Communications Coordinator for WINGS in Antigua, Guatemala

This position contributes to the mission of WINGS by supporting all development department initiatives, including fundraising and communications, with the overall goal of meeting the revenue needs of WINGS’ programs. The position has particular responsibility for managing all aspects of WINGS’ external communications, including individual donor communications, electronic and print publications, social and traditional media outlets, group presentations, and related special projects.

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Advocacy and Campaigns Manager for Plan International in Brussels

This person will be responsible for development, coordination and implementation of Plan’s advocacy and campaigns strategy targeting the EU for policy change around child rights and gender equality, working in a small and dynamic team in Brussels.

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Information Officer for Samaritan’s Purse in Juba, South Sudan

The Information Officer will work under the guidance of the South Sudan Country Director to write and edit stories related to Samaritan’s Purse (SP) South Sudan programs for the benefit of International Headquarters (IHQ); provide editing support to the Program Development officer (PDO) and Regional Program Development Officer (RPDO); and assist in project evaluations on the field. Primary responsibilities of the Information Officer would be within South Sudan, but this would not exclude potential short-term assignments to other countries within the region as needed.

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Multimedia Manager for the Clinton Foundation in New York

The multimedia manager is responsible for shooting, producing, and archiving all photo and video content for the William J. Clinton Foundation, its Initiatives, and President Clinton. As the sole in-house photographer/videographer, s/he attends events, identifies appropriate content to capture, shoots raw photo and/or video, and selects content to release to media and other distribution channels as necessary.

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Art Director for Art Relief International in Chiang Mai, Thailand

• Ensure an excellent standard for all of our outreach projects.
• Ensure projects are culturally sensitive and meet the needs of our partner organizations
• Keep project plans updated and all stakeholders informed of progress.
• Plan and execute 1-2 exhibitions/performances per year.
• Brief the Managing and Executive Directors on all ARI-related information.

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Senior Communications Advisors for MSI in various countries

The Advisors will lead communications efforts for USAID-funded and other donor-funded projects, as well as work directly on behalf of national governments to improve overall communications activities and approaches.  They will develop communications strategies, recommend targeted in-country approaches and work on crafting key messaging and audience targeting. Social media and video production will also likely be part of overall communications efforts.  These positions will be short-term, field based in nature, with durations from 2 weeks to 6 months.

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Communications Director for Concern Worldwide in New York

The Communications Director will be responsible for:

• Creating and implementing an internal and external global communications strategy for the organization and providing guidance on all communications matters to the Concern Worldwide U.S. Inc. executive team.
• Leading the growth and implementation of the organization’s digital strategy across all platforms and media
• Leading the management of creative and impactful written work products targeted at multiple global audiences including funders, business leaders, policy makers, technical experts, media on issues related to international humanitarian relief and development

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Communications Officer for Ghana Health and Education Initiative in Humjibre, Ghana

Responsibilities include facilitating local stakeholder meetings, promoting GHEI’s work through social media and blogging, and organizing campaigns for current and potential donors. This position is requires a great deal of flexibility since responsibilities can change greatly throughout the year. During the summer months, GHEI hosts a series of short-term volunteer groups, and the Communications Officer plays a role in recruiting, training, and supporting these teams of volunteer.

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Digital Marketing Manager for Global Impact in Alexandria, VA

This position will develop and execute digital strategies to maximize Global Impact’s efforts to build brand equity, effectively position the organization in the market and engage and inspire its key audiences. Additionally, this position manages the day-to-day operations of Global Impact’s primary website, www.charity.org, as well as its business line websites.

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Audio-Visual Technician/Multimedia Specialist at ChangCe Think Tank in Beijing

• Manage, coordinate, and deliver audio-visual services for events, multimedia projects and media appearances;
• Record and webcast / podcast meetings, lectures and other events;
• Set up and operate audio / visual equipment for recording and webcasting / podcasting events, meetings and lectures;
• Work closely with Events staff to provide audio / visual support for events;
• Optimize video for web and upload media to YouTube, iTunes and other online video repositories;

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There’s a controversy brewing in the photojournalism world that I think is relevant to NGO work: misrepresentation in photography.

