LightBox Collaborative

The countdown is on—we’re now less than 100 days away from the U.S. presidential election. We developed this quick guide—and accompanying checklist—to ensure you’re prepared for any outcome. Taking these proactive steps now allows us to remain grounded in our values and boldly advance our visions, regardless of what happens. Let’s get started. 🔗 Link to the blog post in the comments.

🚨 Cool job alert 🚨 Housing California is hiring a Narrative & Strategic Communications Director. They're looking for a highly collaborative leader who would be energized by the opportunity to provide strategic leadership and day-to-day oversight and management of their strategic communications and narrative change program. Full-time, California (remote + travel) Salary: $110,000 - $140,000 Full details on the position and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/guvh3dry

Today we're highlighting the work of our friends over at Design Action Collective, a worker-owned cooperative serving social justice movements. Their diverse, multilingual team excels in logos, branding, campaign graphics, infographics, report design, video production, and web design. Rooted in the communities they serve, Design Action Collective is committed to creating opportunities for historically excluded groups. And they're great at customizing projects to fit various needs and budgets. Interested? Reach out to Sabiha at sabiha@designaction.org. For more info, visit designaction.org https://lnkd.in/ght8Brm3

Let's talk about...thought leadership! If you're not doing it already, it might sound like something you *should* be pursuing. You likely already know that it can amplify your impact and drive change. The question is: how do you make it happen? At LightBox, we’ve helped many leaders turn thought leadership aspirations into actionable strategies. The top 5 ways we encourage leaders to do this: #1 Have a fresh perspective: Offer unique insights and differentiate yourself in your field. #2 Embrace controversy: Don’t shy away from bold, unpopular stances to spark important conversations. #3 Be available to the media: Engage actively with media to boost your visibility and influence. #4 Educate and inform: Use every interaction to challenge assumptions and provide deeper insights. #5 Push back: Confront entrenched beliefs and advocate for systemic change. Check out our blog post from Senior Partner Amanda Cooper for detailed strategies and concrete examples:

🚨 Cool job alert 🚨 California Calls seeks a Strategic Communications Director. California Calls (501c3) and its sister organization California Calls Action Fund (501c4) are a powerful alliance of 31 local community-based organizations that engage, educate, and motivate new and infrequent voters, including young people, communities of color, and poor and working-class neighborhoods, so that California's voters reflect the people that live there. Status: Full-time, Exempt Salary Range: $100,000-$130,000 Location: Remote anywhere in California, preference for Los Angeles and the communities in which they operate In addition to this role, California Calls has several other job openings. For details, see below: https://lnkd.in/gzdTVz9z

😩 When life as a communicator—or in general with *gestures broadly at everything*—starts to feel overwhelming, it can be helpful to return to the basics. Our tried-and-true GAME Plan—now available in an easy-to-use Google Sheets format—will help you ground your communication efforts in solid strategy, offering the clarity and direction you need to move forward. 🔗 Link in comments.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted cities more power to arrest, cite and fine people who sleep outside in public places — overturning six years of legal protections for homeless residents in California and other western states. Our friends at Housing Narrative Lab, the communications research hub supporting organizations working to solve homelessness, have shared this powerful statement. Read below ↓

Much like “raising awareness,” the goal of “thought leadership” can function like more of a fantasy than a strategy. The objective is amorphous; therefore, the process is murky, and the impact is hard to measure. For our clients who want to develop their thought leadership we often ask, “How will you know when you are a thought leader?” and it can be a difficult question to answer. ➡️  Our latest blog post answers just this and offers our top tips for strategizing. 🔗 Link in comments 🔗

Thank you to We Make The Future for sharing 2 new resources that will be especially useful this election year: 1) Guide: Responding To Harmful Content or Disinformation The guide is meant to help organizers decide when to respond to disinformation, how to respond, and how to better integrate long-term trust-building into their work. 2)  Combatting Disinformation Fact Sheet The fact sheet shares strategies for building trust in our communications, promoting emotional skepticism or a logic-based correction to fight disinformation, and de-escalating tensions offline. Links in comments.

"Right now, communicators have two important jobs to do. First, we have to stay dogged and determined to keep our issues front and center and avoid getting stuck in a reactive place—one in which we’re constantly chasing and responding to what politicians are saying about our issue. Second, we need to continue framing these issues as effectively as we can to ensure we’re not losing ground toward our big-picture narrative and advocacy goals." Great tips from FrameWorks Institute on communicating about social issues this election season.