OUR FIRM
Aglet Strategies is a boutique communications agency that works with nonprofits, foundations, issue campaigns, government agencies, educational institutions and businesses that are doing work toward the greater good. Aglet specializes in communications strategy, PR planning, media outreach and story placement, writing and content development, profile building media, training and coaching, digital strategy and social media content, graphics and video production, and other core areas. Aglet Strategies is a federally certified woman-owned small business established in 2016 by Ginny Simmons, a nationally recognized leader of successful issue-based communications campaigns. We now have team members in Washington, D.C., New York, Colorado, and Connecticut.
Aglet Strategies’ clients and initiatives have included the American Civil Liberties Union - National (ACLU) and ACLU state affiliates in California, Colorado, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia, California Policy Lab, the Campaign for D.C. Statehood for the ACLU-D.C., the Black Girl Freedom Fund, Film Forward, #FreeSlahi campaign for Mohamedou Slahi, Grantmakers for Girls of Color, Just Beginnings Collaborative, Just Futures Law, Justice Action Center, Logic School, the MeToo+Philanthropy donor convenings, the National Immigration Law Center, New Public, NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, NILC Winning in the States Initiative, NoVo Foundation, Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US), the Safe Not Stranded campaign to end Remain In Mexico, Reboot, Seed&Spark, Start.coop, Together for Safer Roads, ‘The Tech We Want’ Infrasture Fund for the Omidyar Network, and Youth First / No Kids in Prison, as well as pro bono support for Alice's Kids, and D.C. Maternal Health Campaigns. Our team has extensive experience with a large number of additional organizations from their background experience, find out more at www.agletstrategies.com/team
Aglet Strategies is also home to the Aglet Awards, which aim to uplift and show appreciation for individuals doing important work—big and small, at all levels, and on so many fronts—in our communities.
OK. BUT WHAT IS AN AGLET?
Aglets are those plastic things at the end of shoelaces. Without them it would be much harder to tie our shoes. Growing up, Ginny’s mom always told her to tie her shoelaces so she wouldn’t ruin her aglets.
Meet the Aglet team.
CASE STUDIES
CLIENTS
Our clients and initiatives have included:
ACLU California Action
ACLU of Colorado
ACLU of Connecticut
ACLU of the District of Columbia
American Civil Liberties Union - National
Black Girl Freedom Fund
California Policy Lab
Campaign for D.C. Statehood (ACLU-D.C.)
Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the UCLA School of Law
Collective Action School
DC Maternal Health Campaigns
Film Forward
FreeSlahi campaign for the release of Mohamedou Slahi
Grantmakers for Girls of Color
Just Beginnings Collaborative
Just Futures Law
Justice Action Center
MeToo + Philanthropy donor convenings
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
New Public
NILC Immigrant Justice Fund
NILC Winning In The States (WITS) Initiative
NoVo Foundation
Paid Leave for the U.S. (PL+US)
Reboot
Safe Not Stranded campaign to end ‘Remain in Mexico’
Seed&Spark
Start.coop
The Tech We Want Infrastructure Fund for the Omidyar Network
Together for Safer Roads
Youth First / No Kids in Prison
Testimonials
“Ginny was a dream collaborator on the ACLU’s #FreeSlahi campaign. Guantánamo advocacy is delicate and difficult, and Ginny not only expertly grasped the nuances of this work but also made things run much more smoothly. She skillfully coordinated multiple institutional partners (never an easy task!) and was responsible for landing key celebrity supporters when the campaign most needed them. Working with Ginny was one of the highlights of my experience on this campaign, and I would sign up to work with her again without hesitation.”