More about the controversy in a moment. First an explanation of misrepresentation. It includes using a picture from one situation to illustrate another situation. Or publishing a portrait of someone in one country but writing in the caption that the person is from another country. Or implying that people in a photograph are related to the accompanying written story when they’re not. Or saying someone in a caption is doing something that s/he really is not.

What’s at stake? Just the integrity of the organization, the photographer and the picture itself.

Misrepresentation has happened to me a few times. When I worked at Bread for the World, we uploaded select pictures and captions to Flickr and allowed anyone to use them under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license. This license means other people and organizations can publish the photographs but not for commercial purposes and only if they give Bread credit for the pictures. (There are pros and cons to Creative Commons licenses. There’s no one perfect fit for every organization.)

It’s through Flickr that an organization once found my photographs of an African cocoa farm but rewrote the captions to say the farm was in Asia. A media company once used my picture of an Evangelical pastor and implied the person was Catholic. Even at Bread, there were times that colleagues wanted to use a picture in a way I thought misrepresented the situation, so I stopped the photograph from being used and replaced it with another picture.

Oftentimes, misrepresentation in photography comes from a lack of knowledge about photo ethics. There’s no malicious intent. In the case of the photojournalism world controversy, no one’s quite sure exactly what to think. Italian photographer Paolo Pellegrin won awards from World Press Photo and Pictures of the Year International for the photograph below of a man holding a gun. The caption reads “A former US Marine corp sniper with his weapon. Rochester, NY. USA 2012.” The picture is part of a larger story Pellegrin photographed about The Crescent, a troubled Rochester neighborhood.

But as it turns out, the subject of the photograph is a photojournalism student named Shane Keller who said he was not a former sniper and never lived in The Crescent. When Keller found out he was in Pellegrin’s story, he emailed his photo ethics professor, Loret Steinberg. The two of them plus another professor, Michael Shaw, then wrote a long post for the Bag News Notes blog. Keller writes he was a former Marine but never a sniper. He writes that he lived in a safe Rochester neighborhood, not The Crescent. He writes that he doesn’t understand why Pellegrin didn’t identify him (Keller) by name in the photo caption. Keller also addresses the issue that Pellegrin seems to have plagiarized much of his information about The Crescent from a 2003 New York Times article about the neighborhood.

Pellegrin defended himself on all accounts last night in a NYT Lens Blog post written by David Gonzalez and James Estrin:

Mr. Pellegrin, who spoke with Lens on Friday, said he could not understand how he could be accused of an ethical breach and not be given the chance to defend himself. “It seems somewhat strange to me that while mounting a purported journalistic high horse they themselves did not follow the basic tenets of fair and professional journalism,” he said in a statement.

Later, in a telephone interview, he said he stood by the photograph and never claimed that it was taken in the Crescent, but that it was part of an attempt to explore gun culture within the larger context of his project. He said the information for the description for the series that was taken from The Times was never meant to be published, but had been provided as background information. He also said he was unsure if he misunderstood Mr. Keller’s military background, but had done a portrait of him while he was going to a local shooting range.

What’s true and what’s not is unclear. What is clear is that any whiff of photo misrepresentation is likely to stir up controversy. Perhaps the standards aren’t as high in NGOs as in many news organizations but I don’t see why they shouldn’t be. For days and weeks at a time, NGO stories and pictures are the often the sole source of information about humanitarian issues in areas like Mali or the Philippines, where the mainstream media won’t or can’t afford to send journalists. Ensuring photographs are what they purport to be can only help the causes that NGOs work on.

