When accounting firm Arthur Andersen came under fire along with its client Enron, its first response was to shut its lips and turn on the shredders. Its employees lost their jobs and its partners lost everything they had invested. In the end, it ceased to exist.
On the other hand, when the big scare hit about poisoned Tylenol, parent company Johnson & Johnson stepped forward, communicated its concern and regret in a forthright matter to the media and immediately recalled all bottles. It then researched how to make its bottles safer, creating a new tamperproof packaging standard for over-the-counter medications. In the end, it was seen as a hero.
Like corporations and government agencies, nonprofits routinely operate in an environment where anything can go wrong in a very public way. The above examples show why it’s critical to plan ahead to create a communications process that, rather than fostering suspicion, actually builds credibility for your mission and reputation for your organization. Remember the news cycle is now 24-7, and your donors, volunteers and clients all are tuning in and reading the newspapers.
Randy Lewis, with partner Sandy Fitzpatrick, of Lewis and Fitzpatrick Public Relations, knows a thing or two about communicating in a crisis. Between them, this husband and wife team has managed communication for a Middle Eastern hostage crisis, a record-high manatee death toll, a high-profile politician who spoke before thinking and a corporation that had to raise its prices to record-high levels without losing customers.
According to Lewis, the key to communicating effectively in such times is to develop a plan that lets you take control of your message proactively, rather than letting the media script your crisis. An important first step, he says, is gathering key staff members in the organization and having them stretch their imaginations to think about the worst case scenarios and the communications activities you would need to perform if the unthinkable occurred.
“Imagine somebody who you are helping committing suicide,” Lewis says. “Imagine two of your clients getting into an argument and one murdering the other on facility grounds. Imagine a tornado cutting through the facility.”
Other crisis situations could include embezzlement by a staff member or a major donor withdrawing support.
“The number one rule is, if it ain’t in writing, it ain’t a plan,” Lewis says.
Once you’re done, everybody has to realize that the first crisis they face probably will not be on this list, but planning for these scenarios will create an environment where you understand your risks and can adapt.
“Everyone needs to understand that once a crisis begins, it tends to take on its own shape and form,” Lewis says. “The most important element in a crisis plan is confident communications.”
And that, according to Lewis, begins with creating a positive reputation for your organization.
“Your reputation is a collective judgment made by individuals about the quality of an organization,” Lewis says.
The key is not only managing your communications, but also building a positive relationship with the media long before a crisis occurs, he stresses. Try to ensure that you’re not meeting them for the first time in a crisis, Lewis says. Get to know assignment editors, news directors and others who might cover the story ahead of time.
Constant communication is also crucial. Don’t wait for the media to arrive. Call those people with whom you already have forged relationships. And stay in touch as often as three and four times a day.
“By having a plan and being fully prepared, when the media walks in door, you don’t wait for the question,” he adds.
Instead you brief them about what you’re facing now, which experts you’ve called to assess and address the situation, what you expect to happen in the next few hours, and the plan that you are executing.
Also, when possible, try to make sure that your most important stakeholders—such as staff, donors, volunteers and clients—learn about the crisis from you, rather than from TV or other public outlets. Contact them quickly about what has happened and what you are doing about it. Keep them updated.
“Rumor only flourishes in the absence of official communications,” Lewis says. “You can control that rumor mill by being constantly and continuously informative to all of your stakeholders, including the media.”
He adds, once the crisis has passed, if it’s been well managed, you might even find a way to use your success to your further benefit— as a fund-raising driver perhaps.
Randy Lewis and Sandy Fitzpatrick will address this topic in detail during their session—“Training the Media for Your Next Crisis”—at the 2006 Georgia Nonprofit Summit on June 7, 2006, at the Gwinnett Convention Center.
|