Tips for Implementing a Crisis Response Plan for Your Mission-Driven Organisation
The past few years have been a crash course in crisis response — thanks in part to the pandemic, but also related and unrelated issues that continue to plague today’s nonprofit and mission-driven organisations. These include financial turmoil, regulatory and legal changes, and geopolitical and social conflicts, to name just a few.
Let’s get this out of the way: One cannot prepare for every crisis. Trying is an exercise in anxiety and self-doubt — which can lead to procrastination and hopelessness. But by being prepared for bigger-picture issues, you can also be ready for smaller issues that emerge along the way.
While it is impossible to prepare for every contingency, a thoughtful crisis response plan sets the stage for faster recovery.
Why Nonprofits Need a Crisis Response Plan
While drafting a new crisis response plan can seem intimidating, volunteer boards can get started by categorising the types of crises their organisations may face. In an earlier piece, we identified five types of crisis. Let’s revisit them:
- People feel threatened
- Property damage
- Disruption in the normal flow of activity
- Reputational damage
- Financial harm
These types of crises can easily overlap, with reputational damage resulting from any number of issues an association can face. But understanding these sets the stage for effective crisis planning.
The Board’s Role in Crisis Planning and Mitigation
Crisis management, mitigation and planning are all part of the board’s responsibilities. So what does that look like for directors of mission-driven organisations?
Oversight and Decision-Making
Staff, donors, volunteers and the public look to the board for leadership during a crisis. The board has a direct and immediate impact on the impression made by the organisation. With a comprehensive crisis management plan, board members can move to decision-making much faster than if they had to start from zero.
Resource Mobilisation
Those who opt for and are selected for board service bring experience and connections to the table — and a crisis is the time to use both. How quickly and thoroughly boards leverage their networks and resources during crises can minimise disruption and long-term harm to operations and reputation.
Communication and Stakeholder Relations
In the face of instant social media posting and an energetic news cycle, boards must keep two-way communications open with stakeholders and the public, and be ready to respond rapidly.
With these responsibilities in mind, it may be surprising that less than half of surveyed organizations have a formal crisis communications plan, Forbes reported. It is always the right time to either create a plan or further develop an incomplete plan, and, for today’s nonprofits, this effort should take priority.
How to Develop Your Organisation’s Crisis Management Plan
Whether starting from scratch or enhancing an existing plan, follow these steps to maximise the likelihood of success.
Ensure Board Involvement Throughout the Process
Depending on the size of the organisation and the existing time demands on the board, it may make sense to let staff take the lead early. But with the board’s oversight role, trustees’ active participation in the plan’s development is nonnegotiable.
Engaging hybrid and virtual meetings and tools with automated notification capabilities can make plan development more manageable for busy leaders. (Use our hybrid meeting checklist to help manage meetings effectively during a crisis)
Conduct an Assessment and Identify Risk
Some types of risk are more obvious — and more likely — than others. Associations with stringent and tested fiscal policies may have less worry about internal bad actors, for example. Other risks more likely depend on geography, mission focus and cultural climate. Employ tools that allow for secure and frank communication around these sensitive topics.
Collaborate Effectively
Good collaboration is always necessary for mission-driven boards, but it is especially important when it comes to protecting the organisation’s day-to-day operations. The many documents used to develop your plan can quickly become unwieldy, and the approval process complex.
By employing intuitive document management and clear workflows, organisation leaders can minimise confusion and emphasise effective discussion and decision-making.
Ensure the Right Elements Are Included
A robust crisis management plan consists of many parts: roles and responsibilities, communication strategies, and decision-making processes. Using intuitivetask workflows and notifications, it will be easier to keep track of where these documents are in the development cycle.
Incorporate Testing, Training and Education
Simulations and tabletop scenarios are mandatory elements for battle-testing a plan. But ongoing communication and education — of directors and staff at all levels — is necessary to ensure the entire organisation is ready to respond when (not if) a crisis emerges.
Build In Continuous Improvement
A crisis management plan is no static effort. Changes in the organisation (staff departures, reorganisation) or the environment around the organisation can spur regular changes.
How Technology Supports a Crisis Response Plan
When a board is ready to tackle a new or revised crisis plan, board management software can be an invaluable aid. A high-quality, robust platform can enable virtual meetings, automated notifications, intuitive document management and task workflows, granular permissions, and strong security protocols — all elements that boards and organisations need to tackle any crisis with confidence.
BoardEffect is designed with the unique needs of volunteer boards in mind. Our nonprofit board management software streamlines board processes, enhances communication and promotes accountability, helping you to become an efficient and effective board during a crisis.
