Media Tools
Do you need help writing a press release, focusing your organization's message, or connecting to other media resources? Here is where you can find the information you need to build and execute a successful media strategy.

• Communications Strategies
• Messaging & Framing
• Marketing Models
• News Outlets
• Media Trainings
• Blogs
• Communication Resources

Communications Strategies

The SPIN Project provides strategic communications consulting, training, coaching, networking opportunities, and concrete tools to strengthen nonprofit, social justice organizations that want to be heard in today's crowded media environment. Click here to learn how to write a press release. (En español)

University of California, Los Angeles Center for Communications and Community (C3) is a journalism, research, and training institution working at the intersection of communications, race and community transformation. The Center works to build the capacity of community-based organizations to integrate communications concerns into their on-going policy activities; and to encourage and foster stronger relationships between journalists and community-based organizations. Click here for more information on how to write a press release.

Progressive Media Project solicits, edits, and distributes commentary (or "op-ed") pieces to daily newspapers in the United States on a full range of domestic issues, as well as on issues of foreign policy, peace, and international cooperation.

The Communications Leadership Online Resource Center offers all nonprofit leaders information about other tools and training opportunities that can help bolster their communications savvy and make their organization’s communications efforts more effective.

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Messaging & Framing

The Frameworks Institute works to advance the nonprofit sector's communications capacity by identifying, translating and modeling relevant scholarly research for framing the public discourse about social problems. FrameWorks designs, commissions, manages and publishes communications research to prepare nonprofit organizations to expand their constituency base, to build public will, and to further public understanding of specific social issues. FrameWorks also critiques, designs, conducts and evaluates communications campaigns on social issues.

The Opportunity Agenda is a communications, research, and advocacy organization dedicated to building the national will to expand opportunity in America. Click here for more messaging and framing tools.

The SPIN Project provides strategic communications consulting, training, coaching, networking opportunities, and concrete tools to strengthen nonprofit, social justice organizations that want to be heard in today's crowded media environment. Click here to learn how to create your message and frame your issue. (En español)

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Marketing Models

Cause Communications was created to help nonprofit organizations cut through the communications clutter by using the same marketing tools Fortune 500 companies use to raise market share and revenues. By applying the marketing models used by top corporations, Cause Communications gives nonprofits an important competitive edge that helps them in their work.

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News Outlets

New America Media (formerly known as Pacific News Service) provides an independent source of news on domestic and national issues, bringing these issues into the mainstream debate, and bringing the voices of marginalized, under-represented and misrepresented stories to the forefront. NAM is an ethnic media outlet, which also focuses on issues affecting youth.

Click here for specific media contacts by Region.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire.htm

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Media Trainings

Third World Majority is a new media training and production resource center run by a collective of young women of color and their allies dedicated to developing new media practices that affect global justice and social change through grassroots political organizing. TWM supports organizing for social change and global justice in real, representational and virtual worlds where communities of color are centered in the production, distribution and educational processes.

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Blogs

http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog/?author=43&profile
http://www.arc.org/content/blogcategory/41/100/

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Communication Resources

Communications Network is a non-profit membership organization that provides the philanthropic community with leadership, guidance, and resources in order to promote strategic communications as an integral part of effective philanthropy.

ContentBank is an online resource for community-based organizations and the individuals they serve to identify, develop and bring to the attention of the general public, online content for low-income and underserved Americans.

Global Ideas Bank promotes and disseminates good creative ideas to improve society and encourages the public to generate these ideas and participate in the problem-solving process. The Global Ideas Bank is part-suggestion box, part-ideas network and part-democratic think-tank.

Inequality.org is a nonprofit online resource that illuminates the causes and multidimensional consequences of the growing inequality of wealth, income, power and opportunity in America, and brings this critical national problem to the front burner of American politics and public discourse by publishing articles and providing facts on wealth, income, power and opportunity.

Moving Ideas Network is dedicated to explaining and popularizing complex policy ideas to a broader audience. The Network's goal is to improve collaboration and dialogue between policy and grassroots organizations, and to promote their work to journalists and legislators. Moving Ideas posts the best ideas and resources from leading progressive research and advocacy institutions, as well as promotes high-quality websites and publishes original content.

Pew Center for People and the Press is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. The Center conducts regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes. The Center serves as a forum for ideas on the media and public policy through public opinion research. It is an important information resource for political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. All of its most current survey results are available free of charge.

PolicyLink is a national nonprofit research, communications, capacity building, and advocacy organization working to advance a new generation of policies to achieve economic and social equity.

Progressive Media Project solicits, edits, and distributes commentary (or "op-ed") pieces to daily newspapers in the United States on a full range of domestic issues, as well as on issues of foreign policy, peace, and international cooperation.

Community Media Organizing Project provides media training to integrate media relations and news coverage into strategies of several community-based groups.

Common Sense Media is building a national network of media-literate families who can effectively advocate for family-friendly media policy.

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