Nonprofit Communications & PR Firm | Nonprofit Marketing Agency | Forthright Advising

Lessons from dating apps

Millions across the US choose to swipe right on, or decidedly say no thank you to, potential partners on dating apps every month. And much like hopeful (or jaded) singles swiping through profiles, your potential supporters, partners and stakeholders often make the decision to learn more about you – or write you off – in mere seconds. I bring this up because thinking about your organization’s brand personality as a dating profile…can actually be a great exercise! We’re including an example here.

Create an effective billboard for your district

I was driving across North Carolina, headed for a quick weekend getaway in Belhaven, along the Pungo River. It was my favorite kind of drive, through all that my amazing state has to offer – beautiful water views, farm fields and cypress swamps.

But along with the landscape, there were billboards. So many of them.

And I got to thinking about what a great opportunity billboards can be for school district communicators – but only when done purposefully and with best practices in mind. (There are, I have to tell you, some pretty confusing and visually crowded billboards out there…)

Here are a few tips for creating an effective billboard ad for your district.

School District Marketing, Brand/Materials CreationKatie Test DavisNovember 15, 2022education

Prepare your after-election messaging

As I think about tomorrow’s election, I’m listening to The Final Countdown on repeat. Our campaigns are on their final stretches – and our country’s future is in our voters’ hands now.

No matter what the results are, I know many of us will be making the tough decision of whether to issue statements or responses about the election results. Or not.

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.

Don’t forget Grandpa!

Through her work with school districts and nonprofits, Forthright senior advisor Lauren knows how to reach a variety of audiences. Today, Lauren is sharing how organizations and districts like yours can better include grandparent caregivers in your tactics and build more inclusive communications.

How to win your school bond campaign

The lawn signs are out, the commercials are on, and the handshakes are happening. You know what that means: it’s election season! And for many of our partners, that means securing funding for your school district is on the ballot.

We recently reviewed successful and failed bond campaigns across the US, and here are some key takeaways!

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.

Easy & fast tips for your back to school stories

Honest question: How full is your inbox right now? Has it reached hundreds of unread emails yet? In the days leading up to the first day of school, it is totally normal to have an overwhelming amount of information thrown at you.

Buried in many inboxes are great story “nuggets” that deserve to be told. Maybe it is the student who learned to love science during the fun summer camp she took. Maybe it is a teacher who is bursting with fun, new blended learning ideas to engage his social studies class after the professional development session he attended in July.

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.

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.

Three simple questions you should ask about your audiences

Earlier this year, we asked you to share the skills you're most focused on building in 2022.

Many of you said that you'd like to do more around audience analysis for communications planning. You want to gain a better understanding of your audiences' values, motivations and their pain points – ultimately setting the stage for an effective campaign.

So, we put together an easy three question checklist to get you started on smart audience analysis.

The Twitter rules all advocates need to know now

Twitter has made its intentions clear: to keep your feeds free and clear of this kind of “disruptive,” duplicative posting.

We waited a beat to see how this rule was playing out in our feeds, the algorithm and in our partners’ social strategies. Here's what *we know* this means so far for all of us and our Twitter experiences.

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.

3 questions to ensure your images center DEI

We’ve all heard the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words. And that’s true – but in marketing and advocacy, the images aren’t just about the pictures themselves and the words they represent. They are also about the feelings they evoke and the narratives they help shape.

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.

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.

Your how-to guide on interviewing families for stories

When it comes to storytelling, you’re already sold. You know stories about your work help demonstrate your organization’s impact in a personal, relatable way.

Now, it’s on to actually telling the stories. That starts with interviews. And this – this is the step when even seasoned communications professionals can get a little nervous. From how to ensure you’re getting consent to asking questions in a respectful way, it can be a little tricky!

Here’s Forthright’s true-blue formula for asking for initial consent and asking questions.

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 email marketing strategies to revisit in 2022

Forthright Senior Advisor Ashley Peterson-DeLuca dug into the research about how our inbox-reading behavior changed during and after the pandemic. Check out her email marketing tips to make sure you’re following up-to-date practices.

How to write clearly.

The way we process information in a crisis – like, you know, an ongoing pandemic and wartime – is different. Right now, our attention spans are shorter, and we’re more forgetful, too.

This means that to best serve our audiences, we need to focus on delivering information as clearly as possible.

The key to this clarity? Breaking it up!

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Smart communication strategies for organizations that love kids.