Case Study

Communications Manager

Jennie Organ of BioRegional
Information about Jennie Organ
Name Jennie Organ
Location Surrey
Company BioRegional

"This year I met an Arctic explorer and an actress from Coronation Street!"

Jennie Organ

Overview

I’m Jennie Organ.  I'm Communications Manager at a charity called BioRegional, whose aim is to help individuals and organisations to live and work in ways that protect the earth.
I enjoyed marketing, and have always loved the countryside and nature, so I wanted a job that would bring the two together.  It wasn’t a straight path though; after university and volunteering, I had to work in the corporate world for a year before I had enough experience to get the job I wanted - with a charity.
Much of my role involves working with journalists, spreading the word about what we are doing - and as my work publicly represents BioRegional, it has to have excellent attention to detail.  I also have to be flexible and organised, juggling many people's requirements. 
It’s important to me to feel that all those years spent working are used in a valuable way; in this job I know I’m helping to protect the planet - and that's really rewarding.

Tell us about your job – where do you work and what do you do?

I'm Communications Manager at BioRegional, an entrepreneurial environment charity based in south London.
My focus is on media work and publications, although I tend to end up working in various other areas too - we have a small Communications team, so there's a need to be flexible.

What inspired you to do what you do?  How did you get into it, did you have a plan?

I've always loved nature, animals and the countryside, and I also enjoyed marketing; so I tried to bring the two things together.  I knew that there was a lot of competition for jobs with environmental charities so, whilst I was at university studying marketing, I volunteered with Friends of the Earth and did a year’s industry placement.  I thought it would improve my chances of getting a job later.  Unfortunately that, in itself, wasn’t enough; the jobs that I wanted required more formal work experience, so I decided to go into corporate PR for a year then start applying to charities again.  This time my plan paid off and I was hired by BioRegional.

Why is your job meaningful?  Both to you personally, and in how it benefits the wider world in terms of climate change and other environmental challenges.

My job is meaningful to me, personally, because I think that what I’m doing is important, and it interests me.  I've had jobs, in the past, where I felt like I didn’t really care about the company I was working for and what its aims were.  We spend a lot of time at work - most of us will work until we’re at least 65 - so to spend all that time doing something that doesn’t interest and inspire you could feel like a lot of time wasted!
My job benefits the wider world too, as I'm supporting the aim of the charity – which is to help individuals, businesses and government to live and work in ways that protect the earth.  We only have one planet to live on, and I'm helping to safeguard it.

Many jobs in this sector are very new, how long has your job existed?

I have been working at BioRegional for 8 years, and the time has flown!  Marketing is not a new type of green job - like a wave power engineer is, for example - but these days charities do have much larger marketing teams than they used to, and their techniques are becoming more sophisticated.  For instance, a large team may now include a ‘celebrity manager’.  This role would not have existed previously.

What personal qualities do you think have got you where you are today?

•  A genuine interest in, and commitment to, protecting the planet – people can tell whether you're
    genuine or not.
•  Perseverance - I didn’t easily get the job I wanted, but kept on trying until I did.
•  A good work ethic - I try to make the most of my time at work; it’s much more rewarding that way!

What are the essential skills for your job?

•  Good communications skills with a high standard of English.
•  Attention to detail – my work publicly represents BioRegional, so it has to be professional.
•  Good organisational skills - the media can be particularly demanding and I have to juggle their needs.
•  Flexibility - this is essential when working in a small team for an organisation with many projects.
•  A willingness to learn - I have to move with the times, or get left behind!

What qualifications do you have? Are these typical for people in your role?

A 2:1 degree in marketing.
This was typical of someone employed in a role like mine in 2001.  Today, though, people tend to be more qualified, with a Masters or professional qualification as well.

What do you think most helped you get where you are now?

My commitment to sticking with a career that I believe in.

Please describe a typical working day

Cycle 5 miles to the eco-village where our head office is based.  At 9am, go through my emails and check my phone messages.  Update the website with our latest news, maybe write and send out an e-newsletter to our 3,000 supporters.  We all have lunch together, cooked by our chef – always very tasty!  Begin to design a new publication.  Have a meeting about the best communications strategy for a particular project.  Take journalists on a tour of the eco-village.  Cycle home at around 5.30pm.

What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?

What I most enjoy is the fact that I’m doing something which interests me and I feel is important.
I least enjoy filing!

What kind of people do you meet through your work or do you work alone?

I meet all sorts of people.  This year I met the Argentine Environment Minister, China’s Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, an Arctic explorer, and an actress from Coronation Street!
I also meet lots of journalists and designers, and people who work for other environmental charities.

Do you feel well paid for what you do, or is it not about the money?

I get paid well.  Our pay is reviewed against other similar organisations to make sure that it's fair.  We don’t get paid as highly as those working in the commercial sector, but I think the fact that the work is so rewarding definitely makes it worth it.

Finally, what do you know now about jobs, careers and the future that you wish you’d known when you were at school?

I know now that it’s really important to find a job that suits you rather than one that just pays your rent, and that it should suit you in terms of both the subject area and the culture of the organisation.
There's so much competition out there for good jobs.  So, if you want a really great job, you have to work hard and make yourself stand out from other candidates.
If, when you're applying for jobs, you get turned down, it’s probably for the best - most likely you weren’t suitable, and something will come along that will be better for you.

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