When President Barack Obama signed a reauthorization and expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program into law last month, it was a major accomplishment for policymakers and advocates -- and a special victory for the 11 million children and their families who will receive health insurance coverage as a result of this effort.

CHIP is a great example of how sticking to your message, and making your message stick, can clear barriers and lead to success. Spitfire advised an outstanding group of partners -- including the Georgetown Center on Children and Families, First Focus, PICO National Network, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the National Academy for State Health Policy -- in crafting messages emphasizing the popularity and cost-effectiveness of covering children. Switching to this positive, proactive position allowed the coalition to change the conversation from a debate about costs to one framing CHIP as a bipartisan, cost-effective and successful program.

In an impressive example of message discipline, advocates hit their target audiences with a steady stream of consistent messages that appeared in hundreds of news articles, editorials and op-eds, as well as statements of members of Congress from nearly every state. The president's invitation to lead coalition groups to join him in the White House for the official signing of the CHIP bill, an expansion of children's coverage -- his second bill as president -- was fitting recognition of their ability to succeed not only through powerful unity of purpose, but also through powerful unity of message.

Inquiries or ideas about Spitfire Sparks? Please send us an email at Sparks@SpitfireStrategies.com.

What does this mean for you? For starters, the office is expected to push for making social change efforts a higher funding priority in the federal budget.

Sound like something you want to get in on? Based on what we know about the president's approach to social issues, it is likely the Office of Social Innovation will focus its attention on projects that have the most potential for being results-oriented or have a proven record of success. Consider this as you select administration targets and craft your messages.

To read the latest about this new office, visit the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Subscribers of the nonprofit magazine can also get more details in the Feb. 26 issue.

Enter words or phrases you want to track, and the search engine sends you e-mail updates each time it finds new results for your search terms. Depending on the type of content you are most focused on, you can register for several variations of alerts, including News, Web, Blogs, Video and Groups. Sign on for the comprehensive option and you'll receive news, Web and blog content in a single e-mail.

Find out what is getting out about your organization by creating alerts for the name of the organization; spokespeople (including internal senior staff or board president); a specific campaign or initiative; and even common opposition spokespeople - anything you want to track to learn more about your positioning in the field. Google's handy frequently asked questions page offers easy tips for setting up effective alerts.

Just click here to get your alerts started!

Need to find a blogger you've heard about or a blog that frequently covers your issue? Use Google's Advanced Blog Search feature to quickly find the information you need. This tool allows you to search key words, specific authors, blog post titles and specific dates.

Your time is valuable - leave the tracking to technology!

Here's a quick checklist to help you think about what you need to know before putting your spokesperson up for an interview or testimony.

• Has your spokesperson been interviewed before? If so, in what form -- i.e., print? television? radio? live debate? Where are his or her strengths and weaknesses?

  Every spokesperson has a preferred medium. Your spokesperson could sound smooth as silk on the radio but look like he is being held hostage once television cameras start rolling. Gaining a clear understanding of where you are starting from will help you prepare appropriately. Put your spokesperson through a series of video-taped practice interviews. Ask anticipated questions (not just the softballs) -- and also try to get him or her off message to learn how they react. Play the interview back and critique it together, focusing on specific mannerisms -- hand gestures, facial expressions, body language -- that should be corrected to make the interview more effective. Also note hot-button issues that will throw the interview off track and revise messages as needed to ward off any unexpected curve balls.

• Has your spokesperson ever been interviewed on a contentious subject? Has he or she ever said anything controversial that could be raised again by a cantankerous policymaker or intrepid reporter?

  By virtue of the Internet, we all have access to the same information. Reporters will learn all they can about your spokesperson before the interview takes place -- and so should you. Google your spokesperson for quotes and other controversies he or she may have stirred. Find out if there is anything that could potentially hijack testimony or an interview. Prepare your spokesperson with good transition sentences and practice with him or her until it becomes easy to deflect distracting questions and stick to the main messages.

• Does your spokesperson blog, post videos or offer online comments? What types of articles has he or she written in the past? What is he or she currently writing?

  If you are using a spokesperson that isn't a full-time staffer, it is critical that you know what he is supporting when he isn't stumping for you. Using a spokesperson in an interview -- and later learning he has posted inappropriate comments to his Web site -- is not the type of publicity you want.

To answer this, we tapped Katherine Hample, a senior account executive at Spitfire who frequently works with clients to develop and promote their brand identities.

Answer: Good question. We often work with groups who want to create materials that will appeal to multiple audiences. Ever heard the phrase "You can't be all things to all people?" Neither can a brochure. The more audiences you try to reach with one piece, the less ability you have to target it to the specific interests of one group. In fact, your message may get so diluted you end up reaching no one. What sounds like a cost-effective way to get more bang for your buck can backfire into an overflowing storage room of ineffective, outdated brochures. That's bad for your budget and the environment.

To make a strong connection with an audience, your materials -- brochures, newsletters Web sites and more -- need to carry messages and images that resonate with that audience's core concerns. You can reach different audiences through different channels -- and you might pick up some unintentional interest in the process -- but every piece you create should focus on one specific audience. Start by determining which of your audiences is the most critical to reach. Then decide how best to reach them, and tailor that effort to their specific concerns and interests.

If you truly need to reach three different audiences, develop a piece that can be tailored with three different sets of messages. You can create multiple versions of a brochure rather cost-effectively by only changing the language and visuals on one part of the piece. The back panel of one version of the brochure could include information about membership benefits and a registration card, while a seemingly identical version of the piece, can be tailored for a policymaker audience by replacing membership information with your policy platform. Even less costly is a one-page PDF that can be tailored to different audiences and distributed through email, linked to from a Web site or printed as needed. An added bonus: PDF's are much easier to update than a hard-copy brochure. Companies like Stock Layouts and Brochure Monster, offer low-cost (or sometimes free) design templates to cut costs further.

Remember: If you want your materials to work hard for you, you have to be clear about whom you need them to reach.

- Katherine