Communications & Storytelling

THE OPED PROJECT

The OpEd Project works to increase the range of voices and quality of ideas in the world by empowering individuals who are often excluded in commentary forums. Emerson Collective will provide funding for the cost for a senior team member from your organization to attend a two-day workshop, either, Write to Change the World, or, Accelerating Change.

Write to Change the World explores the challenges that individuals face—especially women and people of color—when writing their op-eds and making their ideas heard. It explores ideas such as persuasion, target audiences, and telling your story. This course begins with heavy emphasis on introspection, exploring what it means to be an expert, and how to overcome the mental roadblocks that individuals face when attempting to write and publish. Participants emerge with concrete results, including the outline for an op-ed.

Accelerating Change, The OpEd Project’s advanced workshop, can be taken by those who have already taken the introductory Write to Change the World workshop. The workshop focuses on connecting people and ideas, across time, space, expertise, and identity—and on accelerating ideas by investing in the diversity of knowledge sets. This interactive workshop culminates in the entire group writing an op-ed together—an exercise in collaborative action. Participants emerge with tools to generate new ideas; tactics for being timely at any time; an outline for a draft op-ed; and a global network of diverse peers.

Because of the content covered in these courses, we recommend the team member who attends is:

• Senior in the organization—executive director, senior communications, or senior staff

• Likely to write (or co-write) an op-ed in the next 12 months

FUNDING

Emerson Collective will provide funding for one (1) workshop taking place in 2025, up to $450. We recommend beginning with the Write to Change the World course, which is The OpEd Project’s core workshop and a prerequisite for the advanced course, Accelerating Change.

If you have already taken Write to Change the World, you are welcome to sign up for Accelerating Change, which is available several times a year. Please note, The OpEd Project is in all-virtual format.

NEXT STEPS

1. Sign up for one (1) workshop (either Write to Change the World, or, Accelerating Change). The OpEd Project offers varying durations for these workshops. You may choose to attend whichever workshop works for you, however, you will be responsible for the incremental difference above $450. The course must take place in 2025.

2. Pay for the course using your organization’s funds. Grants are directed to the organization, not an individual, so please manage accordingly.

3. Please click here to submit for funding.
   
   
   
   

THE GOODMAN CENTER

The Goodman Center was launched in 1998 with a mission to help good causes reach more people with more impact. The founder, Andy Goodman, has worked with hundreds of nonprofits on their communications strategies, written several books, such as “Storytelling as Best Practice” and “Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes”, and has designed communications curricula for the College for Social Innovation in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as for the African Leadership University in Mauritius.

The Goodman Center provides several online courses available to the public, including:

• Storytelling trainings, which focus on how to use stories to advance mission

• Presentation trainings, which focus on how to create effective presentation structures and PowerPoint slides

• Strategic Communications trainings, which focus on core framing and message content and delivery

• Fast Pitch trainings, which focus on how to make a pitch when you have only a few minutes with a stakeholder

FUNDING

Emerson Collective will provide funding for one (1) virtual public training course fee (for one person) taking place in 2025. We do not provide funding for individual consultative or coaching work, or for customized trainings for your organization.

NEXT STEPS

1. Sign up for one (1) online training course (for one person) on the topic of your choice. The course must take place in 2025. We do not provide funding for customized workshops, or for individual consultative work or coaching.

2. Pay for the course using your organization’s funds. Grants are directed to the organization, not an individual, so please manage accordingly.

3. Please click here to submit for funding.