Brand Strategist (Volunteer)

Brand Strategist (Volunteer)

Thread & Promise | Brand Strategy, Positioning & Consumer Growth

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseBrands – Thread & Promise

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: Creative Director, Thread & Promise

About Mentor A Promise

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

MAP believes that brands can be powerful vehicles for storytelling, community engagement, social impact, and sustainable change.

About Thread & Promise

Thread & Promise is MAP's fashion, apparel, merchandise, and lifestyle brand.

The brand combines fashion, storytelling, creativity, and purpose to create products that celebrate resilience, hope, community, and opportunity.

Every collection is designed to tell a story.

Every product supports a mission.

Every purchase helps strengthen programs serving children and families experiencing housing instability.

Role Overview

The Brand Strategist serves as the strategic leader responsible for helping shape, position, and grow the Thread & Promise brand.

This role helps define how the brand is perceived, differentiated, communicated, and experienced by customers, supporters, partners, and communities.

Working closely with the Creative Director, Senior Director of Merchandise & Product Branding, marketing teams, designers, storytellers, and leadership, the Brand Strategist helps develop long-term strategies that strengthen awareness, audience engagement, customer loyalty, and market growth.

The ideal candidate understands that successful brands are built through consistency, purpose, emotional connection, and meaningful audience experiences.

Key Responsibilities

Brand Strategy & Positioning

• Develop and refine Thread & Promise's brand positioning strategy
• Define audience segments, customer personas, and market opportunities
• Identify differentiators that strengthen brand competitiveness
• Support long-term brand growth and expansion planning
• Ensure alignment between brand identity and consumer experience

Audience Research & Insights

• Conduct audience, consumer, and market research
• Analyze customer behaviors, trends, and preferences
• Monitor fashion, retail, lifestyle, and social-impact industries
• Identify emerging opportunities and audience needs
• Develop actionable recommendations for growth

Brand Messaging & Narrative Development

• Help define brand voice, messaging, and storytelling frameworks
• Strengthen the connection between products and mission impact
• Develop messaging that resonates with target audiences
• Support campaign and collection storytelling
• Ensure consistency across communication channels

Product & Collection Strategy

• Partner with creative and merchandise teams on collection development
• Support strategic planning for product launches and seasonal releases
• Align product positioning with audience needs and brand objectives
• Help identify opportunities for new product categories and collaborations
• Strengthen product storytelling and consumer relevance

Marketing & Growth Strategy

• Collaborate with marketing teams on audience engagement initiatives
• Support campaign planning and brand awareness efforts
• Develop strategies that increase customer acquisition and retention
• Strengthen brand loyalty and community engagement
• Help expand brand visibility and reach

Partnership & Brand Expansion

• Identify opportunities for partnerships, collaborations, and brand activations
• Support licensing, sponsorship, and strategic growth initiatives
• Explore opportunities for expanding the Thread & Promise ecosystem
• Strengthen relationships with community and industry stakeholders

Analytics & Performance Measurement

• Monitor brand awareness, engagement, and customer sentiment
• Analyze campaign performance and audience growth
• Develop strategic recommendations based on insights and data
• Support long-term performance tracking and reporting

Leadership Responsibilities

The Brand Strategist provides leadership and strategic guidance for:

Brand Positioning

Responsible for:

• Market positioning
• Audience segmentation
• Competitive differentiation
• Strategic planning

Brand Messaging

Responsible for:

• Brand voice
• Narrative development
• Messaging frameworks
• Storytelling strategy

Audience Insights

Responsible for:

• Consumer research
• Trend analysis
• Customer behavior insights
• Market intelligence

Growth Strategy

Responsible for:

• Brand awareness
• Audience growth
• Customer retention
• Community engagement

Brand Expansion

Responsible for:

• Partnerships
• Collaborations
• Licensing opportunities
• Ecosystem growth

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in brand strategy, marketing strategy, consumer insights, communications, advertising, fashion branding, retail marketing, or related fields
• Strong understanding of audience development and brand positioning
• Experience conducting market research and strategic analysis
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking abilities
• Passion for mission-driven brands and social-impact entrepreneurship

Why This Role Matters

The strongest brands do more than sell products.

They create belonging.

They create meaning.

They create movements.

The Brand Strategist helps ensure that Thread & Promise grows with intention, authenticity, and purpose while remaining deeply connected to the mission of Mentor A Promise.

This role helps transform a fashion brand into a platform for storytelling, community, and impact.

Success Measures

• Growth in brand awareness and recognition
• Audience engagement and customer loyalty
• Collection and campaign performance
• Brand consistency and positioning effectiveness
• Customer acquisition and retention
• Strategic partnership development
• Contribution to social enterprise growth

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment
• Maintain timely and professional communication
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP's safeguarding standards, mission, and organizational values
• Participate in planning, strategy, and brand development meetings

What You'll Gain

• Experience helping build a mission-driven fashion and lifestyle brand
• Strategic leadership experience within a growing social enterprise
• Collaboration with designers, marketers, storytellers, and executive leaders
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Portfolio-building brand strategy experience
• Meaningful impact supporting children and families experiencing housing instability

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and include their resume, portfolio (if applicable), and cover letter.

Please highlight experience involving brand strategy, marketing strategy, audience research, consumer insights, communications, fashion branding, retail marketing, or related disciplines.

Help shape a brand that stands for creativity, community, resilience, and opportunity.

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.