Guardian US taps Georgia Warren as editorial director, membership and supporter strategy

Georgia Warren

The Guardian US has announced that Georgia Warren has been appointed as editorial director, membership and supporter strategy. Warren has been working as the Guardian US membership editor in an interim capacity since January. She reports to Jane Spencer, deputy editor and SVP, strategy.

Warren will oversee the Guardian’s communications with U.S. supporters and develop creative strategies to deepen relationships with readers during this critical election year and beyond. She will also lead fundraising messaging, drive innovation in the Guardian’s US reader-revenue program, and serve as a bridge between the newsroom and commercial-side colleagues.

Additionally, Warren will work in close partnership with the U.S. reader-revenue team and global colleagues across strategy, data, product and marketing. Today, the Guardian has nearly 270,000 recurring supporters in the U.S., plus roughly 170,000 annual one-time supporters. It draws an audience of more than 40 million U.S. readers every month, making it one of the top 10 news sites in the U.S.

Jane Spencer, deputy editor and SVP, strategy, the Guardian US, said: “Georgia brings a passion for journalism, deep fundraising expertise and a huge amount of creative spark to this role. Her insight and energy have already been transformative, and we are delighted she’s here to stay.”

Warren said: “Guardian US readers value our quality journalism so highly that although we have no paywall, many voluntarily reach into their pockets to support us. I can’t think of a better audience with whom to engage, listen and build relationships.”

Recently, the membership team’s rapid response to a crude tweet from Elon Musk generated a tremendous reaction from readers and supporters; and a recent email following the consequential first presidential debate led to more than 1,000 acts of support from U.S. readers within several hours.

Warren has a background that spans digital fundraising, communications and journalism. She served as head of digital engagement for the British Labour Party from 2013 to 2015 and as a senior communications strategist for the agency Blue State, where she advised clients including Tate, Save the Children and Oxfam, on grassroots fundraising and supporter strategy. Warren began her career as an investigative reporter at the Sunday Times of London.

Guardian Media Group (GMG) is the publisher of theguardian.com, one of the largest English-speaking news websites in the world. Since launching its U.S. and Australian digital editions in 2011 and 2013, respectively, traffic from outside the U.K. now represents around two-thirds of the Guardian’s total digital audience.

The Guardian US has more than 100 members of editorial staff across bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Today, the Guardian has nearly 270,000 recurring supporters in the U.S., plus roughly 170,000 annual one-time supporters. It draws an audience of more than 40 million U.S. readers every month, making it one of the top news sites in America. The Guardian is a global leader in reader-funded journalism, and contributions from readers are the publication’s largest source of revenue.

The Guardian US is renowned for its Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into widespread secret surveillance by the National Security Agency and for other award-winning work, including on the Paradise Papers. Today, the Guardian US is known for its urgent coverage of the climate crisis, politics, race and immigration, guns, gender, the arts and more.