AmeriCares

AmeriCares is a nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world and across the United States. Weber Shandwick was retained to build awareness of AmeriCares through a comprehensive media relations and thought leadership program, with a particular focus on New York and Chicago, two priority regions for AmeriCares fundraising. Our team conducted a message and story mining exercise to inform the development of a strategic communications plan, which identified top media priorities and story opportunities. The plan also outlined key venues for speaking appearances for AmeriCares CEO Curt Welling, including leading universities and business leader venues. Shortly after we began implementing the media program, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar. Our team mobilized a rapid response media program, engaging top print, broadcast and online outlets with information about AmeriCares real-time response efforts. We coordinated on-site interviews at AmeriCares warehouse, where emergency workers mobilized in response to the disaster, and also connected reporters with AmeriCares workers in the field. Soon after, a major earthquake struck China, intensifying both the response effort and our accompanying media relations program. Our media outreach efforts resulted in significant coverage of the organization, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg, CNN Money and wire stories picked up around the world. Our thought leader outreach created opportunities for Curt Welling to address key audiences to share insights into the organization’s work, as well as to build relationships with future partners and donors.