Your donors read the same story your board does
A nonprofit in a bad news cycle is answering several audiences in one breath. Donors, a board, staff, chapter leadership, the people the organization serves, and a reporter are all reading the same paragraph and asking different questions of it.Sequencing matters more here than almost anywhere. The people closest to the mission should not learn what happened from coverage.
The mission and the message cannot contradict each other
An organization is judged against what it says it stands for. That is the standard the coverage will apply, and it is stricter than the one a company faces. A response that would be unremarkable from a business can read as a betrayal from a charity.So the answer has to be consistent with the mission, not merely defensible.
Boards, chapters, and the volunteer voice
Nonprofits rarely have one mouth. Boards speak, chapters speak, and volunteers speak, often with real authority and without a communications function between them and a keyboard. Part of the work is deciding in advance who speaks for the organization and making sure everyone else knows that they do not.Most of this work is done under confidentiality. Client names appear here only with written clearance.
Common questions
Do you work with foundations and advocacy organizations as well as charities?
Yes. Our nonprofit practice covers foundations, associations, advocacy organizations, and membership groups, in addition to direct-service nonprofits.
How do you handle donors during a crisis?
Sequencing is the core of it. Donors, board members, staff, and chapter leadership should hear from the organization before they read coverage, and what they hear has to match what the organization says publicly.