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.
Read MoreForthright 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.
Read MoreThe 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!
Read MoreForthright 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!)
Read MoreI recently chatted with a central office staff member who was headed to one of her district’s elementary schools…to teach for the day. She shared that in the past year, everyone from the superintendent to school nutrition workers have filled in in the classroom.
As the national teacher shortage rages on, more and more districts are struggling to hire talented team members. As a matter of fact, a recent Gallup poll showed that 61 percent of superintendents strongly agree that recruiting talented teachers is a major challenge.
That’s why today, we’re sharing tips to help your district market your open positions so you can hire the right teachers for your district.
Read MoreYou 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.)
Read MoreBy showing your community how you’re spending the federal funds and how you’re helping students learn during uncertain times, you can build trust and important relationships in your district. Here are four easy ideas.
Read MoreClear, actionable feedback is a gift.
And at the end of each calendar year, our clients generously take a few minutes to share their candid feedback during our Annual Client Feedback Survey.
Our survey results tell us what we're doing well and should keep doing, and show us where there are opportunities for us to do things differently.
Here’s what we heard at the end of 2021–and what we’re planning for 2022 to better serve you, too.
Read MoreDifferent 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.
Read MoreThrough her work with district Public Information Officers throughout the pandemic, Forthright senior advisor Lauren knows the challenges districts are facing. Today, she’s sharing a few key tips for how to reach parents amidst the chaos, with the end goal of increasing your enrollment numbers.
Read MoreOn Day 1, I decided Forthright would have a focused niche in the child and family space, which meant the teammates who joined me would need to be rockstar caliber. Every single teammate would need to have an extensive background in the issues facing our kids and families today—from early childhood education to teacher professional development to youth mental health.
Read MoreWe, 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.
Read MoreWhen we were thinking about what school leaders like you could use for the holidays, the first thing that came to mind was a big belly laugh.
You’ve endured a doozy during the past two years, and beyond napping, endless hot chocolate and a break from scrolling Twitter, we figured you could use a little bit of lolz.
And what’s sillier than ugly holiday sweaters?
Read MoreThe massive influx of federal funds meant to help schools recover from COVID-19’s effects—known as ESSER funding—is a lifeline for districts. But, as any seasoned public employee knows…there’s no such thing as free money. The ESSER III funds come with a few strings attached.
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreNow more than ever, it’s time to invest in our principals, our assistant principals, our front desk staff and everyone in a school who communicates with parents. Our school-based communicators deserve thoughtful leadership from our district offices, clear expectations about communications and the tools they need to do a good job.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreAmericans 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.
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