Podcast Host (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.

Division: PromisePod Podcast
Podcast: The Bells I Hear
Location: Remote with potential NYC-based recording sessions
Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week
Type: Volunteer Creative Role
Minimum Commitment: 6-month Commitment Required

About PromisePod

PromisePod is MAP’s podcasting, audio storytelling, interview production, and public-conversation division. The division develops mission-driven audio content that informs audiences, amplifies diverse voices, and connects listeners to MAP’s mission and the issues affecting children, families, and communities.

About The Bells I Hear

The Bells I Hear is Mentor A Promise’s podcast featuring educators, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, community advocates, researchers, artists, and people with lived experience. Through thoughtful interviews and discussions, the podcast explores housing instability, education, equity, youth development, community resilience, public policy, creativity, and social impact. The show creates space for honest conversations that deepen public understanding, elevate community knowledge, and inspire meaningful action.

Responsibilities

• Podcast Hosting & Interviewing
  • Serve as the lead host and interviewer for The Bells I Hear
  • Guide conversations with professionalism, warmth, empathy, and curiosity
  • Ask thoughtful follow-up questions that deepen each discussion
  • Create a welcoming environment for guests with varied backgrounds and experiences
  • Maintain the pacing, tone, and focus of each episode
  • Represent MAP’s mission and values throughout all recorded content
• Guest & Topic Research
  • Research guests, organizations, policies, programs, and episode topics
  • Review biographies, prior interviews, publications, and relevant background materials
  • Identify meaningful themes and discussion opportunities
  • Collaborate with researchers and producers to ensure factual preparation
  • Approach sensitive subjects with care, accuracy, and cultural humility
• Interview Preparation
  • Develop clear, well-structured, and original interview questions
  • Prepare episode outlines, introductions, transitions, and closing remarks
  • Adapt questions to each guest’s expertise and lived experience
  • Participate in pre-interview conversations and production planning
  • Ensure discussions remain relevant, engaging, and aligned with the podcast’s purpose
• Audio Storytelling & Narration
  • Record episode openings, closings, transitions, and promotional narration
  • Help establish a consistent voice and identity for the podcast
  • Communicate complex subjects in accessible and engaging language
  • Support scripted and unscripted audio storytelling
  • Contribute ideas that strengthen episode structure and listener experience
• Production Collaboration
  • Collaborate with producers, writers, researchers, editors, and audio engineers
  • Participate in episode planning and post-recording review
  • Provide input on edits, pacing, narrative structure, and final presentation
  • Record corrections, pickups, or additional narration when needed
  • Help maintain consistency and quality across episodes
• Ethical & Dignity-Centered Storytelling
  • Follow MAP’s safeguarding, privacy, consent, and storytelling standards
  • Treat every guest and subject with respect and dignity
  • Avoid exploitative, sensationalized, or stigmatizing language
  • Exercise sensitivity when discussing housing instability, trauma, disability, poverty, or other personal experiences
  • Protect confidential or identifying information when required
• Promotion & Audience Engagement
  • Collaborate with PromiseVoice on episode promotion
  • Support social media clips, promotional recordings, and audience engagement
  • Help introduce episodes to new listeners and communities
  • Participate in live recordings, panel conversations, or special events when available
  • Contribute ideas for future guests, topics, series, and audience experiences
• Continuous Improvement
  • Review feedback from producers, guests, and listeners
  • Analyze audience engagement and episode performance when available
  • Strengthen interviewing, preparation, narration, and hosting practices
  • Remain informed about podcasting trends and audio storytelling techniques
  • Contribute to the continued development of The Bells I Hear

Creative Responsibilities

• Interviewing
  • Guest conversations
  • Follow-up questions
  • Discussion flow
  • Interview pacing
  • Guest experience
• Episode Preparation
  • Guest research
  • Topic preparation
  • Interview questions
  • Episode outlines
  • Talking points
• On-Air Presentation
  • Episode introductions
  • Transitions
  • Closing remarks
  • Narration
  • Public representation
• Storytelling Quality
  • Clarity
  • Accessibility
  • Authenticity
  • Ethical storytelling
  • Audience connection

Qualifications

• Strong public speaking, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Experience in podcasting, broadcasting, interviewing, journalism, radio, facilitation, public speaking, or performance
• Ability to engage diverse guests with empathy, respect, and intellectual curiosity
• Strong research, preparation, listening, and follow-up-question skills
• Comfort participating in remote and in-person recording environments
• Ability to communicate complex topics in clear and accessible language
• Strong collaboration skills and openness to editorial feedback
• Passion for housing, education, equity, youth development, community engagement, and social impact

Preferred Skills

• Experience hosting or co-hosting a podcast, radio program, livestream, panel, or interview series
• Familiarity with housing instability, education, public policy, youth development, nonprofit work, or community issues
• Experience conducting sensitive or trauma-informed interviews
• Basic familiarity with microphones, recording platforms, and podcast production workflows
• Experience creating promotional audio or social media content
• Existing portfolio, demo reel, podcast episodes, or recorded interview samples

Why This Role Matters

A powerful conversation can introduce a new perspective. A thoughtful question can uncover a story that might otherwise remain unheard. A trusted host can help guests share their experiences with confidence, dignity, and purpose. The Podcast Host helps The Bells I Hear create conversations that educate, challenge, inspire, and connect audiences to the people and ideas shaping our communities. This role helps ensure that important voices are not only heard—but genuinely listened to.

Success Measures

• Quality, depth, and consistency of podcast interviews
• Strong preparation and thoughtful guest engagement
• Positive experiences reported by guests and production teams
• Completion of scheduled recording and narration assignments
• Audience engagement and episode performance
• Alignment with MAP’s mission, safeguarding standards, and storytelling principles
• Continued improvement in hosting and interviewing practices

Leadership Participation

• Attend relevant PromisePod production meetings
• Participate in regular check-ins with the Senior Podcast Producer
• Collaborate with producers, researchers, writers, and editors
• Prepare thoroughly for scheduled interviews and recording sessions
• Support podcast campaigns, live conversations, and special initiatives when available

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week, including preparation, recording, review, and collaboration
• Minimum 6-month commitment required
• Maintain timely and professional communication
• Respond to role-related communications within 48 hours
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP’s safeguarding, consent, privacy, and ethical storytelling standards
• Demonstrate reliability, curiosity, cultural humility, professionalism, and respect

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience hosting and shaping a mission-driven podcast
• Opportunities to interview nonprofit leaders, educators, policymakers, artists, advocates, researchers, and community voices
• Collaboration with producers, researchers, writers, editors, and communications professionals
• A growing portfolio of professionally produced audio