News Director (Volunteer)

News Director (Volunteer)

PromiseVoice | Journalism, News Coverage & Public Affairs Reporting

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseVoice

Location: Remote with NYC-based collaboration as needed

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week

Type: Volunteer Leadership Role

Minimum Commitment: 6-month commitment required

Reports To: Senior Director of Storytelling & Content

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, educational enrichment, workforce development, creative opportunity, advocacy, housing innovation, and community-centered support.

We believe that informed communities create stronger communities.

Through ethical journalism and public-interest storytelling, MAP seeks to elevate issues affecting children, families, housing, education, community well-being, and social impact.

About PromiseVoice

PromiseVoice is MAP's communications, journalism, media, public engagement, content strategy, and storytelling division.

The division produces news coverage, feature stories, interviews, community reporting, opinion content, public awareness campaigns, and multimedia storytelling designed to educate, inform, and engage the public.

PromiseVoice helps transform information into understanding and understanding into action.

Role Overview

The News Director serves as the editorial leader responsible for overseeing MAP's journalism, news coverage, reporting strategy, editorial standards, and public-interest storytelling initiatives.

This role manages reporters, writers, editors, researchers, and contributors while ensuring that news coverage remains accurate, ethical, community-centered, and mission-aligned.

Working closely with PromisePublic, PromiseResearch, PromiseStudios, and organizational leadership, the News Director helps build a trusted source of reporting focused on issues affecting children, families, education, housing instability, nonprofit innovation, and community development.

The ideal candidate is a strong editorial leader with experience in journalism, reporting, media management, and storytelling.

Key Responsibilities

News Strategy & Editorial Leadership

• Lead MAP's news and journalism strategy
• Establish editorial priorities and coverage areas
• Develop reporting calendars and content plans
• Identify important stories affecting children and families
• Ensure journalism remains accurate, ethical, and impactful

Newsroom Management

• Supervise reporters, writers, editors, and contributors
• Assign stories and reporting projects
• Manage editorial workflows and publishing schedules
• Review and approve content prior to publication
• Foster a culture of journalistic excellence

Reporting & Public Affairs Coverage

• Oversee reporting on housing, education, youth development, public policy, nonprofit innovation, and community issues
• Guide investigative and feature-story development
• Support interviews, community reporting, and special projects
• Ensure stories are evidence-informed and community-centered
• Promote responsible and ethical journalism practices

Editorial Standards & Quality

• Maintain editorial guidelines and journalistic standards
• Ensure accuracy, fairness, and credibility
• Support fact-checking and editorial review processes
• Promote trauma-informed and dignity-centered storytelling
• Strengthen trust and transparency in reporting

Audience & Community Engagement

• Expand audience engagement through meaningful journalism
• Identify stories that educate and inform communities
• Support public awareness initiatives
• Foster dialogue around important social issues
• Strengthen community trust and participation

Cross-Divisional Collaboration

• Partner with PromiseResearch on research-informed reporting
• Collaborate with PromisePublic on policy and advocacy coverage
• Support PromiseStudios multimedia storytelling initiatives
• Work with PromisePages on long-form narrative journalism projects
• Align news coverage with organizational priorities

Leadership Responsibilities

The News Director provides leadership and oversight for:

News & Journalism

Responsible for:

• News coverage
• Editorial planning
• Reporting strategy
• Public-interest journalism

Editorial Operations

Responsible for:

• Newsroom management
• Editorial workflows
• Publishing schedules
• Content review

Reporting Teams

Responsible for:

• Reporters
• Journalists
• News writers
• Contributors

Editorial Standards

Responsible for:

• Accuracy
• Fact-checking
• Ethics
• Quality assurance

Potential Reporting Structure

Managing Editor

Senior Reporter

Education Reporter

Housing & Community Reporter

Policy & Advocacy Reporter

Multimedia Journalist

News Writers

Research Associates

Fact-Checking Coordinators

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in journalism, news media, editorial leadership, communications, public affairs, or related fields
• Strong writing, editing, and reporting skills
• Experience managing editorial teams and content production
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities
• Strong understanding of journalistic ethics and standards
• Passion for community-centered storytelling and public service journalism

Why This Role Matters

Communities need trustworthy information.

Families need their stories heard.

Important issues deserve thoughtful coverage.

The News Director helps ensure that MAP produces journalism that informs the public, elevates community voices, strengthens understanding, and shines a light on issues affecting children and families.

This role helps transform reporting into awareness, engagement, and positive change.

Success Measures

• Quality and consistency of news coverage
• Audience engagement and readership growth
• Editorial excellence and accuracy
• Growth of journalism and reporting initiatives
• Community trust and participation
• Advancement of MAP's public-interest storytelling mission

Leadership Participation

The News Director is expected to:

• Attend divisional leadership meetings
• Conduct regular check-ins with direct reports
• Participate in editorial planning and strategy discussions
• Support cross-divisional collaboration and organizational priorities

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment required
• Maintain timely and professional communication
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP's safeguarding standards, mission, and organizational values
• Foster an inclusive, supportive, and mission-driven culture

What You'll Gain

• Editorial leadership experience within a growing nonprofit media organization
• Opportunity to build and lead a mission-driven newsroom
• Collaboration with journalists, researchers, advocates, and storytellers
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Meaningful impact supporting children and families experiencing housing instability

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and include their resume, cover letter, and writing, reporting, or editorial samples.

Please highlight experience involving journalism, reporting, editorial leadership, media production, public affairs, communications, or related disciplines.

Help build a trusted source of journalism that informs communities, elevates voices, and advances opportunity through Mentor A Promise.

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