Posts in School District Marketing
Keep your momentum
Keep your momentum

Are you finding yourself more easily distracted since the election? Feeling a tad foggier? Not retaining much information? Perhaps a tad more irritable? 

Check, check, check and check on my end. 

If you’re distracted, and we’re distracted, then your audiences are ALSO distracted. 

Yet, if you’re like a few of our clients, the work can’t stop now. If you have urgent information to release, or outreach to do, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. 

Here are three communications best practices from our teammates that are more important than EVER as we communicate during times of upheaval, uncertainty and crisis. 

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Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Writing and MessagingNiki Juhaszhow to write simply, how to advocate after Trump's win, nonprofit advocacy during times of uncertainty, communications during elections
Reach *all* parents in your community
Reach *all* parents in your community

Just Google it. I’ll send you the link. Sign up online. 

These days, we assume everyone has internet access at home. But here’s the thing. That’s still not the case. 2024 Pew Research Center data tells us about a fifth of homes in America still don’t have broadband access. 

We’re including tips to reach these families – while celebrating your district – below. 

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School District Marketing, Communications Campaigns, AccessibilityNiki JuhaszReaching families without internet access, Inclusive school communication strategies, How to connect with all families in the district, Marketing school nutrition programs, Direct mail outreach for schools, Inclusive campaigns for school districts, Building brand awareness in school districts
Hire for comms roles with ease
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. 


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Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Hiring and People, About ForthrightKatie Test Davisnonprofit communications, education leadership and history, fractional communications director services, interim communications director, hiring communicators, nonprofit hiring, nonprofit marketing roles, interview questions for communicators
How to give "an exclusive" to a reporter
How to give "an exclusive" to a reporter

Today, we’re tackling one of the most elusive and confusing parts of media relations: the exclusive. 

Simply put, an exclusive is when you offer a story to one single reporter, and promise that you won’t share the story with anyone else until after your chosen reporter shares the news first.

Let’s break that down. 

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School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Media RelationsNiki Juhasznonprofit media coverage, news pitching tactics, offering exclusives, reporter relationships, exclusive news tips, pitching journalists, exclusives in pr, media relations, nonprofit storytelling
Your easy button for new parent communication
Your easy button for new parent communication

Schools have opened their doors for another school year. As a communications professional, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the information sent from our new elementary school. I know exactly when school starts. We’ve gotten our school supplies list and know our teacher assignments and class schedules. 

Yet, as a parent of a kindergartner and a first grader in a new school district, I still have so many questions! For example: What types of opportunities for free play are built into the day? How much screen time are kids actually getting each day? What if my kid falls asleep on the floor because she’s 5 and sometimes just needs a nap?

As a school leader, it’s important to realize that kindergarten parents and new parents are a rare breed. This audience doesn’t have the experience or insights that your returning families bring to a new school year. Everything is new for them, and your communications efforts must reflect that – not just during this back-to-school season, but throughout the year. 

By helping families understand what their child’s day looks like during school, they become more confident and comfortable with their decision to share their children with you and your staff. 

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School District Marketing, Communications CampaignsLauren Empsonback-to-school, students, parents, parent communications, school communications, new families, kindergarten
Connect with your community by knowing your history
Connect with your community by knowing your history

As communicators, it’s our job to deeply understand what came before us. For example, knowing about child care’s roots in chattel slavery can help you communicate effectively about workforce challenges. Knowing the history of de- (and recent re-) segregation can help public school communicators better connect around school closures and redistricting. 

Great communicators are history experts and are constantly absorbing news and context. We're sharing tips about when and how to think about history here.

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Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Media Relations, Communications Campaigns, School District MarketingKatie Test Davisnonprofit communications, education leadership and history, cultural competence in education, inclusive messaging for nonprofits, historical context in advocacy, youth engagement in public spaces, community focused public relations, nonprofit branding and history, youth centered nonprofit partnerships, policy campaign communication tactics
How to have happy district parents
How to have happy district parents

Working parents are burned out. 

They are can’t concentrate, take it one day at a time, can barely make butter pasta for dinner kind of tired.

You know the feeling. 

That means it’s up to us as communicators to ensure we’re meeting burnt out parents where they are. We’re including three tips for how to do so as you return back to school! 

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Writing and Messaging, School District MarketingNiki Juhaszwrite a strong call to action, calls to action for nonprofits, back to school communications, school district communications, reaching school parents, how to communicate with parents
Get people to do what you want them to do
Get people to do what you want them to do

 In 2017, Stanford Social Innovation Review begged nonprofit leaders to “stop raising awareness already.” 

They wanted action. They wanted change. They wanted advocates to take their work to the next level. 

I think we can all agree that right now – in this chaotic year of 2024 – moving our audiences to take action is more critical than ever. No matter what your campaign, your call to action (CTA) needs to be powerful, or it won’t work.  

