How to … Engage in Effective Damage Control
Nonprofits are not immune to the need to practice crisis communications. In fact, in some ways they may find it even more necessary than their corporate brethren: For-profit malfeasance is often shrugged off as business as usual, but in the third sector, where trust is such a key element, wrongdoing can lead to long-term consequences among a public that feels its faith has been violated.
Writing recently in the Austin American-Statesman, philanthropy columnist Andrea Ball offered some useful tips to nonprofits that must deal with bands news:
- Be honest: Don’t spin half-truths, don’t run from questions, and don’t hide important information and hope no one finds out.
- Develop a consistent message, and choose one person to deliver it to the media.
- Reach out to your key constituents — board members, donors, and partners — so that they hear the news from you rather than a third party.
- Review and improve practices that might be used to avoid future problems.
It’s neither rocket science nor brain surgery; in fact, it’s exactly the way most of us try to deal with bad news on an individual basis. But too often, we forget about this common sense when there’s an organizational snafu that needs to be addressed. And the result is fractured trust and lost opportunities. | 501(c)