– Sara Gold, Email and Online Campaigns Manager, American Civil Liberties Union
“Ginny has been integral to the Grantmakers for Girls of Color initiative from the start. Her proactive digital skills, combined with her broader sense for communication with the philanthropic community has made her a perfect fit for this project. We love her strategic wit, practicality, and flexibility. She’s low drama and always reliable in follow through, which has been immensely helpful and refreshing”
– Joe Voeller, Communications Director, the NoVo Foundation
Ginny is an absolute pleasure to work with. She serves an integral role in strategizing ideas and managing client feedback to work through a project, often on tight turnaround times. She is professional, courteous, and very prompt with responses when assistance is needed. I highly value her insight. Everyone should have a Ginny on hand!
-Sam Gannon Herrick, Founder, Samatha Kate Design
“Ginny has become an essential component of National Immigration Law Center communications strategies. Under her guidance, we have experienced a 50% increase in Facebook traffic. She has worked with us to break down complex legal issues for larger audiences. Ginny deftly manages projects from start to finish without forgetting the details, which often make the difference between a well-made video that reaches a modest audience and a well-made video that causes your audience to grow. I don’t know what I would do without her!”
– Adela de la Torre, Communications Director, National Immigration Law Center
“It was great to have Ginny and her team’s brain power and support behind Equal Rights Advocates’ Equal Pay Day 2015 digital campaign. Without them, we never would have been able to so succinctly and accessibly distill really complicated information about the gender wage gap into shareable social bites. The success of that digital campaign directly contributed to the passage of the California Fair Pay Act, the strongest equal pay law this country’s ever seen. I also really appreciate the humor and compassion that seem to be hallmarks of their style.”
– Cynthia Foster, Communications Manager, Equal Rights Advocates
"I first worked with Ginny several years ago, and I jumped at the chance to partner with her again this past year. In just a few short months, Ginny's contributions have become absolutely indispensable to us at the UCLA School of Law Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP). We're a small team with an even smaller communications staff, and Ginny quickly stepped in to become a trusted and valued colleague. She does it all—strategic planning, graphic design, drafting, message development—and all in a way that advances our goals and elevates our brand. I value her thought partnership immensely and hope to work with her for years to come."
– Hayley Burgess, Senior Communications Strategist at Center for Immigration Law & Policy, UCLA School of Law
”It's so important today to have a partner that understands, and can adapt to, the complicated, often changing media landscape. Alec worked with my nonprofit, Fix the Court, in doing just that — increasing our visibility with Supreme Court reporters around our launch, ensuring our reports and press products were both readable and widely read and acting as a trusted adviser when breaking news happened.– Gabe Roth, Executive Director, Fix the Court
“Ginny and Alec really contributed to the ACLU-DC’s growth and success over the past few years. I relied on them to manage communications when we were between communications directors, from all of our media outreach and web and social media, to conceptualizing a very successful campaign to highlight demonstrators’ rights in D.C. during Trump’s inauguration and the Women’s March. As our organization has grown and taken on more issues and campaigns, their knowledge and expertise have been essential to engaging our members and the public on complex issues in the midst of a very noisy and fast-paced media landscape. They handle the most harried situations with grace and ease, and have always been a true pleasure to work with.”
– Monica Hopkins, Executive Director, ACLU of the District of Columbia
Aglet Strategies’ communications audits have been indispensable to our organization. The ACLU-DC has always been a litigation-focused organization, but after interviewing staff and board members for the audit, Ginny and Alec recommended directing more resources to our policy and advocacy work. That paid off tremendously when we led a successful campaign in 2018 to decriminalize fare evasion in the District. In addition, the media metrics from the audits have been essential to demonstrate the impact of my department’s work over the years, and have been important tools as we build our communications plans for the future. Every communications program should have an audit from Aglets!
– Suzanne Ito, Strategic Communications Director, ACLU of the District of Columbia
“Thanks to Ginny Simmons’ superb digital organizing and strategic services, the Protecting Immigrant Families campaign successfully formed lasting and effective campaign partnerships that continue to play an important role in the campaign to protect immigrant families to this day. ”
– Anthony Martinez, Digital Director, National Immigration Law Center
Photo Credit: Penny Lennox
CONTACT
Drop us a line if you have questions or a project you want to discuss.