Communications
Capacity-Building Program
A complimentary communications resource for Walton Family Foundation grantees in Northwest Arkansas. Developed to provide relevant, capacity-building support for grantees’ communications opportunities and challenges.
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Join Our Group Video Calls
Crisis Communications 101: Tips and Best Practices for Navigating a Crisis
March 12, 2025 • 11 AM CST
Led by Kristen Nicholson
A crisis can happen at a moment’s notice. Having a crisis communications playbook is a valuable tool to help your organization navigate the challenges of any crisis situation. During this webinar, you will learn about different crisis scenarios, and discuss key components of a crisis communications playbook, including developing your crisis communications team, tips and best practices for communicating to key stakeholders, how to handle media and avoiding common crisis communications pitfalls.
Kristen Nicholson, APR, is the Vice President of Strategic Communications and a shareholder at mhp.si. She is a national-award-winning and accredited communications professional with more than 15 years of experience in strategic public relations planning, crisis communications and implementation.
She has been recognized nationally by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and PR Daily News for her crisis communications work in the long term care industry and is a sought after crisis communications speaker
Making News Between the Headlines: How to Get Press When There’s No Breaking Story
April 16, 2025 • 11 AM CST
Led by Jennifer Joyner
Your organization will have press release-worthy moments—major donations, new programs, facility openings, leadership changes—but how do you stay in the media conversation when there’s no big announcement on the horizon?
Jennifer Joyner, senior public relations account executive at mhp.si, will share proven strategies to help you build press relationships, position your organization as a trusted voice, and secure media coverage—even without breaking news.
Topics Include:
• The Art of the Pitch – Frame your stories in ways that resonate with journalists and meet their editorial needs.
• Editorial Calendar Strategies – Time op-eds and trend story pitches to fit media outlets’ planned coverage.
• Thought Leadership & Positioning – Build credibility as a trusted expert and key voice in your field.
• Creating Publicity-Worthy Moments – Develop events, photo ops, and initiatives designed to attract media interest.
Earned media is a powerful tool for building credibility and awareness. Don’t wait for the next big story—learn how to create press opportunities year-round.
Jennifer Joyner is a senior public relations account executive with mhp.si. She has worked on national award-winning PR projects and specializes in assisting clients across diverse industries to reach their communication objectives and elevate their public image. Prior to agency work, Jennifer honed her skills in nonprofit event management and journalism, including at the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. She earned her bachelor’s degree in print journalism and French from the University of Arkansas.
Message Framing, Focus, and Discipline for Nonprofits
May 14, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. CT
Led by Julie C. Robbins
Nonprofits do important work—but if your message isn’t clear, consistent, and compelling, it’s easy to get overlooked. Whether you’re trying to reach donors, engage your community, or speak to the media, staying on message is key to building trust and driving action.
This webinar is all about helping nonprofit teams communicate with purpose. We’ll cover how to frame your message so it connects, how to build talking points that reinforce your mission, and how to stay on track—even when conversations go sideways. You’ll learn how to get everyone on your team speaking the same language, avoid the common traps that dilute your message, and show up with confidence no matter who’s listening.
Your organization has a story to tell. This session will help you tell it better.
Julie C. Robbins is a vice president of client services and shareholder at mhp.si with nearly 30 years’ experience in the marketing communications sector. She is a nationally award-winning agency executive and team leader and heads up the agency’s MAPS™ strategic planning discipline, enabling clients and agency teams to collaborate and develop long-range integrated marketing and messaging plans. She manages clients’ budgets and account teams, initiates research and discovery, facilitates strategic planning, crafts actionable marketing plans and oversees the implementation of marketing tactics for client projects.
Program Resources
- PDF: Refining Your Messaging Presentation
- PDF: Strategic Public Relations Presentation
- Video: Strategic Public Relations Video
- PDF: Social Media Strategy Presentation
- Video: Social Media Strategy Video
- Video: The Importance of Executive Visibility
- PDF: The Importance of Executive Visibility
- PDF: Strategic Use of AI
- Video: Strategic Use of AI
- PDF: CRM & Email Mastery for Nonprofits
- Video: CRM & Email Mastery for Nonprofits
- PDF: CRM & Email Resources Handout
- PDF: Social Media Advertising Strategy & Best Practices
- Video: Social Media Advertising Strategy & Best Practices
- PDF: Organic Search and Generative AI: What Does It Mean For Your Website?
- Video: Organic Search and Generative AI: What Does It Mean For Your Website?
- PDF: Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources
- Video: Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources
One of the mhp.si team members will reach out within 2 business days to schedule a time that works for you.
Questions or Concerns?
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