Director of Creative Rights, IP & Safeguarding (Volunteer)

Director of Creative Rights, IP & Safeguarding (Volunteer)

PromiseTrust | Intellectual Property, Creative Rights, Safeguarding & Content Risk

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseTrust

Location: Remote — United States

Type: Volunteer Leadership Role

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week

Minimum Commitment: 6-month commitment required

Works Closely With: PromisePages, PromiseStudios, PromiseBrands, PromiseShield, PromiseVoice, PromisePrograms, and Executive Leadership

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, education, creative opportunity, storytelling, advocacy, and community-centered support.

As MAP expands its books, illustrations, animation, film, music, podcasts, photography, characters, and other original creative work, we need strong systems to protect both the people represented in our work and the creative assets that make that work possible.

Role Overview

Mentor A Promise is seeking a thoughtful and detail-oriented Director of Creative Rights, IP & Safeguarding to build and lead MAP’s review process for creative rights, permissions, intellectual property, and safeguarding considerations.

The Director will help ensure MAP has appropriate rights and permissions for stories, illustrations, music, characters, photographs, video, recordings, and other creative assets before publication or release.

Just as importantly, the Director will help protect children’s privacy, identities, dignity, and sensitive information when creative work involves or is inspired by young people and families.

The goal is simple: before MAP publishes it, produces it, distributes it, or sells it, we should understand whether we have the right to use it—and whether using it is responsible.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Rights & Permissions

• Review creative projects for rights and permission requirements.
• Help confirm ownership or authorized use of illustrations, writing, photography, music, recordings, characters, designs, and other assets.
• Maintain documentation for releases, licenses, permissions, assignments, and approvals.
• Identify third-party material requiring additional permission or review.
• Flag unclear ownership before projects move into publication or production.

Intellectual Property

• Help MAP establish processes for protecting original creative assets and intellectual property.
• Maintain clear records of creators, contributors, ownership, and usage rights.
• Coordinate copyright, trademark, licensing, and related matters with qualified legal counsel when necessary.
• Help creative teams understand basic IP responsibilities throughout development and production.

Child & Youth Safeguarding

• Review creative projects involving children or families for privacy and safeguarding concerns.
• Help prevent unnecessary disclosure of names, locations, housing circumstances, trauma, or other sensitive information.
• Confirm appropriate consent and media permissions where required.
• Promote dignity-centered and trauma-informed storytelling.
• Escalate safeguarding concerns through MAP’s established procedures.

A compelling story never justifies compromising a child’s safety, privacy, or dignity.

Pre-Publication & Production Review

Develop a clear review process for major creative projects:

Concept → Rights Review → Safeguarding Review → Required Approvals → Production → Final Review → Release

Work with creative teams early enough that legal, rights, or safeguarding concerns can be addressed before significant time and resources are invested.

Policies, Systems & Training

• Develop practical checklists and review procedures for creative teams.
• Create clear documentation standards for permissions and releases.
• Maintain organized records of approvals and rights.
• Train creative teams on when additional review is required.
• Establish escalation pathways for complex or high-risk matters.

The objective is not to create unnecessary bureaucracy. It is to make responsible creative practice part of how MAP works.

Role Boundaries

This role coordinates MAP’s internal creative-rights and safeguarding processes but does not independently provide legal advice unless the individual is appropriately licensed and authorized to do so.

Matters requiring legal interpretation should be referred to MAP’s qualified legal counsel or appropriate legal leadership.

Similarly, safeguarding concerns should be escalated through established MAP procedures rather than independently investigated.

Ideal Candidate

This opportunity may be particularly well suited for someone with experience in:

• Intellectual property
• Publishing rights
• Entertainment or media
• Copyright and licensing
• Content compliance
• Publishing operations
• Media permissions and releases
• Child safeguarding
• Privacy
• Creative production
• Nonprofit risk management

Strong candidates will demonstrate excellent judgment, attention to detail, organization, discretion, and the ability to work collaboratively with creative professionals without unnecessarily slowing the creative process.

Experience with children’s publishing, entertainment, media, nonprofit organizations, or youth-serving organizations is especially valuable.

What Success Looks Like

Success means:

• MAP can clearly establish its rights to the creative assets it publishes and produces.
• Permissions and releases are documented and accessible.
• Rights questions are identified early rather than immediately before release.
• Children’s identities, privacy, and sensitive information are appropriately protected.
• Creative teams understand when review is required.
• High-risk matters reach the appropriate legal, privacy, or safeguarding professionals.
• MAP develops a repeatable creative review system capable of growing with its publishing and media portfolio.

Why This Role Matters

Creative work carries responsibility.

Every story has an author. Every illustration has a creator. Every photograph captures a person. Every piece of music has rights attached to it. And when children and families are part of the story, the responsibility becomes even greater.

MAP wants to create ambitious work without losing sight of the people, rights, and trust behind it.

This role helps us do both.

Commitment

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• 6-month commitment required
• Regular collaboration with creative and organizational leadership
• Reliable review and follow-through
• Maintain strict confidentiality and professional judgment
• Complete applicable MAP onboarding and safeguarding requirements

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and submit:

• Resume or CV
• Cover Letter

Please highlight relevant experience in intellectual property, publishing, entertainment, licensing, creative rights, safeguarding, privacy, media, content compliance, or related fields.

This is an unpaid volunteer position.

At this time, MAP volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, compliance, and programmatic requirements.

Protect the rights. Protect the work. Protect the child. Make responsible creativity part of every story we tell.