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Improve Team Morale: 3 Strategies for Nonprofits

Improve Team Morale: 3 Strategies for Nonprofits

Your team is working really hard. You know what? I’ll say it. Too hard. They’re surrounded by uncertainty, harm and crises. You’re facing staffing changes. (And we’re seeing an unprecedented spike in leadership turnover, too.) The landscape you’re working in is constantly evolving. It’s so easy for your team morale to take a hit when just one of these things occur.

But when all of them are happening all at once? It’s time to focus on improving your team morale.

You want your team to feel energized and hopeful, knowing their vital role contributes to the bigger picture.

How? Well, here are a few morale-boosters workshops we have hosted for various teams (including our own):

Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisApril 14, 2026nonprofit team morale, Preventing Staff Burnout, Mission-Driven Leadership, School District Staff Wellness, Nonprofit Workplace Culture, Improving Team Dynamics, Deep Work Productivity, Philanthropy Team Building, Managing Communications Teams, Celebrating Staff Success, Nonprofit Retention Strategies, Science of Flow at Work

How Forthrighters get our focus back

How Forthrighters get our focus back

We all want to do our best work. But our brains have a literal limit on how much fuel they have for deep thinking. When we’re always on, constantly distracted or simply switching tasks, we slow ourselves down and drain our energy... fast. For example, research from the University of Chicago found that just having a smartphone nearby reduces our “available cognitive capacity.”

That’s precious brain space we’re wasting. As child and family advocates, we don’t have that kind of energy to spare right now.

Let’s protect our headspace instead.

Here’s how.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleZoe Alexis WhitehornApril 6, 2026Remote work productivity tips, Deep work for nonprofit leaders, Managing mental energy at work, How to improve focus while working remotely, Strategies to reduce cognitive load, Professional productivity habits for advocates, Avoiding remote work burnout, Intentional communication in the workplace, Sustainable productivity for mission-driven teams, Overcoming digital distractions

Creating stability in uncertain times

Creating stability in uncertain times

News breaks.

Funding is cancelled.

New legislation is enacted.

How do communicators like you find steady ground while everything feels like an earthquake?

We get it. It’s a lot.

Yet charting a stable course on unsteady ground is something we’re pretty darn good at here at Forthright. (In fact, we have data to prove it. We heard from our clients in our 2025 client happiness survey that we’re a shelter in the storm.)

So how do we do it? Let’s break it down.

Nonprofit Communications, Communications Campaigns, About Forthright, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisApril 6, 2026team burnout, communications strategy, breaking-news response, nonprofit communications, workflow protocols, advocacy communications, finding focus, time management, crisis communication, child family advocacy

Boost your team morale

Boost your team morale

Your team is (understandably) dragging.

You can feel them losing sight of your “why” amidst the chaos and changing priorities.

Team meetings are downbeat and everything feels… hard.

You’re not alone. We’re hearing it from organizations just like yours across the country.

That’s why we designed a special menu of 2026 trainings that naturally foster team connection and positivity.

The ultimate success metric is that your team walks away feeling energized, hopeful, and clear on their priorities and vital role in the organization’s future.

Here are a few options for a morale-boosting team training. (Psst – don’t worry, if these don’t feel quite right for your particular team, we can design a custom training just for you.)

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, About Forthright, School District MarketingKatie Test DavisFebruary 27, 2026team training, morale, burnout, nonprofit leadership, team-culture, burnout-prevention, staff-training, morale-boosters, nonprofit-leadership, team-building, productivity, professional-development

How Forthright interviews for mission-alignment

How Forthright interviews for mission-alignment

We’ve all been there. You’re in an interview with a candidate who has a stellar resume. They have the skills. They have the experience. They say all the right things.

But you walk away wondering: Do they actually get it?

Will they understand the nuance of your advocacy work? Do they have the empathy to tell stories that honor your partners?

At Forthright, we believe that mission alignment is just as important as technical skill. But you can't just hope for it. You have to interview for it. Here’s our guide for how to do it.

Hiring and People, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisFebruary 27, 2026communications director, mission alignment, interview questions, nonprofit hiring, STAR method, equitable hiring, cultural fit, values-based hiring, how to make smart hiring decisions, how to hire communicators, how to hire foundation leaders, hiring smart foundation leaders, hiring association communicators

*Don't* launch that big announcement

*Don't* launch that big announcement

I’ve heard it so often throughout my career: an organization that works with children and families is getting ready to launch a big initiative “just in time for Back to School!”

Eek.

Whenever we’re working on big announcement launches for clients — be it a new advocacy campaign, a report or fresh research — we specifically avoid launching during the last few weeks of August and early September.

