Blog

*Cartoon by Joel Pett
One of my favorite cartoons appeared in USA Today before the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009. It shows a presenter on stage listing the benefits of a carbon-free future – green jobs, livable cities, clean air – and a man interjecting from the crowd: “What if it’s a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?”

Public polling is about numbers, but when communicated thoughtfully, can tell a powerful story. Nonprofits should consider polling a tool in their communications toolbox – whether you commission a poll yourself or leverage polling data reported in the news.

Using polling data effectively can generate media attention, enhance your social media presence, provide a statistical foundation for personal anecdotes, and show strong public support for your cause.

Denterlein, an independent Boston public relations agency offering senior expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive communications strategies, has added Anusha Cicchetti as Account Director and Miles Grant as Vice President.

Last year, the Denterlein team deepened our longstanding partnership with Kelley Chunn and she joined our team as a Senior Advisor (while maintaining her independent communications consulting practice as well).  In celebration of our partnership, Denterlein made a contribution to the Roxbury Cultural District.  Kelley is the current vice-president of its board and was instrumental in earning the Cultural District designation for the corridor, which includes both Nubian and  John Eliot Square.  In the spirit of Juneteenth’s celebration of Black community, freedom, culture and history, we asked Kelley to share her thoughts on the importance of this designation. 

Global Pride Month is well underway and organizations — long-term and recent LGBTQIA+ supporters — are going rainbow everything to show their allyship for a community that has come a long way with marriage equality being the law of the land and some consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections in place. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the media landscape in more ways than one. News about the virus and its societal impacts first took place in the publishing lineup. Beat reporters that usually focus on other areas have been pulled away to cover testing site deployment and vaccine rollout.

The day in March 2020 that changed everything is not an anniversary one celebrates. But gather we did, virtually, as a firm to share our perspectives about who we were before COVID-19 and who we are now.

A week ago, I participated in a panel discussion titled “When Independent Schools Must Atone for Past Sins.” The topic reflected on an increasingly common challenge for many orgs and businesses – what to do when asked to be accountable for past behaviors in light of current standards.

With all the restrictions on in-person gathering imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations of all kinds—businesses, non-profits, professional associations, schools and colleges—recognize how critical it is to make sure they have a compelling and engaging presence on social media to supplement what would have been in-person networking or fundraising events.

In recent weeks, our attention has been riveted on national politics and on the presidential campaign.