Winrock is committed to maintaining honest, professional, nonpartisan and lawful internal and public communications. Winrock must project a consistent voice when providing information to the public and to our funders. It is important that only authorized persons speak on behalf of Winrock.

Communications with U.S.-based media outlets should be referred to and approved by the Senior Director of Communications, while in-country media contact should be done in coordination with the Project Communications Lead with the approval of the Chief of Party or designated representative.

Typical project content like success stories, quarterly and annual reports or press releases announcing standard project actions (launch events, calls for grant applications or similar) may not be published or shared externally without approval from the Project Communications Lead and Chief of Party or COP designated representative.

Press releases, op-eds or blogs detailing high-profile announcements should be cleared by the Senior Director of Communications or designated representative. If already in draft form, this content should be shared at least five business days before being forwarded to the project funder and, if funder approval is not required, at least seven business days  prior to planned public release date. If no draft text exists and the Communications team is needed to draft the text, then 10 business days’ notice is required.

Examples of a high-profile announcement would include:

• High-profile partnership (Fortune 1000 company, notable NGO, national or international media outlet)
• Visit or appearance from a notable public figure (high-profile donor, celebrity or senior government official such as an ambassador, cabinet member or other senior government figure).
• Security or national-disaster-related response.

For project-specific content published on winrock.org, the Communications team will consult with the Chief of Party, assigned Program Officer, or Unit Director for review and approval. 

To maintain a high level of visual quality and consistency across all Winrock work and enable any project to generate and retain content with the highest potential, the Senior Director of Communications or designated representative must be consulted before any media contractor or supplier is hired for work costing US$5000 or more. 

All photos used in reports and communications require the consent of the subjects. The photo release form can be found here. For children involved in Winrock-led activities, a special form that provides permission, and includes a photo release choice, can be found here.

In social media or any other communications on behalf of Winrock or as a Winrock employee (e.g., by using Winrock’s email system) employees should not:

• Write articles for professional journals or other high profile public communications that relate to Winrock without Senior Director of Communications approval 
• Use their title or affiliation outside of work without being clear that the use is for identification only 
• Accept invitations to speak “off the record” to journalists who ask for information about Winrock, its funders or business partners

See also the Political Activities and Participation in Candidate Elections Policy for guidance regarding political statements.

Take Action:

If you receive a request for comment or for an interview, before accepting, notify the Senior Director of Communications, Project Communications Lead, or Chief of Party immediately. This includes requests from websites, blogs, podcasts and other forms of media, in addition to inquiries from traditional media such as TV, radio and newspapers.

If you see media coverage about your project, send it to commsteam@winrock.org and make your Project Communications Lead and Chief of Party aware. For any questions about what constitutes proper design or branding, or for communications assistance, contact the Communications team at commsteam@winrock.org.

If you have a speaking role at a significant external event, ensure you have proper approval (e.g., from the COP/PO) and notify the Communications team by posting on the consolidated Winrock Events Calendar. 

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