Hello, fellow advocates in the nonprofit sector. We see you. We feel you. The last few weeks have been rough, and we know things will get worse before they get better.
We have all worked hard for health, equity, justice and a more sustainable world. The challenges have been many, and now we face yet one more herculean challenge. As we gather our strength to navigate the seismic shifts in the political landscape, it’s important that we have the tools we will need to not only fix the systems that are still broken but also defend the progress we worked so hard to gain over several decades.
Part of a strong defense involves crisis communications planning.
A crisis communications plan outlines strategies for defending organizations, issues and staff from attacks. With such a plan, you will know how to best manage and share information during a crisis. If we have learned anything from individuals and groups that practice the politics of chaos, it is that they don’t just set little fires here and there—these forces set uncontrolled, highly combustible fires everywhere. Executing a well-thought-out plan can minimize damage to your team, your issues, and, importantly, your organization’s reputation.
The goal is to keep your head about you with a clear vision of the future, even when surrounded by chaos; in other words, choose planning over panicking!
Crisis planning involves everything from identifying who will be the face of your organization or issue and training them for crisis response-style media interviews to creating a crisis-specific decision tree and outlining ways to monitor public sentiment.
One situation Resource Media’s partners across the country have had to manage under pressure in recent years has been attacks on government programs and investments that provide targeted support to communities that are under-resourced due to a long history of racist policies. Opponents of these programs have sought to eliminate them through a strategy of twisting established narratives to fit their agendas. For example, they label the justice-forward programs as “racist” or as “reverse discrimination.” Together with our partners we have used crisis communications strategies to control the narrative to protect our hard-won gains in the policy arena.
In a nutshell, crisis communications planning helps predict the attacks and plan a proactive strategy. To develop strong and nimble crisis communications plans, our team runs clients through crisis simulations, identifies core values upon which to pivot, and identifies who will be your strongest, most credible voices given the audiences you need to reach.
As the so-called “agents of chaos” take the spotlight, there is much we cannot control. But there is still a lot that we can do—whether it is a powerful offense or a nimble defense. A strong defense includes strategic communications in crisis situations.
Resource Media works alongside our partners to shift and transform public opinion, public policy and public behavior, in good times and bad. Our team stands ready to help our fellow nonprofit partners plot the best route forward from times of crisis to times of progress in mobilizing our communities toward a more just future for all. While we cannot always turn crisis into opportunity, we can limit damage and build power as we go.
Call us, and let’s navigate this together, reimagine the possibilities, and build bridges to a future where everyone can experience health, wholeness, justice and belonging.
