Upon launch, we had a site that put the mission of March of Dimes at the forefront. The platform is engaging, user-friendly, and collects several of their previous sites under one domain.

Zero to Three works to ensure all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. Their annual report, the State of Babies Yearbook frames rigorous research, unbiased analyses, and clear communications to influence decision-makers positioned to improve public policies and interventions in support of children and families. Learn more at thinkbabies.org.

Design of Zero to Three’s print Yearbook report needs to convey the report’s findings in a clear, engaging presentation that complements the report’s online presentation. For the second year in a row, Forum One developed a brand-aligned design that was both easy to read and inviting, creating a useful tool for Zero to Three’s advocacy at any stage.

By working closely with the organization, Forum One understood the goals and audience of the report, and designed approachable graphics, data tables, and visuals to lead readers through the 157-page report with clarity and focus.

To complement the yearbook’s interactive web platform, where users can filter and dig through national and state data, Forum One worked with the Zero to Three team to design a downloadable PDF version for audiences to hone in on key findings, takeaways, and messaging.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a federal agency that helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives. 

The CFPB must communicate many different messages to diverse audiences using a wide range of channels. The challenge is ensuring consistency in voice and clarity in meaning while maintaining legal accuracy, adherence to plain language standards, and best web writing practices. Outdated web content, errors with Spanish translations, and a need for a heightened strategy for email engagement were top targets for improvement.

Forum One’s editorial support team provides in-depth, fully embedded support for the CFPB’s digital content. We work in close partnership with the Office of Public Affairs to provide recommendations on how to communicate complex financial topics in engaging and accessible ways.

A strategic approach to content creation

Forum One helps manage the CFPB’s email marketing and social media platforms in order to reach the CFPB’s priority audiences, such as servicemembers, older Americans, college students, the economically vulnerable, and more. We’ve been heavily involved in creating email boot camps on topics such as getting out of debt, buying a house, and how parents can teach their children about finances. Our team creates and schedules most of the CFPB’s social media posts for the English and Spanish accounts and the director’s accounts. This involves drafting posts, clearing them through the proper review channels, and then scheduling them in Sprinklr. We also manage the daily inbound social media responses—categorizing and flagging posts, and drafting replies to consumers’ questions and concerns. We ensure that all blog posts and web pages are updated for plain language standards and SEO best practices. We also provide support to the Office of Public Affairs by drafting press releases and talking points for the director. 

Reaching Spanish-speaking audiences

Forum One oversees the development of information for Spanish-speaking people with limited English proficiency. It is important for CFPB’s Spanish-speaking audiences to have easy-to-find, accurate, and unbiased financial information online that is of the same depth and quality as that provided for English-speaking audiences. The Forum One team provides original, targeted and measurably effective content for Spanish-speaking consumers. We were also instrumental in the creation of a financial glossary of terms, now up to 1,200 entries and counting, to help government agencies use consistent language when educating Spanish-speaking consumers about finances. 

A better repository of financial information

With the goal of increasing traffic to the Bureau’s Ask CFPB content, we are strategically updating targeted pages for better SEO. We are rewriting the content to better align with top search queries and adding keywords, headings, alt text, links, and other important features to increase SEO. 

Ask CFPB attracts 6.9 million visitors a year and 47.8 million visitors have used this resource since it launched. We serve as the editorial specialists on an ongoing project to keep the content in the Ask CFPB repository accurate, fresh, and authoritative to help consumers make informed financial decisions. In just the first phase, we made comprehensive edits to 82 Ask CFPB pages, including plain language review, content strategy revisions that included combining and restructuring content, and incorporating feedback from various levels of review and clearance. We coordinated with subject-matter experts, CFPB’s legal and regulatory teams, and more, to revise this content. We also provided Spanish translations of all of the updated pages, including Spanish-specific SEO reviews and metadata.

The impact of our work

We are trusted, crucial members of the team. The CFPB relies on Forum One to fill critical gaps and deliver quality content and strategic insights. 

The 2022 Seat the Table program examined “The Triumphs and Challenges of Black Education.” The sold-out event brought audiences from across the country to a uniquely-branded virtual experience to share a meal and create connections over dialogue—yes, we actually sent meals to all attendees via local caterers the day of the event!

A Seat at the Table is a signature NMAAHC program that critically examines social justice issues that impact the African American community. Participants observe a conversation on a select topic amongst an expert panel. After the conversation, diners engage in an interactive activity to consider challenging questions about race, identity, and economic justice over a meal. Through this program, participants can make new connections, exchange resources, and return to bond over the next meal. Most importantly, participants state how they will apply insights gained from having a seat at the table to their own lives.

The event platform presented an exciting and unique branded experience. Attendees were assigned to a table, as visualized by the group of tables in the image above, where they experienced the event for the evening. The platform allowed tables to converse throughout the program without being heard by other tables or by people on the stage. Attendees commented how this was nearly like being in person at an event and made their experience more personal and collaborative.

