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

Your ultimate guide to year-round student enrollment marketing

Plummeting public school enrollment numbers are keeping educators up at night nationwide. That’s why Forthright Senior Advisor Ashley Peterson-DeLuca is sharing strategies for how to build strong relationships with families all year-round.

School District Marketing, Brand/Materials Creation, Digital and Social Media, Most Popular, Writing and Messaging, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisJuly 12, 2021education

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

Write the perfect graduation speech

As we approach graduation season, I know many of you are planning speeches, from drafting your own to ghostwriting for your district’s leadership. We’re sharing a few tips to help you along the way!

School District Marketing, Most Popular, Writing and MessagingNiki JuhaszMay 19, 2021communication, communications tips, celebration

3 things you should do this summer

Summer will be here before we know it. And as you’re saying goodbye to a challenging spring and even tougher school year, here are the three things you should consider doing with your summer break.

Nonprofit Communications, Digital and Social Media, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisApril 28, 2021education, nonprofit

How to Talk Through the Media to Your Target Audiences

When I work with a team to prepare for a media engagement, I always ask one question: what message do YOU want your audiences to walk away with after they read, watch or listen to your interview? There are easy tactics you can practice to conquer the art of interviews.

Writing and Messaging, Most Popular, Media RelationsNiki JuhaszApril 15, 2021communication, core messaging, communications tips

Two Reasons to Thank Your Donors Today

When an organization reaches out to supporters just to say thank you—without making an ask—supporters feel more connected with the organization, building both future giving (or partnerships!) and their relationship with the nonprofit. Building these relationships with your supporters and partners is critical year-round. We’re including specific tips on how to do so here.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, Writing and MessagingNiki JuhaszMarch 1, 2021nonprofit, fundraising, Messaging

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

Your Crisis Communications Guide

Our country is in a reckoning. As leaders and communicators, it’s our responsibility to communicate—and, well, lead—during this time, all while processing our own emotions. That’s why here, we’re sharing resources, tips and strategies to help you communicate during this tumultuous time.

Nonprofit Communications, Most Popular, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisJanuary 15, 2021crisis communications, messaging

The Five Things You NEED to Know About Your Target Audience

When you know what audiences value about your work and their barriers to accessing your services, you can make smart, informed communications decisions. Ideal audience profiles enable you to speak to your audiences' unique values, address their pain points and share information on channels they frequently use.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisDecember 1, 2020communications, target audiences

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

73 Percent of Americans Prefer THIS Communications Tactic

A recent Chronicles of Philanthropy report shared that your supporters and families want to hear from you during this pandemic. We’re sharing one of the best ways to communicate with them—and as always, we’re sharing the data behind our specific recommendations.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Writing and Messaging, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisAugust 4, 2020direct mail marketing, crisis communications

Six of Our Favorite Tools for Adding Equity Into Your Communications Planning [Updated March 2021]

Long-term and strategic plans are a critical place to mitigate bias, ensure that we're preventing unanticipated outcomes and being intentional in our outreach efforts. Here are three tools that we love using in our work with clients to ensure our work does the most good possible.

Most Popular, Accessibility, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisJuly 29, 2020equity

How to Simplify Complex Messaging for Your Community

As communicators, it’s our job to simplify our messaging so ALL our audiences understand what we’re sharing and why. That’s why we’re sharing why readability is important, what readability score writers should aim for, how to simplify complex messaging and how to use Microsoft Word to test readability through our blog and free PDF download.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Accessibility, Brand/Materials Creation, Most Popular, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisJune 17, 2020readability, messaging, writing tips

Easy as Pie: Why You Should Use Comparisons in Your Messaging

Our brains are wired to look for things we recognize and find patterns. So when you’re trying to make a complicated concept easy to explain, comparisons are your friend! We’re including tips on how to use them in your messaging here.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisMay 29, 2020messaging

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

How You Can Combat Fake News and Rumors in a Crisis

We don’t have to tell you that families and school staff have a lot going on right now. Searching for information—and wondering what they can trust—just adds to their stress. That's why we’re sharing tips to ensure your audience sees and trusts your messaging.