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Posts in Brand/Materials Creation

Three steps for a successful rebrand

What happens when your brand (like your name, logo, colors and tagline) no longer fits who your organization is, and the vision of what you’re working towards?

It’s time for a rebrand.

At Forthright, we adore rebrands. They are some of the most fun projects we work on!

Here we break down three key elements to a successful rebrand using a recent project we worked on with Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina (formerly Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina) as an example so you can see how the steps play out.

Brand/Materials Creation, Nonprofit Communications, About ForthrightNiki JuhaszMay 14, 2024Branding, rebrand, positive childhood alliance NC, prevent child abuse NC, logo, brand colors, brand refresh, nonprofit branding, nonprofit rebranding

How to reach families without internet

How to reach families without internet

Reaching families without internet access isn’t a new challenge for communicators. As of last year, one in five households in America were unable to get online at home.

But in April, millions more families across the country are poised to lose their online access as the Affordable Connectivity Program funding runs out.

This could make reaching kids and families in your district or community more challenging. So today, I want to take a moment and share what we’ve learned about reaching and supporting offline families.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Communications Campaigns, Digital and Social Media, Most Popular, School District Marketing, Storytelling, Writing and MessagingEmily SwartzlanderMarch 28, 2024broadband, internet, no internet, free resource, reaching families, tactics, Reaching families without internet access, Low bandwidth communications tactics

Why you should print your Annual Report

Why you should print your Annual Report

Nothing makes my stationary-loving self happier than getting to exclaim to you: PRINT IS BACK, BABY.

For nearly a decade, foundations and nonprofits have scaled back on their print projects. We saw online annual reports become more and more popular, Paperless Post took over for event invitations and trifold brochures morphed into digital Flipsnacks.

But our collective digital fatigue is showing, and I, personally, could not be more thrilled.

We’re sharing why you should print your annual report, what trends to pay attention to, and bring you some of our recent examples.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials CreationKatie Test DavisMarch 21, 2024Printed annual report examples, 2024 nonprofit annual report trends, nonprofit annual reports, foundation annual reports, printed annual reports, 2024 annual report trends

Not your grandma’s style guide: Tips to help your team remember the why

Not your grandma’s style guide: Tips to help your team remember the why

Have you ever read or updated your organization’s style guide and paused to think, “Wait, why do we do it this way?” You’re not alone.

After countless communications audits and years of helping organizations discover what they need to say to reach their people, we’re convinced — good rules require great reasons.

Here are three tips to help you create a style guide that shows your team how to communicate and helps them remember why it matters.

Brand/Materials Creation, Digital and Social Media, Accessibility, Writing and Messaging, Storytelling, Nonprofit CommunicationsForthright AdvisingMarch 15, 2024Nonprofit style guide, Accessibility, how to create a style guide, style guide best practices

How to write welcoming messaging

How to write welcoming messaging

As leaders in the child and family advocacy space, the words we use matter. How we talk about families and children matter. When we use language based on assumptions – so, for example, in the case of mom and dad – we are unintentionally prescribing relationships that may not exist for all families in our community. Here’s your guide to inclusive family language.

Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, Brand/Materials Creation, Storytelling, School District Marketing, Writing and MessagingKatie Test DavisFebruary 8, 20242023 reflections, Inclusive family language, margaret middleton, nonprofit messaging, school district writing, family language, caregivers

How to capture great photos for your organization

How to capture great photos for your organization

In the child and family-focused work that we do, it can be hard to get real photographs of real people to use in your materials. But it’s definitely worth it. So with a little intention, a dash of project planning, and a can-do attitude, here are four steps you can take to get great photos for your organization.

Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Brand/Materials CreationKatie Test DavisDecember 14, 2023Selecting a photographer, creating a shot list, nonprofit photography, family photography, materials creation, planning a photoshoot

Eliminating early childhood suspensions: lessons in real-world change

If you asked me a year ago what came to mind when thinking about early care and education, I would have conjured some pretty traditional images. Toddlers adorned with finger paint. Play-Doh of various colors, sculpted into comically unrecognizable shapes. The joyful sounds of children, with their infectious laughs and with their futures brimming with promise. You can, then, imagine what it felt to learn more about a startling truth in early care and education in America: the widespread suspensions and expulsions of young children, many barely old enough to walk. The desire to upend what has become an unfortunate status quo recently led me to Charlotte, North Carolina for the National Black Child Institute’s (NBCDI) national conference.

Nonprofit Communications, Writing and Messaging, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, StorytellingForthright AdvisingDecember 1, 2023elections, equity, Early care and education, branding, messaging, preschool suspension, preschool expulsion, suspensions and expulsions, logo, collaboration, communications campaign

5 tips for better project feedback

5 tips for better project feedback

Have you ever received a draft of a written or designed document – and your heart sank because it isn’t quite right? We’ve all been there. Here are a few tips to get your creative project back on track!

Nonprofit Communications, Writing and Messaging, Brand/Materials Creation, School District MarketingForthright AdvisingNovember 13, 2023elections, systems, clear communication, advocacy, advocates, feedback, graphic design, writing project, creative project, kickoff call, branding, quality review, creative feedback

2 steps for a strategic naming process

2 steps for a strategic naming process

Keeping your materials up to date, especially anchor materials like your logo and your core messages, maintains trust with your audiences and helps make sure you're living up to your brand's promise or organization's mission. We understand how busy nonprofit leaders are, and we want to make it easy to take just a few steps to ensure your most important materials are up to date, and to let your newest, most relevant materials shine.