More reading on the photo controversy:

Paolo Pellegrin responds to claim of misrepresented winning World Press, POYi photos
By Donald R. Winslow, National Press Photographers Association, February 22, 2013

Controversy surrounds Pellegrin’s prize-winning Magnum Photo
By Jeff Spevak, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, February 22, 2013

Sandesh Rai (leaning forward), 5, and his mom Sapana Rai (in yellow) wait for a health worker from Care Development Organization to conduct a nutrition education seminar in Bandarkharka, Nepal. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

A couple weeks ago I ran a storytelling training session for an NGO client. One question that came up a few times was, how can I better photograph meetings? Here’s my advice after shooting dozens of meetings, seminars and conferences:

1. Photograph at either the beginning or end of a meeting so as not to distract people.
2. Move around the room and change your camera angle.
   Pick four points in the room from where you’ll shoot at least two photographs each. Get down to at least eye level with the people you’re photographing.
3. Think about your background.
   Are there poles, trees, lamps, plants or other objects sticking out of peoples’ heads? Take a step to the side or get down lower to hide the offending objects. That said, sometimes content trumps aesthetics. Here’s a famous picture with a pole sticking out of a person’s head: http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/kent-state-shootings/
4. Fill the frame with your subject – especially for the web, where photos often run small.
   Move in as close as possible to fill the frame with your subject and force unwanted details out of the picture.
5. Try to wait for a moment to happen.
   This moment can be as simple as a person smiling or laughing or looking especially engaged in what the speaker is saying.
6. Think about light and shadows.
   This is a tip for more advanced photographers: where is light falling and what is it highlighting? When looking at a photo, the eye goes first to the brightest part. If you use your flash, will it reflect against surfaces (glass, mirror, shiny table)? Are you close enough to your subject that the flash is likely to adequately light up his/her face?

Coordinator for Global Forum for Media Development in Brussels, Belgium

The Global Forum for Media Development seeks a candidate with outstanding ability as Coordinator of the GFMD. Her or his main task is to manage the international network of media development organisations and shape its global profile. Develop GFMD as a global network of media development organisations and make it a reference for quality, innovation and influence in all aspects of media development and media support. Fostering GFMD as a platform (forum) to raise, discuss debate and research on the problems that are confronting the media sector, thereby promoting a vibrant and free environment for media.

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Head, Asia Communications for the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Bangkok, Thailand

The Head, Asia Communications will perform the following tasks:

1. PROGRAMMATIC COMMUNICATIONS

1.1 Provide yearly strategic planning and monitoring of communication in all efforts of IUCN Secretariat in Asia, including those which support external relations and maximise policy impact.

1.2 Be responsible for IUCN brand management in the Asia Region and ensure staff understand and follow the communications guidelines and protocols.

1.3 Have technical oversight of, mentor and support Communication Focal Points in Country Offices and regional projects, in close collaboration with the Head of Office and Programme Coordinators to ensure effective communications across the region.

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Regional Media and Communications Officer for Oxfam GB in Senegal

To manage the delivery of high quality media coverage of Oxfam’s advocacy, campaigns, development and humanitarian work in West Africa in order to influence decision-makers and supporters, and to oversee strategies to improve broader internal and external communications relating to the full range of Oxfam’s work in West Africa

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Communications Coordinator for the Center for Law, Society and Justice (Dejusticia) in Bogotá, Colombia

The Center for Law, Society and Justice (Dejusticia) seeks a Communications Coordinator for its newly created Global Human Rights Leadership Project. The Communication Coordinator will also be responsible for overseeing and implementing Dejusticia’s national communications strategy in Colombia.

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Climate Change Campaign Manager for 17 Triggers Consulting Asia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We are currently looking for a full-time staff to act as a Campaign Manager to produce six unique climate change communication campaigns in six countries in SE Asia. We are looking for someone with proven experience managing mass integrated communication campaigns, below the line events, advertising agencies, creative suppliers, and production houses in different countries. The job position will last for a minimum of one year with possible extension up to three years.

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Youth Media Instructor as a The Modern Story Fellow in Hyderabad, India

We recruit dynamic individuals from top four-year institutions with strong backgrounds in creative technology and leadership skills. Our Fellows desire to be educators and demonstrate a strong interest in bridging the digital and educational divide on a global level. Fellows work as digital storytelling instructors at low income schools in the urban metropolis of Hyderabad. Additionally, Fellows structure and run workshops with local community organizations based in Southern India.

