Macon-Bibb County’s Office of Public Affairs has earned Honorable Mention in two categories of PR Daily’s 2018 Nonprofit PR Awards. They were recognized in the Social Media Campaign category for its annual Women of Macon-Bibb project and in the Annual Report category for its 2017 Public Affairs Annual Report. These awards put each project in the top 5 in the country.

The Women of Macon-Bibb is an Instagram campaign during Women’s History Month that highlights the women working in our consolidated government to improve our community. Every day that month, the Rachel Gambill in the Public Affairs Office posts the picture of a woman in our government and a quote as to why she loves our community and why she believes her work is making an impact. At the end of the month, all of the pictures are uploaded into a single photo album on Facebook.

“As I went from office to office taking these photos, it warmed my heart to see some of these women’s’ eyes light up as I showed them their photograph,” says Rachel Gambill, Communication Specialist in the Office of Public Affairs.

“I’m very proud of Rachel and this campaign that she initiated within the first few weeks that she came to work here,” says Assistant to the County Manager for Public Affairs Chris Floore. “It’s given her a very personal and very real connection to our government, which translates to her being a better communicator and brand ambassador for the employees of Macon-Bibb County.”

For the past two years, the Public Affairs Office has published an Annual Report (also pictured below) to show the public, departments, partners, and Commission the strength of the consolidated government’s communications program. It includes metrics on media coverage, MaconBibbTV-produced videos, popularity of live broadcasts, effectiveness of SeeClickFix, and more.

“Since consolidation, we have worked to build a strong, two-way communication program that informs people about their government and gives them a chance to let us know of their concerns and to ask questions,” says Floore. “Our Annual Report is a way to quickly and simply summarize a year’s worth of work by a small, but very dedicated, group of people.”

These awards follow several others earned by the Office of Public Affairs in the past year, including two from the National Association of County Information Officers for the Tropical Storm Irma Debris Collection Infographic and for departmental logos, and Chris Floore being named one of the top three Government Communicators of the Year by PRNews and a member of the Traeger List for the third year by Engaging Local Government Leaders.