submitted through Idealist or through Mentor A Promise’s recruitment process.