A Brand Story That Started Before the Event Began

As participants joined the event, they were welcomed with this narrative video with the words of Langston Hughes in his poem “I, too.” The event name, A Seat at the Table, is inspired by Hughes’s words in this poem.

When it was time for the program to begin, participants were introduced to the evening’s program—including a countdown for them to get settled and seated.

To inspire and set the tone for keynote speakers, participants were led through speaker introduction videos, which included contextual quotes and deeper details about each speaker.

To allow participants to pause and reflect on panelist discussions before diving into their group conversations, participants were able to view a reflection video to spark ideas and questions.

A Compelling Marketing and Promotion Strategy

An essential part of the brand and narrative of the event, the program required a compelling brand experience at the marketing and promotion stage. For this, Forum One created eye-catching, engaging social media and advertising assets.

Forum One partnered with NMAAHC staff to develop and execute the run-of-show. Within the platform during the event, our team cued videos and stage visuals, managed event-wide background music, and helped provide attendee support during the event.

Understanding the Landscape of Jazz

We gathered input from a wide variety of audiences around the United States to determine their awareness of the museum, attitudes toward jazz, and overall concepts associated with the genre. People from all the 18th and Vine community and the country responded to our survey. We learned that people connect with jazz music because it gives them a feeling of excitement and vibrancy and brings to mind the specific history of the 18th and Vine neighborhood. This is the foundation of the brand and we wanted to imbue that into all of the elements of the new visual system.

The feedback I’ve recieved so far is overwhelming—in the best way possible. [Our President] had to turn her camera off for a moment during the presentation because she got a little emotional. We’ve all been working so hard through the pandemic to reposition the American jazz Museum for success, and seeing these visuals today was so rewarding and I cannot begin to explain what a huge boost it was for our team.

Lisa Alpert, Director Of External Affairs and Communications, American Jazz Museum

Advocating for the environment: the Offshore Drilling Position Tracking Tool

Forum One worked with NRDC to create the Offshore Drilling Position Tracking Tool to help people easily find their elected representatives’ positions on offshore drilling and instantly take action to contact them and advocate for the environment. The tool’s emphasis on ease of use, clear calls-to-action, and effective messaging gives NRDC an active and engaging platform to drive tangible action and quickly respond to current legislation and issues.

Our team designed the site to encourage quick action with a clear user experience and streamlined mobile-friendly design. Users can search for their representatives by name or location, and filter by state, party, branch of government, and position. Each senator and member of Congress has an individual card showing their position on offshore drilling, direct links to share via Twitter and Facebook, and direct links to call their office to thank them for their support or urge them to change and act, including suggested advocacy scripts. 

We also designed and developed a new calculator tool for NRDC to help policymakers, regulators, developers, and the public calculate how much it costs to build power plants in their states and compare the cost to other sources of generating electricity, now and based on assumptions they can manipulate to plan for the future. We developed the tool as a React app embedded in NRDC’s existing Drupal website, allowing NRDC content managers to easily update the inputs when new data are released without requiring a developer.

Planning for long-term success

Forum One continues to work with NRDC to modernize its digital presence through governance planning, user research, and technical development. These efforts include developing strategies that speak to a growing younger audience interested in deeper community action and engagement beyond traditional advocacy actions like signing petitions or donating. We are also supporting NRDC’s virtual event strategy as it evolves to address and adapt to pandemic challenges and market shifts in online fundraising and engagement.

Established in 1978, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation is dedicated to advancing the mission of Children’s Hospital Colorado through family-centered care and cutting-edge research and treatment. The goal of the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation is to care for and cure children through the provision of high-quality care, education, research, and advocacy.

The Foundation had to strengthen their online storytelling with content closely aligned with their in-person experience to be positioned as the charity of choice in the Denver area. The organization needed to rethink its digital ecosystem from the ground up and optimize how they are attracting, engaging and growing their target audiences, including donors and supporters.

Building a strategy to show value

To build a base for our work and ensure the Foundation’s overarching goals are met, the Forum One team spoke with current and potential donors, as well as other stakeholders, to fully understand the needs and behaviors of the people at the heart of the Foundation’s digital strategy. We conducted a comprehensive landscape analysis and full audits of their technical ecosystem, communications, and analytics. Once we had a good sense of our starting point, we conducted workshops to clarify our understanding of the target audience and determine the goals and priorities for the Foundation’s new digital strategy.

Stakeholders across the Foundation now have a shared understanding of the value of digital philanthropy as a critical program. At the executive level, the digital ecosystem and corresponding marketing efforts are seen as an investment in revenue and growth, rather than an expense. Foundation team members are working together cross-functionally to develop marketing and technology solutions to engage with supporters online and enhance revenue.

Katelyn McArdle, Digital Strategy Manager, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation