Services

Media Outreach

If you have ideas that merit greater public attention, CommunicationWorks can help shape and present your story, develop media events, and get headlines. We have helped our clients gain prominent placements in every major print and broadcast outlet in the country.

In a given year, we coordinated more than 40 national and regional news events – including a National Education Summit that drew 113 million impressions – and numerous report releases addressing national and state policy challenges across all 50 states. Because we conduct such a high volume of media work, reporters regularly come to us for future story ideas, new angles, and support to provide more comprehensive, accurate, and thoughtful coverage.

Our signature activities have included managing media and communications for the past three National Education Summits that brought federal officials, the nation’s governors, and education and business leaders together to plot the future of education in the United States. The firm has released scores of studies on education policy over the past 15 years, including analyses of the effect and implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind law, new directions for federal policy, the rigor of state and national standards, quality of teacher education, need for greater equity, college access and affordability, the status of youth health and sex education, and teacher supply. The firm also has released scores of reports on national education progress, including 19 studies for The Nation’s Report Card and every edition of Quality Counts from 1996 through 2010.

Strategic Communications and Organizational Development

As organizations grow and change, they often need to appeal to new audiences and address new circumstances. CommunicationWorks has developed award-winning strategies to launch new organizations and reposition well-established institutions.  We create and execute comprehensive strategies to help clients address emerging needs in their fields and take advantage of new opportunities, and develop messages, message vehicles, strategic partnerships, policy and research agendas, and effective media, marketing, and outreach strategies to make their agendas national priorities.

CW also helps clients think through long-term planning and staffing needs, establish national advisory boards, and develop their business plans and fundraising strategies.

Policy Counsel

To have the most meaningful impact, good ideas must be shared. CommunicationWorks helps clients translate ideas into quality policy agendas to be shared with key policymakers and influencers at the local, state and federal levels. Using our strong knowledge of public policy and longstanding relationships with key thought leaders, CW guides clients to strategic influencers at strategic moments to help generate public and political will for change.

Writing and Design

CommunicationWorks specializes in transforming complex ideas and detailed research into published reports, newsletters, articles, case statements, action agendas, commentaries, and op-eds. Whether you need a book, policy brief, capabilities brochure, how-to series, or toolkit, our staff helps you present the right message to the right audiences in an effective, engaging format.

Campaigns

CommunicationWorks has planned and executed major campaigns that have helped states raise academic standards and graduation requirements, contain college costs, and recruit teachers, and have helped cities support the needs of young people and ameliorate dropout problems. The firm coordinates partnerships; leverages research, social networking and social marketing strategies;  manages media outreach; shapes grassroots activities; develops public-service advertising; and provides technical assistance and training. 

Multimedia/Social Media

CommunicationWorks helps corporations, foundations and organizations develop and produce video and electronic media tools to convey their messages. Our staff and consultants have produced numerous television shows, videos, public service announcements, teleconferences, and websites to meet clients' objectives. In addition, CW has taken advantage of social media networks to create engagement with and exposure for clients' work. We have created and implemented comprehensive internet and social media strategies that have successfully amplified the impact and reach of our clients' projects.

Research

Clients regularly call on us to benchmark best practices in social media and public affairs or to examine emerging trends in education and social policy areas. No issue is too big or small. How do prominent institutions reinvent themselves and their fields? Which state, national, and local social marketing efforts are most effective and why? What is the impact of new legislation or a natural disaster on your region or community? If you’ve got a topic you’d like to know more about, we’ve got the team to find out what you need to know. This work has also included conducting and releasing attitudinal research through focus groups and public opinion surveys, in collaboration with some of the nation's leading polling and research firms.

Media and Advocacy Training

CommunicationWorks has trained national education leaders, their staffs, and their members to work with the media, organize outreach campaigns, handle the opposition, speak with authority, and play a leadership role as advocates for change.

Marketing Support and Advertising

CommunicationWorks helps clients understand their audiences and refine their ideas, messages, and services. We help clients find their place in the market and develop strategies to take advantage of opportunities to expand their work and influence. We have broad experience in developing and marketing education products, services, and innovations for homes, schools, institutions, and communities. Our creative team has developed marketing materials, paid advertising, and advertorials to advance clients’ agendas, promote new products, and advocate for better policies and practices in the field.

Events

CommunicationWorks helps organizations amplify their image by arranging events — large or small — from initial concept to preparation of meeting materials, coordination of logistics, and on-site management. Events have included celebrations of institutional milestones, policy forums and symposia, teach-ins, informational briefings on key issues of the day, and major national summits.