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

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.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, Writing and Messaging, StorytellingNiki JuhaszMay 3, 2022education, nonprofit

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!)

Nonprofit Communications, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications CampaignsNiki JuhaszMarch 18, 2022education, nonprofit

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.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Writing and Messaging, Brand/Materials Creation, StorytellingNiki JuhaszJanuary 27, 2022nonprofit

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.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, Writing and Messaging, StorytellingKatie Test DavisNovember 10, 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.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Most Popular, Storytelling, Writing and MessagingNiki JuhaszOctober 7, 2021education, nonprofit

Need to secure general operating support? Here's how.

Nobody believes in the importance of your work like you do, and with a few smart strategies, your commitment can be beautifully expressed with big time results.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Most Popular, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisMay 27, 2021nonprofit

4 Research-backed Tips to Crafting Motivating Stories

By making storytelling an integral part of your communications, you can build strong relationships with your community, funders and partners. And, you can highlight stories across any channel—sharing them on social media, incorporating story call outs in your annual report or including them when pitching media contacts. Check out our four research-backed tips (and examples) for effective storytelling.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Storytelling, Communications CampaignsNiki JuhaszApril 15, 2021communication, core messaging, communications tips

Are you harnessing the power of video?

Even before staying at home became the new normal, video was a top marketing trend. And a recent Nielsen report showed that adults spent at least 35 minutes per day watching video on phones, tablets, or computers.

You can capture some of these eyes by incorporating video into your upcoming communication campaigns.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Digital and Social Media, Communications Campaigns, StorytellingKatie Test DavisApril 15, 2021communication, core messaging, communications tips, video

3 Questions to Help You Build Trust with Parents

With millions of students missing from public schools across the U.S. this year, it will take a fresh approach to build trust with families. We’re sharing three questions to ask yourself before you start planning, along with how to build trust that leads to student enrollment.

School District Marketing, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Brand/Materials CreationKatie Test DavisFebruary 26, 2021Student Enrollment, Campaigns

A Blueprint for Your 2020 Annual Report

By creating a shorter annual report, you can communicate about all of your priorities with your most important stakeholders, while saving your team time, effort and money. Here, we’re going to be sharing an (only four-page!) annual report we love. We’re pointing out specific things we love about it and how you can use this as an example for your own work!

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Storytelling, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisFebruary 25, 2021Annual Report, Design

Instantly Improve Your Outreach Through Empathy

As communicators and leaders, we’re constantly having to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. At the heart of good communication is empathy—anticipating how our audience will receive information, and then customizing our approach based on that. I’m sharing my advice for how to do this here!

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisFebruary 3, 2021messaging

Why No One is Listening

We’ve heard from many of you that you’re struggling to break through the noise and that your audiences “just aren’t getting it.” You’re not alone. Right now, our brains are busy juggling uncertainty, stress and anxiety. That’s why we’re sharing two tips to help you reach your audiences.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Storytelling, Writing and Messaging, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisOctober 15, 2020core messaging, messaging, crisis communications

3 Things First Graders Taught Me About PR

Most Fridays, my husband and I take half an hour to read to first graders. Not only does the activity keep me grounded in Forthright’s mission and in a school setting each week, but it’s also a great place to be reminded of some communications lessons. Here are three things I’ve learned about communications from spending time reading with first graders.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Writing and Messaging, StorytellingKatie Test DavisMay 8, 2020branding, messaging, crisis communication

What Do Evergreens Have to do with Marketing?

Evergreen content is a message you can post any time. Its lifespan isn’t tied to an event (or season). If your organization writes stories or articles, this is a great time to re-share those.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Digital and Social Media, Writing and Messaging, Media Relations, StorytellingKatie Test DavisDecember 29, 2019marketing, content marketing, evergreen content, facebook, twitter, tips, nonprofit, best practices, holidays

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Smart communication strategies for organizations that love kids.