That’s why we’re sharing quick tips (backed by data from Harvard and Stanford experts) on how to craft a strong CTA.

Bonus: we’re including do’s, don’ts and examples for every recommendation! 

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Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit Communications, School District MarketingNiki Juhaszwrite a strong call to action, calls to action for nonprofits, calls to action for school district, how to move people to action, win my nonprofit campaign
Feel confident as you manage staff transitions
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. 

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Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District MarketingNiki Juhasznonprofit hiring, how to hire a communications director, what to do when your communications director quits, interim communications director, hiring for communications jobs, communications interview best practices
Where to post PR job openings
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.

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Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District Marketing, Most PopularKatie Test DavisJob 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
Create new community relationships
Create new community relationships

To succeed in communications, your audience must be at the center of everything you do! But getting in front of your target audience isn’t always that easy. That’s why as part of your campaign or announcement, you need to reach not just your audience, but the people who influence your target audience. That’s where making community connections comes into play.

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Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisTarget audiences, influencers, faith leaders, healthcare providers, business leaders, realtors, conferences, materials creation, community connections, communications campaigns, how to reach your audience, how to engage with your community, tips for nonprofit community building
3 tips to write the perfect graduation speech
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.

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Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Storytelling, Writing and Messaging, Accessibility, Media Relations, School District MarketingLauren Empsonspeech, graduation speech, superintendent speech, speechwriting, audience values, youth, graduation, teens
How to reach families without internet
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.

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Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Communications Campaigns, Digital and Social Media, Most Popular, School District Marketing, Storytelling, Writing and MessagingEmily Swartzlanderbroadband, internet, no internet, free resource, reaching families, tactics, Reaching families without internet access, Low bandwidth communications tactics
Get more students into your schools: A free + easy guide for public school districts
Get more students into your schools: A free + easy guide for public school districts

When we see threats to our public schools – such as continuing declines in student enrollment, and politicians pushing for privatization and school voucher programs – we want to help.

That’s why we created our free downloadable guide: How to (Re)+Build Your District’s Numbers: Your Planning Guide to Personalize Communications.

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Communications Campaigns, School District MarketingNiki Juhaszhow to get more students in my schools, public school district marketing best practices, student enrollment campaigns, student enrollment marketing, how to talk about public schools, public school marketing, school district marketing
Our fave job interview questions for communicators
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!

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Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District MarketingKatie Test Davisinterview questions for communicators, STAR interviewing, communications interviews, public relations interviews, interview questions
How to write welcoming messaging
How to write welcoming messaging

As leaders in the child and family advocacy space, the words we use matter. How we talk about families and children matter. When we use language based on assumptions – so, for example, in the case of mom and dad – we are unintentionally prescribing relationships that may not exist for all families in our community. Here’s your guide to inclusive family language.

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Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Brand/Materials Creation, Storytelling, School District Marketing, Writing and MessagingKatie Test Davis2023 reflections, Inclusive family language, margaret middleton, nonprofit messaging, school district writing, family language, caregivers
Decline a media interview request with confidence
Decline a media interview request with confidence

A reporter reaches out to request an interview, and it’s…just not the right fit. You have to say no to the reporter’s request, and that could be for a million different reasons, such as: You don’t have the expertise. You don’t have the bandwidth. Your team can’t agree on what to say. The reporter hasn’t been friendly to your work in the past. So…how do you handle this delicate situation without burning bridges? Well, here’s what our team has learned from working with the media for many years.

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Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Writing and Messaging, Media RelationsKatie Test DavisDecline media interview request, say no to reporter, decline interview, no to media, media relations, reporter relationships, interview requests, media training, spokesperson
Communications is an act of love
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.

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Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Communications Campaigns, Most Popular, About ForthrightKatie Test Davis2023 reflections, about Forthright, communications as an act of love, personal why for communications
How to capture great photos for your organization
How to capture great photos for your organization

In the child and family-focused work that we do, it can be hard to get real photographs of real people to use in your materials. But it’s definitely worth it. So with a little intention, a dash of project planning, and a can-do attitude, here are four steps you can take to get great photos for your organization.

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Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Brand/Materials CreationKatie Test DavisSelecting a photographer, creating a shot list, nonprofit photography, family photography, materials creation, planning a photoshoot
Our top tip for pitching reporters
Our top tip for pitching reporters

Smart communicators are moving away from press releases and using pitches — short emails tailored to specific reporters about specific topics. But we know writing the perfect pitch — and building personal relationships with journalists — can be tricky, so we’ve created a pitching checklist just for you! Download this free resource today and pitch with confidence, knowing that you’re following the best media relations practices possible.

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Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Media Relations, School District MarketingNiki Juhaszmedia relations, pitching, pitching reporters, journalists, public relations, pitching checklist