Spitfire Sparks

The same week I started Spitfire in 2002, Chris DeCardy – my mentor and the first person to hire me many years earlier – asked if I could write up a memo about how to do communication planning. No problem! I told him I’d have it to him by the end of the week. As it turns out, it...

Spitfire’s special sauce is its people. They are tremendously talented and committed. We know they would never brag about themselves, so we are going to do it for them. This occasional series gives you a chance to get to know the people of Spitfire better. Enjoy. Standing Up for...

Hispanic Heritage Month pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. It has been celebrated in the United States since 1968 and has grown from a two-week celebration into a month long one. Today...

In this era of alternat—I mean, misleading statements and misdirection, progressive political advisers, communication professionals and advocates are working overtime to combat misinformation and get out the truth. Every pundit seems to have their own theory about how the #MAGA...

We’ve likely all done it. Spent 15 minutes crafting one sentence. Kicked ourselves for coming up with the perfect retort that would leave our audience speechless after the fact. Or had a full staff discussion about whether to use the word equity or equality in our new vision...

We’ve basked in the glow of victory now for a couple of weeks, savoring the sweet win of repeal and replace’s resounding defeat (for now, at least). The congratulatory emails full of thanks and pats on the back flooded our in-boxes and dominated news headlines. Now we’re in that...

How are you sparking change as a Spitfire these days? Right now I am starting to work with a couple of different client teams focused on environmental conservation and social justice issues, with a focus on race and economic impact. What made you want to be a Spitfire? I was...

How are you sparking change as a Spitfire these days? As a training coordinator at Spitfire, I manage the logistics of Spitfire’s training workshops. My team focuses on helping foundations and nonprofits learn new ways to utilize communication as they work to spark social change...

How are you sparking change as a Spitfire these days? The majority of my clients are strengthening aspects of public education so that all students have access to highly effective teachers, classroom lessons that drive results and schools that focus on their outcomes. I help them...

Late-night television programs are remarkably successful pushing policy issues into mainstream conversation – sometimes even better than traditional broadcast news. However, what’s really remarkable is that organizations rarely take advantage of this opportunity to promote their...

Dear future female entrepreneur, I was 28 when I first became a chief officer of anything, 32 when I became the president of the company where I started as an intern, and 33 when I decided to found my own company. That was 15 years ago. My first client is still a client today. In...

This piece was originally published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review on June 26, 2017. This question—can we sustain it?—is one we often see in the news and hear at cocktail receptions these days, as people follow the political resistance that has emerged since the US...