Too often, we overlook the people who already know us, love us, and can help us accomplish our goals.
It takes an intentional plan to mobilize these champions. As always, we’ve got you.
We’ve included your step-by-step guide for activating your champions at every phase of your campaign below!
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.)
Read MoreYou’ve heard me say it a million times: at Forthright, data is queen .
Now in an ideal world, you’d have thousands to invest in focus groups, interviews and robust surveys to help you answer our question. But for most child and family focused nonprofits, that’s simply not possible.
The good news? You don’t need a five-figure budget to get high-quality feedback. You can move away from guesswork by using the experts you already know: your community.
Here are three ideas that won’t break the bank!
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.
Read MoreWe all have our favorite stats. (Okay, maybe not all of us. But at Forthright, we have our favorite stats. We’re nerds.) One of mine is about what it takes for people to REALLY remember your message. It’s called the Marketing Rule of Seven, and it’s pretty simple.
A person has to see or hear a message about seven times before it starts to resonate. Add to this number (say… 14 times) if your topic is particularly tricky, such as infant mental health or adolescent brain development.
Today, we’re including tips to make sharing that same, powerful message easy.
Read MorePress releases are still a fast and easy way to get your news out to lots of media outlets at once.
They're perfect for announcing simple, factual news, especially when you're short on time and can't send individual pitches.
Here are a few tips and tricks to create an effective press release in 2025 (no fax machine needed):
Read MoreIt’s a familiar feeling. You know the one…
“OOPS! We completely forgot. It’s time to do that project again.”
It sounds like…
“Oops – we totally forgot to start on the Annual Report and now we need to run a sprint to meet the big donor meeting deadline.”
“Oops – we forgot to do our yearly update of the website, and now an important policy partner is reviewing last year’s outdated information.”
It’s the WORST! I hate it when an annual project that you KNOW (gosh darn it!) happens every year sneaks up on you, and you’re left scrambling to get it done.
So let’s make a pact – eh? This year will be the last year that projects sneak up on you from behind and spook you into action. Here’s how to prevent the dreaded scramble.
Read MoreSo you’re going to host an event. And…you think it’d be great if local reporters were there.
Time for a media advisory!
Media advisories are essentially a heads-up to journalists about an upcoming event, such as a media briefing or a conference presentation. (Not to be confused with a press release – media alerts are much more basic.)
Today, we’ll break down when to use them, share some tips and even show you a (Harry Potter-themed) sample…
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.
Read MoreIt’s finally – FINALLY starting to warm up. (Your girl is not meant for the winter.) That means some days, I’ll take a lunch run to enjoy the sunshine.
I was on one of these runs last week, bored and thinking about needing to mix up my exercise routine. And then I passed a lawn sign. It simply said:
Free Outdoor Workout Classes
And then included a QR code.
While I’ve been a TAD dramatic saying it changed my life, this is brilliant marketing.
Here’s why:
Data shows that a little happy goes a long way, from building stronger teams to reducing negative feelings overall. Today, we’re sharing how we share the happy at Forthright, along with research-backed tips for how you can share the happy within your own organization!
Read MoreYou worked so hard on that campaign. It’s so, so close to finished…and then someone comes in and blows it all up. 💥
We’ve all been there. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You CAN have smooth processes and easy review rounds. We promise a brighter future exists.
Today, we’re sharing three tips – tactics we use with our own clients – to make sure your projects have a clear process and a clean launch.
How do we do it? Let’s dive into our special sauce.
Making your content accessible to people with hearing or visual impairments has never been easier, especially if you think about accessibility at the beginning of a project. Here are four things to start doing today! Bonus: they don’t cost you a penny.
Read MoreMany 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.
We’re a few days into 2025, and the news…well, it’s already news-ing. And if I had to guess, you need an easy way to keep up with all of it!
That’s why we’re sharing our recommendations for the best media monitoring tools to use, along with a step-by-step guide for getting started.
Read MoreAs child and family advocates, I understand what we’re up against in 2025 (and beyond) and… I’m feeling energized.
The challenges ahead of us are communications challenges, and at Forthright, we’re poised to meet the moment.
Here’s what I see as the work ahead:
Read MoreParents and caregivers need our help.
I’ve led work that supports parents and caregivers for two decades.
I’ve also been a parent for nearly 13 years.
And over time, I’ve noticed a growing trend. Parents and caregivers are overworked, overstressed and overwhelmed – and it’s impacting their health.
As communicators and leaders, there are three easy guidelines you can follow to ensure your messages break through the noise to reach this overwhelmed (but critical!) audience.
Read MoreSo 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.
Read MoreAre you finding yourself more easily distracted since the election? Feeling a tad foggier? Not retaining much information? Perhaps a tad more irritable?
Check, check, check and check on my end.
If you’re distracted, and we’re distracted, then your audiences are ALSO distracted.
Yet, if you’re like a few of our clients, the work can’t stop now. If you have urgent information to release, or outreach to do, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
Here are three communications best practices from our teammates that are more important than EVER as we communicate during times of upheaval, uncertainty and crisis.
Read MoreJust Google it. I’ll send you the link. Sign up online.
These days, we assume everyone has internet access at home. But here’s the thing. That’s still not the case. 2024 Pew Research Center data tells us about a fifth of homes in America still don’t have broadband access.
We’re including tips to reach these families – while celebrating your district – below.
Read More
