Communication in a Crisis
Things are running smoothly at your nonprofit: you’re seeing tangible results, everyone’s getting along and working together well, and your operation is growing by the day. When you’ve finally gotten into a comfortable groove, suddenly, something throws a wrench into your plans. It’s hard to see a crisis coming, but when an unexpected occurrence creates an immediate roadblock, you must find a way to process it and move forward as an organization. If you can’t deal with an internal crisis swiftly and appropriately, your nonprofit could crumble before your eyes.
This has recently been top of mind due to several crises in the news. The Mamba Sports Academy acted swiftly, with reverence, kindness, and transparency when dealing with the tragic death of founder Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, Safe Horizon, a nonprofit that supports victims of violence and abuse, dealt with backlash against board member Linda Fairstein after a Netflix series spotlighted her negative role in the Central Park Five case.
Whether it’s a financial scandal, a natural disaster, a death, a data breach, or some other unthinkable matter, a crisis within your nonprofit will likely come up at some point. Prepare yourself in advance so that your crisis management skills don’t become a crisis all their own!
One of the first and most important steps when dealing with a crisis is communication.
Choose a Spokesperson: Make sure you have a designated spokesperson among your ranks, and go through different scenarios with him or her to prepare for anything that might come along. Scrambling to choose a spokesperson in the moment of a crisis could result in an ill-informed speaker. Decisions made during times of stress and panic can be warped, so pick a trusted person now. Consider him or her your emergency contact, and keep your spokesperson abreast of everything that happens at your nonprofit.
Get Your Facts Straight: Double down on fact checking before making any statements. Releasing incorrect information too early will hurt your credibility and could sink you deeper into the crisis.
Keep It Consistent: Make sure all of the channels in which you are conveying your information do so in a consistent manner. Having a single spokesperson, as mentioned above, is a good way to keep details homogeneous; consider having him or her look through any communication before it is sent out or posted. You may need to adjust your tone slightly depending on the communication channel.
Be Strategic: Examine the issue, and think about who needs to hear it and in what order. For example, if the crisis involves the death of someone within your nonprofit, be sure family is notified before releasing a statement. If your crisis concerns financial mismanagement, consider if it’s necessary to address it on social media. Can it be communicated just to staff instead? Think about the crisis level, and respond proportionately. That being said, sometimes silence can be interpreted as evasion, so be as transparent as possible.
We hope you never have to deal with a crisis, but it’s wise to have a plan just in case one arises, or you’ll find yourself scrambling in an already stressful situation. Not sure where to start? Mockingbird Analytics can help! Just hit the handy “Contact Us” button at the top of the page to get in touch.