The Charity Communications Manager given the reach, expertise and influence of a whole team.
When Georgia joined Hostage International, an organisation founded by Terry Waites to support the families of abductees, it seemed like a perfect fit. As a former journalist and an experienced charity executive, the role of Communications Manager was made for her. But, among her many duties, media monitoring and analysis was a task that came with a lot of pressure.
For any charity, it’s an important job in itself: measuring coverage and understanding the public profile helps prove their value to potential donors. But the nature of the organisation brought another dimension. As a hostage situation unfolds, reporting can help gauge local sentiment, stay abreast of developments and get a fuller picture on the welfare and prospects of the abductee.
But Georgia had neither the time nor the team to look at the media in much depth – understandably, monitoring and analysis isn’t often the top of the pile when lives are threatened and resources are limited. A partner agency put her touch with Outcider to see if we could help ease the pressure, and we arranged a demo. It didn’t take her long to make her decision.
With a few hours’ training on setting parameters, choosing keywords and refining the results, Georgia was soon generating reports on the coverage of hostage situations all around the world. With the access Outcider offered, these reports go well beyond clippings from mainstream sources. She can draw from local news in far-flung places, unheralded blogs and even social media – the kind of timely sources that lend the reports real value for both her organisation and the families they support.
Today, our analysts are always at the other end of a phone whenever Georgia needs help. But a call is rare, because now that she has the understanding to produce and refine her own reports, the standard analysis has become everyday – if such crucial work could ever be described as ‘everyday’. Which means she has the time and space to see what else is possible. Could unusual media sources offer valuable perspectives? What’s the best measure of their public profile? Can they be proactive in identifying situations where the organisation can help?
Between the automation of the platform and the analytical support of our consultants, Outcider equips Georgia with the reach and capacity of a full Comms Team, extending her ability to support more hostages and their families.