Library & Educational Partnerships Manager (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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Library & Educational Partnerships Manager (Volunteer)

Organization Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division Education, Literacy & Strategic Partnerships

Location Remote via Google Meet and/or New York City

Type Volunteer (Unpaid)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability. Through mentorship, literacy development, academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and community-centered storytelling, MAP creates safe, consistent, and empowering spaces where young people can thrive.

MAP’s literacy and publishing work—through PromisePress and our education programs—is grounded in the belief that access to books, libraries, and learning spaces is foundational to equity, belonging, and long-term opportunity.

The Role at a Glance

The Library & Educational Partnerships Manager is a senior, relationship-centered role responsible for building and stewarding partnerships with libraries, schools, educators, and literacy-focused institutions.

This role exists to ensure that MAP’s books, educational materials, and literacy initiatives are meaningfully integrated into trusted learning environments—not just distributed, but used, supported, and sustained.

This is not a transactional outreach role. It is a strategic partnership and stewardship position grounded in trust, alignment, and shared educational impact.

Core Responsibilities

Partnership Strategy & Relationship Building

• Develop and manage partnerships with public libraries, school libraries, educators, and literacy organizations.
• Serve as a primary relationship lead between MAP and educational partners.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration aligned with MAP’s literacy, SEL, and youth development goals.
• Build long-term, trust-based relationships rather than one-off placements.
  
  

Program & Resource Integration

• Collaborate with Education, Editorial, and Publishing teams to align books and materials with partner needs.
• Coordinate placement and use of MAP resources in libraries, classrooms, shelters, and community learning spaces.
• Support the development or distribution of educator-facing guides or learning supports when appropriate.
• Gather qualitative feedback from partners to inform future publishing and program decisions.
  
  

Systems, Tracking & Cross-Team Coordination

• Develop outreach pipelines and partnership tracking systems.
• Maintain clear documentation of partnership status, engagement, and outcomes.
• Coordinate with Development and Publishing teams to align partnerships with funding, printing, and distribution timelines.
• Participate in planning meetings and cross-functional strategy discussions.
• Check and respond to emails daily, with responses within 48 hours.
  
  

How MAP Supports Partnership Leaders

MAP treats partnership-building as relational, skilled leadership work. In this role, you can expect

• Clear scope, priorities, and decision-making pathways
• Respect for time, boundaries, and thoughtful pacing
• Strong collaboration with education, editorial, and leadership teams
• Transparency around goals, constraints, and capacity
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Recognition of partnership stewardship as essential to mission impact
  
  

Ideal Background & Skills

• Experience in educational partnerships, library services, literacy initiatives, or nonprofit outreach.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and follow-through skills.
• Understanding of how libraries and schools function as learning ecosystems.
• Ability to collaborate across creative, educational, and operational teams.
• Organized, thoughtful approach to managing multiple partnerships.
• Commitment to literacy access, educational equity, and youth-centered learning.
  
  

Valued But Not Required

• Experience working with public libraries or school districts
• Background in education, publishing, or youth development
• Familiarity with NYC library or education systems
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities (Spanish or Haitian Creole a plus)
  
  

Commitment

• Volunteer role, approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
• Remote collaboration via Google Meet, with optional NYC-based meetings
• MAP prioritizes sustainability, relationship quality, and care over urgency
  
  

What You’ll Gain

• Leadership experience building and stewarding educational partnerships
• Portfolio-worthy accomplishments in literacy access and community collaboration
• Collaboration with educators, librarians, writers, and nonprofit leaders
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The opportunity to expand access to books and learning spaces for children who need them most
  
  

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist.

For any additional questions or concerns, please email us directly at hr@mentorapromise.org

Build access through trust. Strengthen literacy through partnership. Help ensure every child encounters books in places where learning feels safe, welcoming, and possible.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, our volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals who are based in the United States. This limitation is due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements associated with our work. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.