Nonprofit Communications, Writing and Messaging, Brand/Materials CreationNiki JuhaszSeptember 26, 2023nonprofit messaging, Smart branding for nonprofits, smart rebranding for nonprofits

What do your logo’s colors say about your brand?

When we work with a client on a branding and logo project that involves decisions about color choices, we always start with strategy. We ask questions such as: What do we want people to feel when they consider the organization? What emotions do we want people to associate with the brand?

Knowing the answers to those key questions can help us make smart color choices.

Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit Communications, School District MarketingKatie Test DavisMay 25, 2023color psychology, branding, logos, rebrands, collateral creation

3 tips to ensure a happy rebranding process

3 tips to ensure a happy rebranding process

Your brand identity – from your name to tagline to logo – is your first introduction to your most important stakeholders. By approaching it with strategy and centering your audiences, you can ensure you’re building a strong brand that helps you accomplish your mission. We are including three tips here!

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials CreationNiki JuhaszMarch 17, 2023strategic communications, nonprofit

Why clear writing is part of your equity journey

Why clear writing is part of your equity journey

Easy-to-read messaging is kind. It helps your audiences understand your work and what you want them to know. On the flip side, when a message uses big words, acronyms and jargon, it is – by definition – exclusionary. Today, we’re sharing more about how we recommend approaching your messaging.

Most Popular, Brand/Materials Creation, Accessibility, Writing and Messaging, Nonprofit Communications, Communications CampaignsNiki JuhaszMarch 8, 2023strategic communications, nonprofit

Upcoming training opportunities with Forthright

Upcoming training opportunities with Forthright

Is your team stuck in a rut? Need some skills-building? Looking for a laughter-filled get-together centered around learning? Our marketing and communications workshops are jam-packed with helpful how-tos. You and your team will walk away with confidence and the knowledge you need to take (successful) action. Plus, we’ll have fun while we’re doing it! Here’s a (sampling of) what we’re offering this spring and summer…

Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Media Relations, Storytelling, Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Hiring and PeopleNiki JuhaszMarch 1, 2023strategic communications, nonprofit

Are your teachers effective spokespeople for your district?

Are your teachers effective spokespeople for your district?

Families in your district know their teachers – they communicate with those teachers – they trust teachers. While as a district leader, you play a truly critical role in helping your district succeed (and frankly, we think you’re awesome for it), you're not always the one parents are engaging with weekly, or even daily. And THAT, my friends, means you have a huge communications opportunity in front of you. We’re sharing more here.

School District Marketing, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, StorytellingNiki JuhaszFebruary 22, 2023education

Tips for a great (short!) annual report

Tips for a great (short!) annual report

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: long, clunky annual reports are a thing of the past. Your audiences want to see your impact in minutes, not hours. So when you’re Marie Kondoing your annual report, how do you cut content – but still show impact? We have two tips.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and MessagingNiki JuhaszFebruary 15, 2023nonprofit

9 suggestions for respectful storytelling

9 suggestions for respectful storytelling

To us, consent means ensuring that every person we interview feels comfortable, confident and even empowered about sharing throughout the interview process. In other words, consent is so much more than asking for permission to share a story. Gathering consent during interviews is just one of many critical parts of ethical storytelling. We're sharing how we approach the process in this blog.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Storytelling, Writing and Messaging, School District MarketingNiki JuhaszDecember 15, 2022strategic communications, nonprofit

Lessons from a mom looking for the right kindergarten

Lessons from a mom looking for the right kindergarten

As a parent who is aware of the schooling options available – one who *wants* to send her kids to public schools – I’m sharing a few steps I wish my local school district had taken over the past few months.

School District Marketing, Brand/Materials CreationNiki JuhaszDecember 9, 2022education, campaigns, strategic communications, nonprofit

Lessons from dating apps

Lessons from dating apps

Millions across the US choose to swipe right on, or decidedly say no thank you to, potential partners on dating apps every month. And much like hopeful (or jaded) singles swiping through profiles, your potential supporters, partners and stakeholders often make the decision to learn more about you – or write you off – in mere seconds. I bring this up because thinking about your organization’s brand personality as a dating profile…can actually be a great exercise! We’re including an example here.

Nonprofit Communications, Brand/Materials Creation, Communications Campaigns, Writing and MessagingNiki JuhaszNovember 30, 2022education, campaigns, strategic communications, nonprofit

Create an effective billboard for your district

Create an effective billboard for your district

I was driving across North Carolina, headed for a quick weekend getaway in Belhaven, along the Pungo River. It was my favorite kind of drive, through all that my amazing state has to offer – beautiful water views, farm fields and cypress swamps.

But along with the landscape, there were billboards. So many of them.

And I got to thinking about what a great opportunity billboards can be for school district communicators – but only when done purposefully and with best practices in mind. (There are, I have to tell you, some pretty confusing and visually crowded billboards out there…)

Here are a few tips for creating an effective billboard ad for your district.

School District Marketing, Brand/Materials CreationKatie Test DavisNovember 15, 2022education

Prepare your after-election messaging

Prepare your after-election messaging

As I think about tomorrow’s election, I’m listening to The Final Countdown on repeat. Our campaigns are on their final stretches – and our country’s future is in our voters’ hands now.

No matter what the results are, I know many of us will be making the tough decision of whether to issue statements or responses about the election results. Or not.

Brand/Materials Creation, Writing and Messaging, Media Relations, Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit CommunicationsNiki JuhaszNovember 4, 2022education, campaigns, strategic communications, nonprofit