Most Popular — Nonprofit Communications & PR Firm | Nonprofit Marketing Agency | Forthright Advising

Why your people are stuck + how to fix it

Your people are stuck in freeze mode right now.

If it feels like chaos, that’s because it is. 😩

The new administration is doing what media experts call “flooding.” Flooding is when a group sends out a lot of information, at once, in order to overwhelm people.

On purpose.

When people are overloaded, they freeze. They get confused. Brain fog sets in.

The overwhelm is real, and the flooding is working.

But people are ready to fight back. They are ready to help. They are ready to "make good trouble."

Your audiences are looking for someone to tell them what to do.

If you’re a nonprofit or association leader, the person they are looking to is YOU. 🫵

Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit Communications, About ForthrightKatie Test DavisApril 7, 2025flooding the zone, overwhelming your audiences, freeze mode, messaging clearly, simplify your messaging, building clarity in messaging, single ask messaging

Unlock stronger coalition comms with a unified brand

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how coalitions can improve advocacy efforts by aligning around core messages and creating easy-to-use resources to better reach your audiences.

Today, I want to talk about the next step in successfully communicating about your coalition: creating a coalition brand.

Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit Communications, About ForthrightKatie Test DavisApril 4, 2025brands, branding for advocates, coalitions, coalition comms, advocacy, partnership, how to brand, branding coalitions, coalition branding best practices

Your work is important.

As child and family advocates, I understand what we’re up against in 2025 (and beyond) and… I’m feeling energized.

The challenges ahead of us are communications challenges, and at Forthright, we’re poised to meet the moment.

Here’s what I see as the work ahead:

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Communications Campaigns, About ForthrightKatie Test DavisDecember 16, 2024storytelling, community listening, strategic communications, motivation for communicators, how to communicate in 2025, communications as an act of love

How to help overwhelmed parents

Parents and caregivers need our help.

I’ve led work that supports parents and caregivers for two decades.

I’ve also been a parent for nearly 13 years.

And over time, I’ve noticed a growing trend. Parents and caregivers are overworked, overstressed and overwhelmed – and it’s impacting their health.

As communicators and leaders, there are three easy guidelines you can follow to ensure your messages break through the noise to reach this overwhelmed (but critical!) audience.

Ensure people understand your work

A logic chain is a tool your team can use to align around:

what you want your audiences to understand about your work;
what you want your audiences to believe as a result of what they understand; and
the specific, concrete action you want your audiences to take.

Starting with a logic chain when creating a strategic communications plan or before conducting a communications audit ensures your messaging and strategies are laser focused on your end goal.

Here’s a full visual (and examples!) for how the logic chain works.

Most Popular, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit Communications, About ForthrightEmily SwartzlanderAugust 15, 2024logic, logic chain, audiences, messaging, systems, complex issue, build understand, reach audiences, simple messaging

Recharge today to reimagine tomorrow

We care for ourselves not only to reap the individual benefits (when I get eight hours of sleep, my skin looks amazing!) but also to show up maximally for the people and causes we care about. Our team can help you communicate your message to anyone – it’s true – but if you don’t listen to you when you need a break, friend, we’re all at a disadvantage.

To get us ready for a less-stress, greater-good summer, Jon Jon is sharing tips to clock out of the overwhelm, tune in to your body, and maybe even…feel good about it?

Most Popular, Storytelling, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisJune 20, 2024self-care, rest, Recharge so we can reimagine the world, Doomscrolling, Burnout prevention

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.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District Marketing, Most PopularKatie Test DavisMay 14, 2024Job boards for communications, best places to post communications job, where to post marketing job, nonprofit job boards, PR job boards, posting nonprofit jobs, nonprofit communications jobs, best nonprofit job boards

3 tips to write the perfect graduation speech

Should I throw my cap? I don’t want to lose it, so maybe a gentle toss. Which hand do I accept my diploma with? I wonder where we’re going out to dinner after the ceremony?

These were all questions I had during my high school graduation. And with all of this running through my brain, I couldn’t, for the life of me, tell you who my graduation speaker was or what they said.

So how can you, as a superintendent (or the PIO writing this speech!), use your time at the podium to cut through the noise and make a difference as these graduates embark on the next phase of life? I’m sharing my top 3 tips to help you write a graduation speech that resonates with teens.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Storytelling, Writing and Messaging, Accessibility, Media Relations, School District MarketingLauren EmpsonApril 11, 2024speech, graduation speech, superintendent speech, speechwriting, audience values, youth, graduation, teens

Comms tips for coalitions

Love them or hate them, we can all agree on one thing – coalitions Get. Things. Done. And all high-impact coalitions have at least one factor in common: they effectively communicate with their audiences at all stages of the coalition lifecycle.

At Forthright, we’ve worked with a number of coalition partners (some that are just starting up, and others that are well established.) We know that bringing the right communications strategy at the right time can help you have even greater impact. That’s why I’m sharing communications tips for every stage of your coalition!

Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Most Popular, Storytelling, Writing and Messaging, About ForthrightEmily SwartzlanderApril 5, 2024coalition building, communications tips for coalitions, tips for strong coalitions

How to reach families without internet

Reaching families without internet access isn’t a new challenge for communicators. As of last year, one in five households in America were unable to get online at home.

But in April, millions more families across the country are poised to lose their online access as the Affordable Connectivity Program funding runs out.

This could make reaching kids and families in your district or community more challenging. So today, I want to take a moment and share what we’ve learned about reaching and supporting offline families.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Communications Campaigns, Digital and Social Media, Most Popular, School District Marketing, Storytelling, Writing and MessagingEmily SwartzlanderMarch 28, 2024broadband, internet, no internet, free resource, reaching families, tactics, Reaching families without internet access, Low bandwidth communications tactics

Communications is an act of love

In 2023, we fought politicians working to dismantle public education. We battled funding cuts that impact kids and families. We’ve had our hearts broken daily from escalating violence in Israel-Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine. We demanded paid family leave for all. We struggled to re-envision child care in America. We supported leaders who are exhausted and overwhelmed. Through it all, we’ve remained dedicated to dismantling structural oppression for children and their families.

Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Communications Campaigns, Most Popular, About ForthrightKatie Test DavisDecember 18, 20232023 reflections, about Forthright, communications as an act of love, personal why for communications

Why clear writing is part of your equity journey

Easy-to-read messaging is kind. It helps your audiences understand your work and what you want them to know. On the flip side, when a message uses big words, acronyms and jargon, it is – by definition – exclusionary. Today, we’re sharing more about how we recommend approaching your messaging.

Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Writing and Messaging, Nonprofit Communications, Communications CampaignsNiki JuhaszMarch 8, 2023strategic communications, nonprofit

How to create messages that change the world

As experts who focus on messaging, we’re always advising our clients to make strategic choices about the information they share, the comparisons they make, and the words they use. Knowing more about framing can help you win campaigns, change hearts and minds, and move your work forward.

There are typically three framing scenarios that communicators face when leading a campaign. Let’s dive into them.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisNovember 2, 2022nonprofit

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.

School District Marketing, Hiring and People, Most Popular, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisSeptember 28, 2022education

I’m concerned about the future of PR

As a PR firm founder, it’s my job to watch for macro-trends and patterns across our work. I’m keeping an eye on the big picture and constantly taking a pulse on the audiences (parents, school district administrators, child care providers, etc.) we frequently target through our work.

And honestly? I’m concerned.

Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Writing and Messaging, Nonprofit Communications, StorytellingKatie Test DavisSeptember 6, 2022education

3 steps to win your next nonprofit campaign

I grew up the middle child – not the first born, not the baby of the family. Yet I can confidently say that (as a future communicator) I was still the best at convincing our parents to do what I wanted.

My secret? Thinking about what was personally important to them…and then matching what I wanted with what they valued.

And that secret, my friend, is the entire secret to good communications.

School District Marketing, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Nonprofit Communications, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisAugust 8, 2022education

The power of 1

It’s overwhelming out there, these days, eh? A flood of news. Constant notifications. According to recent health data from OnePoll, we’re all feeling overworked and exhausted.

So as changemakers, how do we break through the tired and overwhelmed in order to move our work forward?

The answer is simple:

One.

School District Marketing, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisJuly 21, 2022education

Stop doing this after a crisis.

I’ve scrolled past endless LinkedIn posts, tweets and Facebook comments these past few weeks -- all with the same sentiment. What we’re living through now isn’t acceptable, and we want it to be different.

Here’s the communication problem with the “something must change” posts: they unintentionally perpetuate the idea that the problems we face are too big.

Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisJune 15, 2022education

How to get policymakers to actually hear you

We know your work – all of our work – is directly impacted by recent tragedies and crises. Dallas, Buffalo, Laguna Woods, Uvalde. The formula crisis, attacks on necessary equity efforts in our schools and child care shortages. These all signal the need for a major revolution.

So what do we want? Long-term, sustainable policy change to help our children and families thrive. When do we want it? NOW. (I mean, years ago, really.)

So that’s what we’re focused on today. We reviewed more than 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, book excerpts and research studies (in addition to years of experience working with policymakers!) to ensure that you have what you need to succeed in your advocacy.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Communications CampaignsNiki JuhaszJune 3, 2022education, nonprofit

3 tips for communicating tough topics

When talking about big issues that aren’t disappearing anytime soon, relying on sentimental language, grim details, or an instinctually emotional reaction from audiences can actually do more harm than good. Here are three things to think about when communicating about tough topics.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Media Relations, Storytelling, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisMay 19, 2022crisis communications, nonprofit

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Smart communication strategies for organizations that love kids.