I’ve scrolled past endless LinkedIn posts, tweets and Facebook comments these past few weeks -- all with the same sentiment. What we’re living through now isn’t acceptable, and we want it to be different.
Here’s the communication problem with the “something must change” posts: they unintentionally perpetuate the idea that the problems we face are too big.
Read MoreWe’ve all heard the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words. And that’s true – but in marketing and advocacy, the images aren’t just about the pictures themselves and the words they represent. They are also about the feelings they evoke and the narratives they help shape.
Read MoreWe know your work – all of our work – is directly impacted by recent tragedies and crises. Dallas, Buffalo, Laguna Woods, Uvalde. The formula crisis, attacks on necessary equity efforts in our schools and child care shortages. These all signal the need for a major revolution.
So what do we want? Long-term, sustainable policy change to help our children and families thrive. When do we want it? NOW. (I mean, years ago, really.)
So that’s what we’re focused on today. We reviewed more than 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, book excerpts and research studies (in addition to years of experience working with policymakers!) to ensure that you have what you need to succeed in your advocacy.
Read MoreWhen talking about big issues that aren’t disappearing anytime soon, relying on sentimental language, grim details, or an instinctually emotional reaction from audiences can actually do more harm than good. Here are three things to think about when communicating about tough topics.
Read MoreWe’re celebrating Forthright’s 3rd (!) birthday this week.
Normally, people call us when they need to bring in the experts.
So we took a page out of that playbook.
To figure out how we should celebrate Forthright’s 3rd Birthday, we called in the professionals…
Read MoreWhen 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.
Read MoreYou’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.
Read MoreWhen 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?
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