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Director of Communications for the Skoll Foundation in Palo Alto, CA

This role is brand evangelist and steward, ensuring consistent, on-point messaging internally and externally. It requires strong communications and public relations expertise and athleticism to pivot from highly strategic to execution of tasks. A talent and willingness to create compelling content across traditional and digital channels,

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Communications Specialist for Multimedia and Web at Management Sciences for Health in Boston, MA

S/he will assist in strategic decisions for graphics for external online communications and will play a key support role in the development and maintenance of content for MSH’s new website and other digital assets. S/he creates and produces multimedia pieces, including videos, slideshows, and other interactive applications for the MSH website and for tablets. S/he writes/edits stories for MSH’s corporate website and other communications materials, as needed. S/he will stay abreast of current online communications and multimedia trends and develop strategies to expand MSH’s online presence.

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Public Relations and Communications Manager for Habitat for Humanity in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) in Haiti is recruiting for an experienced public relations professional to serve as the Public Relations and Communications Manager. This position is responsible for managing media and public relations initiatives with the goal of bringing broad and positive attention to Habitat for Humanity International’s Haiti recovery efforts, its partners and the cause of eliminating substandard housing.

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This might be old to some of you but it’s new to me: last April A View From the Cave, Carol Jean Gallo and David Week wrote up a list of behaviors and how the behaviors are described based on whether they happen in Washington, D.C., or Africa. A sampling:

What people might normally call it: Money received from political sponsors
When it happens in Washington: Campaign contributions
When it happens in Africa: Bribes

What people might normally call it: Political families
When it happens in Washington: Tradition of public service
When it happens in Africa: Nepotism

I have to admit I was blind to some of my own language biases, especially a few of the examples found in the comments section of the original post.

Reading all these brought back memories of my journalism days, when heated newsroom discussions ensued over how we described certain populations: “undocumented immigrant” vs “illegal immigrant” or “anti-abortion” vs “pro-life.” Also, you might remember the post-Hurricane Katrina furor over photo captions that described an African-American man as “looting” food and a Caucasian couple as “finding” food.

The point is obvious, but can be easy to forget: words have meaning. Words frame how people perceive a story. Words should be chosen with care.

Susan Yungbluth, a recovery room nurse from Newport News, Va., checks Zewel’s vital signs after surgery in Bhairab, Bangladesh. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl

Eric Maierson of MediaStorm recently wrote an encouraging blog post about finishing what you start. (If you don’t know MediaStorm, it’s a multimedia agency that produces video stories for a lot of NGOs. This moving story for the International Center for Research Women is a good one to watch.) Eric writes:

…the last few days of production can feel excruciatingly difficult. At MediaStorm we often say that the last 10 percent of work requires 30 percent of the effort.

So why is that?

I think the struggle comes from two equally strong and opposing forces. On the one hand, there’s a certain impatience at the end of a project. Often after spending weeks or even months on the same piece, I’m frankly ready to be done. I’m ready for others to start watching.

On the other hand, finishing a project requires a meticulous attention to detail.

There are many times I’ve wanted to just be done with a story. I’m grateful that my job is fun and I really love the work I do — no doubt about it. But after spending days and weeks editing the same audio and video, color correcting the same footage and tweaking the same typography, you do get tired. Eric’s words are a good reminder that it’s important to finish a story — no matter the medium — with the same gusto and critical eye you started it with.

Be sure to read Eric’s full blog post.

Director of Communications and Advocacy at Namati in USA, Sierra Leone or India

The director will lead Namati’s communications and advocacy, as we strive to give voice to billions of people who live outside the protection of the law.

The director will work closely with Namati’s staff and local partners to translate lessons from our grassroots efforts into meaningful policy changes. The director will develop and implement a strategy for engaging diverse audiences, from multilateral institutions to national governments to the general public.

The ideal candidate is an exceptional writer and advocate with a passion for justice.

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Writer on Rwandan Women Rising for Hunt Alternatives Fund in Cambridge, MA, or remotely

We are seeking a talented writer and editor to work with Ambassador Hunt to complete her fourth book, Rwandan Women Rising. The book is 80-90% drafted, including extensive primary source material collected from dozens of hours of interviews. Approximately 700 hours are anticipated to complete this project. Ambassador Hunt will be the sole author of this project. This is a temporary, project-based position.

