Recently, Forrest joined fellow leaders for a webinar, ‘Unlocking Potential: The Key to Successful Cross-Organizational Collaboration.’ This event, hosted by our friends at Wholespire, included insightful discussions and valuable learnings on how statewide organizations overcome challenges to lead partnerships with limited capacity and resources

We’re excited to announce a project that 1000 Feathers, in partnership with Seth Media, has developed for Healthy Palmetto. Together, we have produced a series of five videos, each highlighting the critical priority areas Healthy Palmetto is focusing on to enhance the health and well-being of South Carolinians.

Through our firm’s work with Grow Outdoors SC, I have learned that the childhood I experienced isn’t the childhood many are experiencing today. We have replaced chasing butterflies for racing cars on an X Box. We have replaced getting messy in the dirt with increased time in front of the television.

On National Rural Health Day, we honor our commitment to rural communities. In honor of today, we’d like to share an article written by our co-founder, Dr. Heather Brandt. In her article, Dr. Brandt addresses the critical issue of lower HPV vaccination rates in rural communities compared to urban areas. Drawing on her personal connections to rural Iowa, she explores potential reasons for this disparity, including misinformation and access challenges.

At 1000 Feathers, we often find ourselves saying that we are issue agnostic, meaning that we partner with organizations, coalitions, and systems across the southern United States on a range of issues. We know that our words and what we say matter, and that is why we have made a conscious decision to change our narrative away from “being issue agnostic” and towards transformation. Providing clearer words about who we are and how we work has helped us see not only that we are passionate about many issues but we also care deeply that our partners know where we stand. 

Recently, Forrest had the opportunity to sit down with Patrick Jinks, president of The Leader's Perspective, on his popular podcast, The Leadership Window. We discuss our journey and the seven invaluable lessons we've learned during our incredible seven-year tenure here at 1000 Feathers.

Just as a survey is not right for every data gathering situation, an incentive is not right for every data gathering situation either, and if you’re in the partnership space like me, it’s a thoughtful conversation and decision to use both a survey and an incentive. So, my question is, when it comes to your incentive, was it worth it?

On October 4, 2023, Forrest moderated a forum hosted by One80 Place for the City of Charleston Mayoral candidates to discuss their proposed solutions to address homelessness and affordable housing.

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis is offering nonprofit capacity-building grants to support one-time projects that address your strategic plan and improve the management, governance, and administration of your organization.

1000 Feathers is thrilled to announce that Heather Brandt, co-founder, has been honored with the prestigious 2023 Friend of Children Award given annually by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Studies show that social connections play a central role in fostering a sense of purpose and well-being in the workplace. But what if your workplace is not in-person? Or you are not going into an office every day? There are still things we can do to build good workplace relationships -  here are 6 tips for cultivating relationships in a virtual world.

This past year, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Healthy Palmetto, a statewide collaborative focused on healthy eating and active living in South Carolina. Summer is the perfect time to foster healthy habits and ensure our kids stay active and nourished. Keep reading for some practical tips and tricks to help you navigate the summer season.

1000 Feathers is celebrating seven years in business this month (June 2023). Sometimes anniversaries like these come and go, other times they are celebrated, and sometimes a particular year feels more noteworthy than others. This is one of those years for us. Maybe there is something about the number seven that seems lucky or even significant (see: seven days of the week, seven continents, and seven colors in a rainbow). More likely, it’s that seven years of being in business has resulted in learning and growth, resulting in significant shifts in how we approach our work.

Recently I received two iterations of a similar question, one from a partner and one from a current client and thought it would be interesting to share my responses given the different contexts. So, when you are collecting data, how many is enough?

We are resharing an interview that our president, Forrest Alton did with The Jinks Perspective almost three years ago (October 2020). Our friend and colleague Patrick Jinks interviews Forrest and as it turns out, many of the discussion topics have come into full view with the launch of this new website.

Every time I hear “but we didn’t learn anything new” on one of these projects, it’s like I am hearing it for the first time – I’m just so shocked and surprised. Then I must remember that I’ve probably said it too. So, if we aren’t learning anything new, why are we continuing to do this type of work in communities?

My word for 2023 is INTENTIONAL. I’ve struggled with putting the rationale for this choice into words, so if you’re still reading, know that this post isn’t about trying to diminish your goal-setting on day two of a new year.

1000 Feathers, LLC, has recently added Melissa Weathers to their team as Director of Operations and Marketing.

I have been part of many community and organizational partnerships, where at some point, the suggestion comes up that a “review of the literature” could be helpful to inform the work that we are doing.

At the beginning of a new year, there are always plenty of lists to go around – resolutions, commitments, maybe you’re even setting some stretch goals. Whatever you choose to call them, too often, they don’t stick. So, why am I writing out yet another new list for you to consider? Because it comes with a different frame of reference.