Sarah Labowitz

The rules of influence have changed, but many organizations are still playing by the old ones. In this special live briefing, Anthony Shop is joined by the authors and a key contributor behind Carnegie's new report, How to Engage with New Media: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Organizations. Rachel Kleinfeld and Renee DiResta, the report's co-authors, along with Carnegie Senior Fellow Sarah Labowitz, break down why traditional media strategies are no longer sufficient, why people trust individual creators more than institutional brands, and what organizations with limited budgets can actually do about it. From Sarah's unpaid partnership with storm chaser Edgar O'Neill to Renee's insights on why comments matter more than follower counts, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for any leader trying to build trust and reach new audiences in today's media landscape. Takeaways: Reach your audience through the media they actually consume, not the demographics you assume they fit into. Invest in relationships with creators before asking for transactions. The best partnerships are built on mutual respect and shared curiosity. Comments drive visibility and trust more than follower counts. Platforms like Threads and Instagram reward active community participation. Lead with curiosity, not authority. Content that invites the audience to discover conclusions on their own outperforms expert declarations. Think of your long-form research as the beginning of the content process, not the end. One report can fuel dozens of pieces across platforms. Start small: commit to posting once a week and holding a regular "hook meeting" to sharpen your opening lines. Quote of the Show: "Those of us who are prizing traditional media and still thinking of it as media and this other thing as new are actually almost reversed in our thinking." — Rachel Kleinfeld Links: Renee DiRestaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneediresta/  Sarah LabowitzLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlabowitz/  Rachel Kleinfeldhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkleinfeld/  Carnegie Website: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/08/nonprofit-organizations-how-to-engage-social-media-new-media-strategy