Many nonprofits take time to develop disaster plans in anticipation of natural disasters, active shooter situations and other harrowing events. They may not, however, think about handling crises such as sexual harassment, employment discrimination or embezzlement allegations. In fact, an embarrassing social media post could generate as much damage as a flood or fire. Here's how to protect yourself from this type of harm.
The first step is to identify your nonprofit's vulnerabilities — events or activities that could cause substantial reputational, financial or other damage. Then prioritize these risks, based on their likelihood and potential cost.
Run multiple scenarios of possible crises involving the highest priority risks to get a sense of how they might play out. How would supporters, donors, community members and the media react? How should you respond to mitigate damage? How can you detect such crises before they spiral out of control?
Your crisis management team should include your executive director, communications and HR managers and, if applicable, general counsel. You want to keep the core relatively small to facilitate quick decision-making and action.
But you also want to include people with expertise relevant to the top priority risks (for example, your IT or operations managers). If a crisis hits, you can add team members and outside advisors, as necessary.
A crisis manual — updated at least annually and reviewed by the individuals involved — will make it easier to mobilize if a crisis occurs. The manual should include a communication system for staying in touch with essential leaders, staff and stakeholders. Compile the list of key persons now so you don't inadvertently overlook anyone essential when the time comes. And assign someone to keep contact information up to date.
The manual also should comprise draft templates of talking points with a general response and information about your organization. You can get a head start, too, on draft press releases, social media posts and statements for your nonprofit's website. While these tasks may seem unnecessary right now, you'll probably be thankful later if you encounter a crisis and need to act quickly.
You may find you need outside assistance from legal, financial and public relations experts if an actual crisis is major. Research and vet resources now so you'll have a ready-to-go list.
Appoint primary and secondary spokespersons to ensure that everyone in your organization is in the know. Make one person available to answer media inquiries promptly to avoid the appearance that you're hiding something. Also consider distributing talking points to your entire staff, and possibly, your board of directors. It's a safe bet they have a social network, and people — friends, acquaintances, members of the media and even interested strangers — will direct questions their way.
Messaging must align with your organization's missions and values. Re-emphasize those in your statements, preferably at the beginning of a crisis — unless specific circumstances (such as offending victims) argue against it. Note that, although your messaging must remain consistent regardless of who's presenting it, it can evolve over time as new facts come to light. Monitor online reactions to gauge how your response is received and adjust as needed.
Transparency — within reason — goes a long way in containing crises. Hiding the truth and covering up errors only leaves you open to more criticism and rounds of negative media coverage. You're generally better off admitting any mistakes and sharing your plans for repairing the damage.
It's generally not a good idea to delete social media or blog posts or website pages with incriminating information or the ensuing comments unless they're offensive or reveal confidential information. Check with legal counsel before deleting anything from public view. At the same time, you should vet sensitive information with your attorneys before volunteering it to the public.
The substance of your response to a crisis is obviously critical, but so is the tone. With any crisis, make sure you exhibit concern and compassion, not denial or defensiveness.
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