Why?

Because the already-crowded media market gets so much worse for our clients during back-to-school season. Every organization and their brother, mother and sister is putting out news, striving to get that front-page placement or attention for their work.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisJanuary 20, 2026webite redesign, How to know it’s time to refresh your website, Signs its time to redo your website, Redevelop website, Changing mission on website, Updating website look and feel

Make hiring your easiest task in 2026

It’s officially mid-January. You have your 2026 strategic plan ready. You have big goals for the children and families you serve. You can see the path forward.

But a vision is only as good as the people who execute it.

As a founder, I know the specific dread of looking at an ambitious plan and realizing you don't have the person-power to make it all happen. You want to launch that new campaign, or maybe you want to deepen relationships with donors. But when a critical communications role is empty, those big ideas stay on the shelf.

The reality is you don't have time to pause your mission. And you definitely don't have time to sort through hundreds of resumes to find the right person to help.

You need a partner who just gets it.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisJanuary 13, 2026brand refresh, nonprofit hiring, communications search, mission alignment, executive search, G.U.I.D.E. method, communications director, capacity building, equity

3 steps to hire amazing comms leaders

3 steps to hire amazing comms leaders

We know how hard you work to keep your mission moving. Most of you are running on lean teams with zero capacity to spare.

The search for a comms leader is super high-stakes…

When you don’t have the right teammates, progress stalls. You miss opportunities to connect with funders or supporters. You lose momentum on critical advocacy campaigns. And the burnout on your existing team starts to creep up.

Here’s how to get those birds chirping peacefully again.

Hiring and People, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisDecember 16, 2025communications director, nonprofit leadership, hiring, equity, mission alignment, staff retention, interview questions, communications strategy, how to hire, how to hire for nonprofit jobs, how to hire a good communications director

Plan smarter in 2026 🚀

Plan smarter in 2026 🚀

I’m not the first person to tell you that more change is coming.

We need to take all the skills we’ve developed over the past few years and be nimble.

Right now, we’re telling most of our clients to create a three-month communications plan instead of an annual plan.

Simplify by breaking the work into quarters and be honest about what’s realistic with your capacity.

Here’s how to make it happen.

Communications Campaigns, Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisDecember 10, 2025strategic planning, communications plan, request for proposal, hiring consultants, nonprofit marketing, quarterly planning, capacity building, 2026 planning, agile methodology, nonprofit leadership

Is it time to redesign your website?

Is it time to redesign your website?

The average lifespan of a website is 2 years and 7 months, according to OrbitMedia.

Which probably makes you wonder…When was the last time you updated your organization’s website?

My guess is that it’s been longer than 2 years.

Is it time for a website update or redesign? Maybe.

Here’s how to tell.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisJuly 11, 2025webite redesign, How to know it’s time to refresh your website, Signs its time to redo your website, Redevelop website, Changing mission on website, Updating website look and feel

Hire the best person for your role

Hire the best person for your role

Many of you are gearing up to make a communications hire in 2025. We’re so excited for all the growth to come!

But in the meantime, hiring and onboarding can be tough. Finding the right fit happens on a lot of different levels. Values. Skills. Culture. Approach. We have a ton of tips in our new (free) hiring guide PDF to help you do this right.

Today, let’s break down how to find the right human for your open communications role.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleKatie Test DavisJanuary 15, 2025storytelling, how to hire communicators, hiring, determine the job description, write job descriptions, hire the right person

Onboard your new hire with ease

Onboard your new hire with ease

So you just hired your new communications director (or other communications teammate, we aren’t picky about titles here at Forthright). First, congratulations! I’m so excited you found a great person for your organization.

Now, let’s set them up for success. Onboarding is just as critical as selecting the right human.

Studies show that solid onboarding is worth its weight in gold. Research shows that effective onboarding can improve employee retention and productivity by 52 percent and 60 percent, respectively.

Here are the ingredients of an effective onboarding.

School District Marketing, Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and PeopleNiki JuhaszNovember 21, 2024Effective onboarding strategies, Onboarding new communications director, Employee onboarding for nonprofits, 30/60/90 day goals for new hires, Strategic communications planning, Nonprofit leadership tips, Building relationships during onboarding, Feedback culture in nonprofits, Onboarding best practices for nonprofits, Nonprofit employee retention strategies

Hire for comms roles with ease

Hire for comms roles with ease

“What are the best interview questions to ask a candidate for your open communications director position?”

“How do you manage a communications workload when you’ve got someone out on parental leave?”

“Who do you tell once a communications teammate gives you notice that she’s leaving your organization for a new job?”

