About Brief and Nice
Less Motivational Quotes.
More Method.
School communicators have no shortage of things to do—or advice about what they should do next. Brief and Nice helps you sort through the noise, question the task in front of you and focus on work that makes a difference for your district and its community.
I’m Courtney Bonfante. I write articles and create training, templates and tools for anyone who communicates on behalf of a school district. My goal is to give you the context, skills and practical guidance to make sound decisions for yours.
What To Expect From Brief and Nice
The principles guiding every tool, course, and conversation.
Questions worth asking
A closer look at the tasks school communicators do every day: what they’re meant to accomplish, what gets in the way and what might work better.
Ideas you can actually use
Examples, templates and training built with a realistic understanding of your time, your team’s capacity and everything else on your plate.
Context, not one-size-fits-all answers
Clear explanations of the options and tradeoffs, so you can decide what makes sense for your district’s goals, community and capacity.
The future of school communications
Thoughtful coverage of emerging issues, technologies and platform changes, and what they could mean for your work.
How I Got Here
I came to school communications through the internet, not the newsroom.
I started a hyperlocal blog in 2009 and built an audience before “influencer” was a common job description. That experience made me fascinated by how people discover information, decide what to trust and choose what’s worth their attention.
I went on to work in digital marketing as social media advertising was taking shape, then managed agency projects spanning search, social advertising, TV, radio and media buying. I learned how to connect an audience, a message, a channel and a goal. Most importantly, I learned how to tell when a campaign looked busy but wasn’t accomplishing much.
For the past decade, I’ve brought that perspective to my work as a school district public information officer. I’ve seen how much the job now asks of people who didn’t necessarily train for every part of it.
A superintendent may be making communications decisions without dedicated staff. A teacher or administrative assistant may have inherited the website and newsletter. An experienced communicator may be delivering everything asked of them but want more influence over what gets prioritized.
That’s what I bring to Brief and Nice: a deep understanding of digital audiences and platforms, experience across the broader communications mix, and firsthand knowledge of what a school district can actually put into practice.
What I Do:
Make complicated decisions easier to navigate
I break down school communications issues, explain the tradeoffs and create articles, training and tools that help you decide what makes sense for your district.
Who it’s For:
People who want their work to work
Brief and Nice is for people who care deeply about how their district connects with its community. You want current families to find answers and feel informed, prospective families to see what makes your schools worth considering, and the wider community to understand the work happening inside them. You want your communications to earn attention, trust and support — and you’re willing to ask whether the work you’re doing is actually getting you there.
Why Brief and Nice Exists:
School communicators come from journalism, marketing, education and all kinds of other backgrounds. Some run a department; others inherited communications alongside another job. The work now spans writing, media relations, websites, accessibility, student privacy, leadership advising and a growing number of platforms.
It’s easy to spend every day responding to requests without getting the chance to ask whether those requests will produce the result people want. Brief and Nice helps you make room for that question, and gives you practical ways to answer it.
The job has changed; have your strategies changed, too?
1
We don’t just pitch stories; we publish and manage them.
2
Families form impressions before they ever contact us.
3
Every new tool brings new responsibilities.
4
Publishing information doesn’t mean people found or understood it.
What People Are Saying
Courtney doesn't just answer the questions school communicators are already asking—she helps uncover the questions they should be asking. She has an exceptional ability to translate complex topics into practical, easy-to-understand guidance that attendees can apply immediately. Her presentation on digital accessibility sparked conversations long after it ended and was one of the biggest hits with our organization.
Kathy Sherlock
Communications and Records Management Coordinator, OU BOCES
Courtney is one of those rare people who makes everyone around her think more clearly. She challenged my assumptions, saw possibilities I hadn’t considered and had the practical sense to turn good ideas into finished work. She cared deeply about getting it right for our students, families and staff. I valued her judgment and knew I could count on her to follow through.
Tammy Mangus
Superintendent of Schools, NYS
I had the pleasure of working alongside Courtney as a school communication specialist, and she remains one of the sharpest, most refreshingly real communicators I know. She is direct without being dismissive, creative without losing sight of what is practical, and confident without making the work about herself. Courtney is laid-back and approachable, but she is also dependable, thoughtful and committed to getting the work done well and continues to be a trusted source of ideas, perspective and current industry insight.
Alyssa Teribury
Communication Research Manager at National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA)
Ready to communicate with method?
Join a community of communicators committed to clarity, accessibility, and trust.