Crisis Guidance
Whether big or small, no organization should be without a crisis communications plan. Nonprofits often think they don’t need one - after all, they’re the do-gooders, right? On the contrary: the public and the media tend to hold nonprofits to a higher standard than corporations or the government.
| “Emily was one of the first people ACLU leaders turned to in times of crisis, and she could always be counted on to meet even the most challenging situation with intelligence, savvy, humor, and grace.” |
| Nadine Strossen, ACLU president (1991-2008), and professor of law at New York Law School. |
Whether it’s a sex harassment charge, a natural disaster, a celebrity spokesperson with a drug problem, or an unfortunate typo in a donor mailing, the price you pay for not being prepared can be very high - especially in these days of the 24-hour news cycle, blogging, and gotcha journalism.
Dealing with a crisis is difficult enough. But the damage can be magnified a hundredfold if you mismanage your communications with the media and the public.
Nonprofits should be ready with both a crisis plan and a crisis communications plan. What’s the difference between the two?
- A crisis plan can help a women’s rights organization cope with the aftermath of a building fire that destroyed its offices.
- A crisis communications plan can help the same organization figure out what to say to the media and the public when it’s revealed that the director’s seven-year-old son accidentally started the fire on Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work day.
Ideally, nonprofits should have both kinds of plans in place. But at a minimum, a crisis communications plans is essential. You can’t eliminate a crisis. But you can certainly manage the situation and minimize the negative impact on your organization.
As Media Relations Director of the ACLU, Emily Whitfield has weathered many controversies. She often tells her clients that the most successful crisis situations were the ones no one ever heard or read about — or better yet, that were averted through foresight and planning.
Emily Whitfield Communications offers the following crisis communications services:
- Worst-case scenario planning
- Assembling a crisis team
- Developing a crisis communications plan
- Crisis communications media relations
- Specialized media training
- On-site advice and counsel