We answer all these questions and more in our new FREE guide to hiring communicators.

Nonprofit Communications, School District Marketing, Hiring and People, About ForthrightKatie Test DavisOctober 21, 2024nonprofit communications, education leadership and history, fractional communications director services, interim communications director, hiring communicators, nonprofit hiring, nonprofit marketing roles, interview questions for communicators

How big should your comms team be?

How big should your comms team be?

Here’s a conversation I’ve had many times throughout my career:

🙋Executive director: How big should my communications team be?

🤔Me: Well… that depends. How much of your mission relies on convincing people to take action?

We’ve seen it all: 10+ person communications teams, and one part-time person communications teams. A one-person shop could be perfect for some organizations, while others need the full comms squad. Here are the key points to consider as you decide how to invest in YOUR headcount.

About Forthright, Hiring and People, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisJuly 31, 2024nonprofit communications, nonprofit marketing, communications team size, nonprofit staffing, marketing consultants for nonprofits, nonprofit public relations, nonprofit media relations, nonprofit campaigns, outsourcing communications, nonprofit organizational goals, building a communications team

Feel confident as you manage staff transitions

Feel confident as you manage staff transitions

So, your communications director is leaving. And you’re happy for them – really, you are. (Or not so much. We don’t judge.) But that makes your life just a little harder for the coming weeks, because your most important audiences still need to hear from you while you replace your director.

This is a common challenge we’re seeing with so many of our nonprofit, foundation and school district partners. (You’re not alone! There’s significant turnover in communications this year.) That’s why we’re sharing our step-by-step recommendations for what to do next.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District MarketingNiki JuhaszJune 7, 2024nonprofit hiring, how to hire a communications director, what to do when your communications director quits, interim communications director, hiring for communications jobs, communications interview best practices

Where to post PR job openings

Where to post PR job openings

One of the questions I get asked frequently is “where should I post my open communication and PR role?”

So I sat down and made a round-up list of some of our favorites.

Plus, we’ve included other paid and free options that we’ve either a) heard good things about or b) our clients have had good first-hand success with.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District Marketing, Most PopularKatie Test DavisMay 14, 2024Job boards for communications, best places to post communications job, where to post marketing job, nonprofit job boards, PR job boards, posting nonprofit jobs, nonprofit communications jobs, best nonprofit job boards

Our fave job interview questions for communicators

Our fave job interview questions for communicators

Whoof, it's a busy hiring market for communications and public relations peeps right now.

If you're seeing turnover in your communications department, you're not alone. I'm getting calls left and right asking if we serve as interim communications director.

I'm also getting asked for advice on how to handle departures, including what interview questions to ask candidates for communications roles. We’re sharing our recommended interview questions to help you through the process here!

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, School District MarketingKatie Test DavisFebruary 27, 2024interview questions for communicators, STAR interviewing, communications interviews, public relations interviews, interview questions

Convince your leadership to love comms

Convince your leadership to love comms

Too often, an organization’s communications team is buried several levels removed from the leadership team. We’ve seen it all: the comms teams nestled in Development, over in Policy, part of IT, or even reporting to Finance and HR. As someone who has been both a C-suite exec AND a comms director, I get it. Today, I’m using both these experiences to share how to build two-way trust when it comes to communication-centric tasks.

Nonprofit Communications, Hiring and People, Communications CampaignsKatie Test DavisFebruary 14, 20242023 reflections, building trust, communications team tips, working with executive team, questions communicators should ask, setting communications goals, communications metrics

Are you a comms team of 1?

Are you a comms team of 1?

Look, I get it. It’s absolutely not easy being a solo communications shop – you’re the one who writes the tweets AND dreams up the strategic communications plan. You’re over there photographing an event AND coordinating the reporter interviews. If you’re the only communicator in your organization, you deserve a round of applause. Today, I’m sharing four tips for solo communicators based on what we’ve learned through our work across more than 30+ one-person comms shops.

School District Marketing, Hiring and People, Nonprofit CommunicationsKatie Test DavisSeptember 20, 2023Solo communicators, one person communications team, one person communications shop, setting communications goals, metrics, mentorship

3 tips to end the school year strong

3 tips to end the school year strong

The weather is warming, the days are longer and summer break is so close you can practically taste it. (And we hope it tastes like tropical beverages by a beach, or iced tea on a porch with nothing but you, a good book and a view.) During this final stretch, we have a few tips to finish strong, maximize on the summer and build positivity with your community and team.

Writing and Messaging, Hiring and People, School District MarketingNiki JuhaszApril 20, 2023graduation speech, speech writing, writing for families, student enrollment, hiring teachers