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Communications Manager for Mothers2Mothers in Nairobi, Kenya

To support the internal and external communications activities of mothers2mothers Kenya to foster increased awareness of the Kenya Mentor Mother Program and promote internal communication. The position reports to the Country Representative and works closely with the Kenya management team, site staff, MOH staff, and HQ colleagues. The contract is fixed term for one year.

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Online Communications Officer – Better World Campaign at U.N. Foundation in Washington, D.C.

He/she will create, edit and post web content to www.betterworldcampaign.org, the campaign’s primary social media outlets, and its email base. He/she will develop new and further develop existing online strategies to further BWC’s grassroots engagement and capture the attention of policymakers surrounding issue area priorities. This shall include but not be limited to: coordination with UN agency social media and online communications teams, campaign events, and partner engagement opportunities. He/she will develop, propose and implement online strategies for constituency-building and online engagement based on metrics and performance report analysis.

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Communications Officer at Cambodian Children’s Fund in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The role is responsible for the delivery of the elements of the Communications Plan in support of CCFs mission and to identify new ways of effectively promoting the organsiation to ensure a consistent and professional image and message, maximizing the engagement of current supporters, conversion of potential supporters and general awareness.

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Global Communications and Campaigns Manager for MenEngage in Johannesburg or Capetown, South Africa

Will have direct responsibility for defining MenEngage’s overall communication strategy. The Communications Coordinator will be responsible for working with colleagues in all MenEngage regions to develop communications plans and strategies for key activities and projects. The Communications Coordinator will also play a strong role in helping to guide and develop MenEngage advocacy campaigns. The Communications Coordinator’s role will involve providing support and capacity-building to MenEngage regional coordinators, country networks and member organisations to enhance their profile and highlight their work and to promote greater peer exchange.

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Director of Communications and Marketing at Keep a Child Alive in New York

Responsible for the planning, coordination, integration, operation and management of Keep a Child Alive’s public relations and strategic communications program to communicate the organization’s mission effectively and to ensure overall continuity of institutional brand consistency and image.

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Southeast Asia Director for EngageMedia in Jakarta, Indonesia

Oversee EngageMedia’s programs and operations in the region. The position ensures that all work is well planned, executed at the highest possible standard, and meets its goals and deadlines. The Southeast Asia Director is responsible for regional program management, team development, partnership development and human resources.

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Panama City, Panama | Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl

Rarely do organizations share their stories of projects gone wrong. So I was intrigued by this New York Times blog post‘s mention of Admitting Failure, a website the collects stories about development failures (hat tip to my friend Ellen Lee for telling me about the NYT post). There are only a handful of stories so far, including a couple from Engineers Without Borders Canada and Water for People.

I find the idea behind this site rather refreshing. What do you think? What would it take for you or your organization to publicly admit failure?

Media Liaison and Outreach Manager at Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor, Indonesia

Reporting to the Senior Manager Communications, The Media Liaison and Outreach Manager will lead implementation of a complex and far-reaching communication strategy to translate into impact CIFOR’s research in the forestry sector in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Manager will oversee the activities of eight full-time staff and consultants with the goal of informing and influencing the opinions and behaviours of stakeholders, including leaders of government, the private sector, civil society, media, the research community and others. The Manager will enhance the center’s reputation as a leading international research organization.

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Director of Global Public Relations at International Justice Mission in Washington, DC Metro Area

IJM is seeking a communications professional with the tenure and track record of excellence required to serve as Director of Global Public Relations. In this role, you will lead a team of professionals; overseeing strategy and execution for the organization’s global media relations, crisis communications and strategic events functions.

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Writer and Editor at Free the Children in Toronto, Canada

This position will involve writing copy for a range of media, including web and print. The ideal candidate will have exceptional communication skills, the ability to meet tight deadlines and a strong commitment to social justice. Potential projects will target a variety of audiences and may include web content, marketing materials (including pamphlets, brochures, posters, etc), educator and youth resource guides, books, newspaper and magazine articles and more.

