While a beta release refers to the rollout of an early, mostly untested version of software, the beta phase (and the iterative form of software development in general) is an excellent way to pretest communications projects, too.
 
Software development usually proceeds from a pre-alpha phase (where R&D is completed), to an alpha phase, (where core functionality is built), to a beta phase, and finally to release.
 
That beta phase is so crucial because it puts the software—usually ugly and incomplete—out into the world. Chosen users can then play with it and provide the targeted feedback so necessary to completing and releasing the work.
 
Communications projects (reports, technical manuals, strategic plans) follow a somewhat similar route. First, there is the research and development; then, the outlining, drafting, and collating; finally, execution and testing.
 
But a beta release is rarely figured into this execution—and it definitely should be.
 
While most of us pay close attention to after-the-fact metrics, a beta release tests whether content is functional in a way that meets readers’ needs before delivery. Communicators can use the release to gain on-the-ground feedback and integrate it into a project ahead of publication.
 
To make the most of this opportunity, make recruiting beta readers (using a generic application like Google Forms to help identify members of your target audience) a part of R&D. Later, when the project is almost complete (but still malleable!) push it to beta readers with another form soliciting the feedback required. Common questions include responses to SME material or to calls to action.
 
For any client-facing project with a long development phase, a beta release creates a space in which meaningful info can be gathering and used. It’s a bit of a time investment, but the payoff makes it absolutely worthwhile.

As anyone in the third sector knows, the 2016 election dramatically altered the landscape in which nonprofits operate. For some, these changes may even pose an existential danger.
 
So, what’s a nonprofit to do? How does an organization strategize in the face of an uncertain future?
 
This isn’t a hypothetical question for some of our clients, who are faced with the necessity of significantly expanding their pool of potential donors and partners. And for faith-based organizations (which face both shrinking government funding and shrinking congregations), connecting with a larger (secular) audience poses unique challenges.
 
Those challenges (and their solutions) provide useful insight for any mission-driven organization.
 
We talked about the challenges of communicating in an uncertain environment with one of our recent clients, Cheryl Behrent, director of Sarah’s… an Oasis for Women. Sarah’s is a Saint Paul-based nonprofit program that provides housing and crucial services for women who have experienced severe violence and trauma. Because it offers a safety net for women who don’t have access to any other resources, Sarah’s works primarily with immigrants, whose position in the United States is increasingly tenuous. And like many other nonprofits, Sarah’s faces an ever-increasing demand for the services.
 
What does the uncertainty of the current landscape mean for Sarah’s message?
 
Cheryl says that flexibility is key. Sarah’s was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St Paul Province (CSJ). The CSJs and their ministries foundation provide approximately 50% of Sarah’s funding. The other 50% comes from individual donors and grants from private foundations.
 
“When I’m in a church setting or faith-based community, the emphasis is that we’re a ministry—people are naturally interested to hear about the history of the Sisters, and our connection to the Province,” she notes.
 
But as Cheryl points out, it’s important to be able to adopt other frames of reference, depending on the audience. She says, “The CSJs value interfaith connections,” so Sarah’s has always given priority to reaching beyond its primary stakeholders and creating broad connections.
 
That means being adept at considering a wide range of ways that people might find to connect with an organization. For example, Cheryl often prefers to start talks with a Q and A, to understand what her audience’s interests are.
 
This kind of flexibility is predicated on having a solid foundation of clearly defined values and a clearly articulated mission. That foundation gives an organization the ability to adapt its mission statement into an audience-focused positioning statement—that is, a statement that describes why an organization is uniquely qualified to accomplish a goal that a specific audience cares about.
 
That sort of attention to audience is something that’s easy to overlook for nonprofit organizations that are (rightly) focused on accomplishing their core mission. But, as Cheryl recognizes, it’s a key example of the kind of nimble thinking that’s required of nonprofits now more than ever.

Are you a human? Then you are probably sometimes in the position of presenting your ideas to other humans in a manner that you hope is convincing. Maybe you regularly give presentations at work. Maybe it’s the occasional board or PTO meeting. Maybe you’re in charge of the family reunion slideshow. Or maybe you just need ammunition to convince your spouse to watch the show you want to watch.
 
Whatever the case, you want your presentation to be good. Because as we all know from bitter experience, little compares to an awful presentation.
 
Luckily, you don’t have to be a designer to create a truly engaging presentation. If your budget doesn’t allow you to hire a professional, you can find free tools that make your presentation a pleasure to behold. One tool we like is Prezi. Here’s why:

​We like Prezi, but we like Zoho Show and Visme and Oomfo, too. How do you overthrow slide deck standards? And what tools do you use?

Kudos if your practical streak compelled you to continue reading past that headline. The fact is, when you think of a template, you’re probably not moved to soaring flights of spiritual inspiration.
 
But maybe you should be. After all, the word template has its etymological roots in temple, a consecrated place of worship. The closer relative templet came into usage in the 17th century, to refer specifically to part of the support structure of a building (holy or otherwise). And by the 19th century, that architectural usage had developed into the word template as we use it today: a pattern or gauge that provides a guide for the creation of something new.
 
If you ask us, it’s not crazy to think of a template as a sort of holy architecture for communications.
 
Every organization has routine communications to create, whether a simple blog post or complex client-facing correspondence. And too often, we waste time reinventing the wheel (and risk introducing errors or inconsistencies) when it’s time to get those communications out the door.
 
Not only are templates enormous time and money savers, they also ensure that your communications are visually and formally consistent, and anchored in your house style.
A template that provides the structure for visuals and content makes simple communications almost effortless. And even with more complex communications, such as strategic plans or project reports, working with a template frees up your brain—and your budget—to focus on your message.
 
Building a temple of templates: it’s often one of the first things we discuss when consulting with clients about how to streamline and improve their communications. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. When creating a blog post, a slide deck, or a project report, set your document design, determine your formatting styles, and block out space for visuals and captions. Then your save your work as a template.

Thanks to the good folks at VIDA, we now have nine years of hard data to demonstrate what’s been anecdotally obvious since the invention of the printing press: fewer women are published than men.
 
Women writers are underrepresented in virtually every segment of the publishing world, from magazines to newspapers to books. And their books get reviewed far less frequently and garner fewer accolades than men’s.
 
Of course, the causes—and implications—of these disparities are complex. They run as deep as any of our cultural wounds; and like it or not, we’re in an age when those wounds are laid bare in a new way.
 
There’s no easy path to parity, but there is increasing (if contentious) discussion about how to get there.
 
We started our publishing imprint, Double Shift Press, to join that dialogue.
 
At Double Shift Press, we aim to advance women’s voices in critical conversations about business and leadership, education and art, and politics and activism. This means that we not only publish the work of women authors, but we also help women conceive, write, design, and produce smart, thought-provoking work.
 
We still create and perfect business and nonprofit communications through Modern Writing Services. But now, through Double Shift Press, we partner with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, activists, and artists to turn their ideas, mind maps, and (sometimes endlessly worked-over) drafts into gripping narratives.
  
We can’t wait to share our authors’ stories with you!