Crisis Communications for Nonprofits

Overview

For nonprofits, a crisis can come in many varieties, and organizations are often surprised by the types of crises they may face:

• Sometimes the crisis may come from inside, like a controversy surrounding a leader or snafus in a program.
• Other crises are less nefarious (although no less impactful), like a temporary closure due to a burst water pipe, or the announcement of a long-time donor changing their funding priorities away from your organization.

No matter the cause, all crises require leaders to respond quickly and professionally – with clear and honest communication, careful engagement with the media, and a strategy for focusing the story of a crisis in a way that benefits your organization (or, in the least, doesn’t cause further harm). When employees feel caught off-guard, stress levels rise quickly; having a clear crisis-communication plan in place will help reduce the pain and support your organization’s emergence on the other side.

Join Matthew Terrell, accomplished nonprofit communications professional, for an engaging, practical, and important session that will ensure your agency is ready to look its best even when it’s up against the worst.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify the types of crisis that different organizations might face.
• Create a plan to work with the media to frame your story in the most positive light.
• Use metrics to assess a crisis and understand when and how to act. 
• Create a crisis communication plan to be prepared before a crisis hits.

Audience

• Executive directors and CEOs
• Board chairs
• Marketing or communications staff