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Director of Communications and Outreach for the International Rescue Committee in Pakistan

IRC is seeking a Director of Communication and Outreach (DCO) for a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project to support Pakistani-led efforts to introduce and institutionalize improvements in reading instruction and reading assessment in grades one through five in public and private schools throughout Pakistan. The DCO will be responsible for overseeing all communication, advocacy, and outreach activities of the project. This position will lead and collaborate with a team of technical specialists and together with the other members of the senior management team will work to ensure that the activities of this project are implemented in accordance with established standards and recognized best practices to contribute to the achievement of the project’s objectives.

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Staff Writer at Food for the Poor in Coconut Creek, FL

Food For The Poor, Inc. is seeking a motivated, organized, and detail-oriented person to serve as its Staff Writer. The Staff Writer joins an editorial and design team that produces a variety of award-winning communications to publicize Food For The Poor’s work and impact on the people of the countries it serves. The Staff Writer is responsible for conceptualizing and developing articles for internal and external audiences, for both print and web. The Staff Writer will be responsible to travel to countries Food For The Poor Serves to gather research in order to produce written direct mail appeals and other fundraising materials pieces that are creative, informative, and distinctive.

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Web Editor at Oxfam America in Boston, MA

PURPOSE OF POSITION: To develop and manage an editorial strategy and vision for Oxfam America’s website. To serve as a bridge between New Media/Web and Creative Teams.

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Investigative Journalism Expert for IREX in Maputo, Mozambique

IREX seeks candidates for an Investigative Journalism Expert to lead an investigative journalism fellowship project tentatively beginning in February 2013. Under the direction of the Media Specialist for Professional Capacity Building for the Mozambique Media Strengthening Project (MSP), the Investigative Journalism Expert will be responsible for training and mentoring a group of Mozambican emerging journalists for approximately six months.

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Web Developer at Lutheran World Relief in Baltimore, MD

The Web Developer manages back-end website maintenance, supports LWR staff in using web technologies, manages LWR’s online photo library, and leads on other technical aspects of LWR’s online presence, positioning LWR to take advantage of the rapid changes in communication technology and their impact on how our supporters interface with us online.

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Communications Officer at GRM International in Jakarta, Indonesia

The objective of the Rural Economic Development program is: Increased competitiveness of poor female and male farmers. GRM International is currently seeking expression of interest for the role of Communications Manager for the upcoming Economic Development program in Indonesia. In this role, you will communicate the program’s core message to all stakeholders and secondly providing technical assistance to intervention staff in the design of terms of reference and supervision of media companies that will be hired in the execution of individual interventions.

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Director, Global Health Communication Department at FHI360 in Washington, DC

Responsible for leading a large department (140 staff), including PhD and master’s level technical and program staff, the Department Director provides overall leadership, both technical and managerial, to the Department’s diverse project portfolio in support of FHI 360’s strategic plan, goals, and objectives. The incumbent should possess a high level of scientific, program, and management expertise and substantial experience relevant to behavior change communication.  The job encompasses 3 main types of responsibilities: provision of technical assistance and oversight on selected projects; management of staff and project activities; and development of new Department business – all within a complex organizational framework.

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Tell me this video doesn’t make you laugh and also think about African stereotypes in the media.

The Radi-aid website asks: “Imagine if every person in Africa saw the “Africa for Norway” video and this was the only information they ever got about Norway. What would they think about Norway?”

Exactly.

And by the way, I love that the Norwegian aid agency helped fund this video. I also love the tiny bouncing radiator that guides us through the subtitled lyrics starting at 02:24. It’s the details that count.

Be sure to read about the four things that Radi-aid wants, including fundraising not based on exploiting stereotypes. The Radi-aid website also offers up some cringe-worthy videos that inspired the “Africa for Norway” shoot, such as “Do they know it’s Christmas” by Band aid 1984. That song is going into heavy rotation here on U.S. radio stations with Christmas coming. I wish they would stop. I believe it’s one of the worst songs/stories/videos out there for perpetuating African stereotypes.