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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 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!

3 storytelling tips

Forthright founder Katie recently sat down with Elana Leoni, founder of Leoni Consulting Group, to chat about this exact topic: the power of storytelling.

We’re sharing a few key takeaways from the conversation here. (Or, listen to their podcast convo here!)

Maybe you should quit Instagram.

You have 20 tabs open.

You’ve got your phone in one hand, scrolling through your feeds, while you’re checking your emails on your laptop.

You’re wondering what hashtag you should use.

Put down your phone. Close those tabs. Resist the trending hashtag.

We’re always being told more is better. More social media outlets, more messaging, more fries, more EVERYTHING. But here’s the thing: that’s a lie (with the exception of the fries part.)

Creativity break! 3 fresh ideas for your '22 annual report

Different year, same annual report. Do you find yourself having similar thoughts as you launch your 2022 annual report process? If you do, you’re not alone–we’ve heard this sentiment from communicators across the country.

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.

Are you ready for Giving Tuesday and end of year fundraising?

I get it. Whenever I think about Giving Tuesday and the end of year giving season for our clients, I am hit with a mix of anticipation and excitement, topped with a thin layer of dread. As anyone who has ever worked at a nonprofit knows, while everyone else in the world is settling down with mistletoe and turkey, you’re sprinting full speed into one of the busiest times of year. Never fear— we’ve got your back.

Here are a few tips to make your end of year campaign the best one yet.

There’s still time: 4 steps to help finish your Build Back Better advocacy campaign strong

As we push until the very last moment, now is the time to reuse, repurpose and refresh the things you already know are working—to get even more out of the existing strongest messages, messengers and tactics that can take us across the finish line. Here are four things that you can do in less than 15 minutes to sustain—or build—momentum at the end of an advocacy campaign.

Nonprofit Communications, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisOctober 28, 2021nonprofit

Our #1 favorite messaging trick...

In many communications initiatives, you just KNOW your target audience is going to find fault with your campaign. They are going to have questions, concerns or downright oppose your work.

Once you explain your vision, they’ll say “what I’m worried about is...” and launch into why they don’t support you. What comes after the “what I’m worried about...” is the concern—in other words, the challenge you need to overcome to gain your opposition’s support.

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

PART ONE: What to do when your communications director quits

Americans are quitting their jobs at a record rate. Korn Ferry calls it an “unprecedented string of walkouts”. News headlines nicknamed it “the great resignation.” However you describe it, the employee turnover in every industry, including ours, is so real right now.

3 tips for your social media marketing plan

As the seasons change, we’re all craving a bit of new. Here are a few things to think about as you hit refresh on your social media marketing plan for the rest of the year.

Your fall reading list

So, to get us back in the groove, here’s a fun reading list of the most popular posts for organization leaders like YOU - let them spark your creativity and reconnect you to the work!

Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisSeptember 7, 2021nonprofit

Your Fail-Proof Guide to Nonprofit Communication Planning Part Three: Choose effective tactics and track your progress

Since it’s always our goal at Forthright to help make our nonprofit clients’ and partners’ lives easier, we decided to create an actionable guide to nonprofit communication planning. In this three-part series, we’re sharing all of our secrets. We promise you'll walk away eager to plan and ready for success!

How to win your next advocacy campaign

How do you make sure you’re targeting the right people? Friend, let me introduce you to a classic concept called powermapping. Organizations have been successfully using this tested tool for years!

Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Most PopularNiki JuhaszAugust 26, 2021nonprofit

Why back to school is the wrong time for your big news

Whenever we’re working on big announcement launches for clients—be it a new advocacy campaign, a report or fresh research—we specifically avoid launching during the last few weeks of August and early September.