Our Favorite Rule for Successful Media Relations

If you’ve ever been a Forthright client, you’ve probably heard us say this a million times: “You don’t talk TO the media, you talk THROUGH the media!” While we value journalists for all they do, a simple conversation with an individual reporter rarely accomplishes an organization's end goal. That’s why we’re sharing our favorite rule for successful media relations!

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This Mother’s Day, let’s give moms what they really need

Our moms are not okay. As we head toward our second Mother’s Day during COVID-19, America’s mothers are in crisis. They have been for months. While fathers are taking on some of the caregiving responsibilities, study after study has shown that it’s mothers who are bearing the brunt. The challenges we’re facing aren’t new. But they are exacerbated by the pandemic. And it’s time for change.

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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.

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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.

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The Myth of the “Disengaged” Parent

Today, we’re challenging this narrative in our work and want to help you do the same, informed by fresh data and new research on school-family engagement. Why? Because we know that the moment district leaders like you reject this myth, something amazing happens. You can begin the hard work of developing compassionate and effective strategies to reach every family.

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Why People Can't Find Your Website

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vast and seemingly endless topic. But, with more than half of all web visits coming from unpaid search, SEO—which helps make your website easier to find for people—is an important strategy for every organization. So, in typical Forthright fashion, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Here are your “must knows!”

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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.

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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!

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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!

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