Hiring and People — Nonprofit Communications & PR Firm | Nonprofit Marketing Agency | Forthright Advising

So you just hired your new communications director (or other communications teammate, we aren’t picky about titles here at Forthright). First, congratulations! I’m so excited you found a great person for your organization.

Now, let’s set them up for success. Onboarding is just as critical as selecting the right human.

Studies show that solid onboarding is worth its weight in gold. Research shows that effective onboarding can improve employee retention and productivity by 52 percent and 60 percent, respectively.

Here are the ingredients of an effective onboarding.

Hire for comms roles with ease

“What are the best interview questions to ask a candidate for your open communications director position?”

“How do you manage a communications workload when you’ve got someone out on parental leave?”

“Who do you tell once a communications teammate gives you notice that she’s leaving your organization for a new job?”

We answer all these questions and more in our new FREE guide to hiring communicators.

How big should your comms team be?

Here’s a conversation I’ve had many times throughout my career:

🙋Executive director: How big should my communications team be?

🤔Me: Well… that depends. How much of your mission relies on convincing people to take action?

We’ve seen it all: 10+ person communications teams, and one part-time person communications teams. A one-person shop could be perfect for some organizations, while others need the full comms squad. Here are the key points to consider as you decide how to invest in YOUR headcount.

Feel confident as you manage staff transitions

So, your communications director is leaving. And you’re happy for them – really, you are. (Or not so much. We don’t judge.) But that makes your life just a little harder for the coming weeks, because your most important audiences still need to hear from you while you replace your director.

This is a common challenge we’re seeing with so many of our nonprofit, foundation and school district partners. (You’re not alone! There’s significant turnover in communications this year.) That’s why we’re sharing our step-by-step recommendations for what to do next.

Where to post PR job openings

One of the questions I get asked frequently is “where should I post my open communication and PR role?”

So I sat down and made a round-up list of some of our favorites.

Plus, we’ve included other paid and free options that we’ve either a) heard good things about or b) our clients have had good first-hand success with.

Our fave job interview questions for communicators

Whoof, it's a busy hiring market for communications and public relations peeps right now.

If you're seeing turnover in your communications department, you're not alone. I'm getting calls left and right asking if we serve as interim communications director.

I'm also getting asked for advice on how to handle departures, including what interview questions to ask candidates for communications roles. We’re sharing our recommended interview questions to help you through the process here!

Convince your leadership to love comms

Too often, an organization’s communications team is buried several levels removed from the leadership team. We’ve seen it all: the comms teams nestled in Development, over in Policy, part of IT, or even reporting to Finance and HR. As someone who has been both a C-suite exec AND a comms director, I get it. Today, I’m using both these experiences to share how to build two-way trust when it comes to communication-centric tasks.

Are you a comms team of 1?

Look, I get it. It’s absolutely not easy being a solo communications shop – you’re the one who writes the tweets AND dreams up the strategic communications plan. You’re over there photographing an event AND coordinating the reporter interviews. If you’re the only communicator in your organization, you deserve a round of applause. Today, I’m sharing four tips for solo communicators based on what we’ve learned through our work across more than 30+ one-person comms shops.

3 tips to end the school year strong

The weather is warming, the days are longer and summer break is so close you can practically taste it. (And we hope it tastes like tropical beverages by a beach, or iced tea on a porch with nothing but you, a good book and a view.) During this final stretch, we have a few tips to finish strong, maximize on the summer and build positivity with your community and team.

Upcoming training opportunities with Forthright

Is your team stuck in a rut? Need some skills-building? Looking for a laughter-filled get-together centered around learning? Our marketing and communications workshops are jam-packed with helpful how-tos. You and your team will walk away with confidence and the knowledge you need to take (successful) action. Plus, we’ll have fun while we’re doing it! Here’s a (sampling of) what we’re offering this spring and summer…

How to ensure your colleagues know what you do

When your own colleagues don’t understand the communications department’s role and what your teammates do all day, you’re in trouble. So what’s a communications director to do? What we do best. A branding campaign. Except this time, it’s internal, and your colleagues are your target audience.

How to set communications goals in 2023

Our old ways of brute force and hustle culture never served us. Why bring those attitudes into the new year? Here, we’re sharing three ways to ensure your communications goals for 2023 are smart and focused on your team — and set you up for success, too.

New Communications Director? Tips for how to thrive.

So you just landed a job as a communications director. Welcome to the big leagues, my friend! Whether you earned an internal promotion or you’re new to the organization, as someone who has stood in your shoes multiple times over the years, I’ve got a few tips to help you make the most out of your new role.

7 of our favorite ice breakers

Every couple of months, our all-remote team joins together for virtual happy hours. Or, as my colleague Ashley calls them, snacky hours, since Forthright founder Katie sends us delightful snack boxes to enjoy during these get-togethers.

During our last snacky hour, Katie asked us to come prepared with our favorite ice breaker. Hilarity – and learning about each other – ensued.

Today, I’m sharing more about why community activities benefit your organization – and some of our winning ice breakers, too.

About Forthright, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisAugust 29, 2022education

3 recruitment tips to make your life easier

The teacher who knows how to make calculus interesting. The coach who took her team to state championships three times in the past five years. That team member – the perfect team member for your district – is out there. And they are job searching, seeking the perfect district for them.

But the competition is fierce. Here’s how your district can stand out in a crowded job market for educators.

School District Marketing, Hiring and PeopleNiki JuhaszJuly 8, 2022education

How to lead better meetings

You’re not the only one feeling this weary. Our brains are stuffed. Our overwhelm is preventing us from thinking clearly and from making decisions in the way that we used to.

And yet…we’ve got real work to do. Fighting for change for children and families is necessary today. The time is now. Our work, our life’s work, it’s more important than ever before.

As consultants who work with busy brains every day, we have a few tricks up our sleeve that we use to focus and move our work forward. Here are a few of our current favorites.

Three questions to ask before chiming in — or logging out

When Jon Jon served as Forthright’s social media strategist, his wise counsel about how and when to use our voice on national issues was a guiding beacon for us. Today, Jon Jon joins us for special projects like this one – helping you decide if, when and how to chime in on Big Conversations.

3 tips for teacher recruitment

I recently chatted with a central office staff member who was headed to one of her district’s elementary schools…to teach for the day. She shared that in the past year, everyone from the superintendent to school nutrition workers have filled in in the classroom.

As the national teacher shortage rages on, more and more districts are struggling to hire talented team members. As a matter of fact, a recent Gallup poll showed that 61 percent of superintendents strongly agree that recruiting talented teachers is a major challenge.

That’s why today, we’re sharing tips to help your district market your open positions so you can hire the right teachers for your district.

School District Marketing, Hiring and PeopleNiki JuhaszMarch 8, 2022education

Can we just...not?

We, as the smart, amazing people who work on behalf of families and children, are no longer going to spend our precious time on projects that don’t have a proven return on that time investment.

Instead, we’re going to ruthlessly prioritize, and that begins by deciding what we’re going to say no to.

To make saying no as easy as possible, the Forthright team created a new quiz tool to help nonprofit professionals like you figure out what to take off their list.

PART TWO: What to do when your communications director quits

This week, in the second part of our two-part series, we’re diving into hiring. Good hiring takes time, patience and clarity—so the sooner you start the process after receiving a resignation, the better.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisSeptember 29, 2021education, nonprofit

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Smart communication strategies for organizations that love kids.