Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, I’m sure you are well-aware of the Coronavirus / COVID-19. Your organization has likely developed and shared safety guidelines for your employees, volunteers and others you work with.
(P.S. -- If you haven’t yet created and shared guidelines, I strongly advise doing so.)
Last week, South by Southwest, Austin’s annual music, film and interactive festival that brings in several hundred thousand people, was cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19.
Whether it’s a disease outbreak, natural disaster or some other crisis, nonprofits are often faced with having to respond to the unexpected.
Does your organization have a plan?
Yup, I’m talking about a Crisis Communications plan.
Look, you don’t need to create a massive binder outlining every single crisis scenario. But it is worth taking some time to talk about your process for managing through a crisis to make sure everyone is on the same page before one hits.
Here are some tips on how to prepare for and manage a crisis.
Before a crisis
Have a plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated. But have one.
Establish roles / responsibilities for managing a crisis and communicate them throughout your organization.
Know who has the last say for approvals. If possible, streamline the approval process. Being nimble in a crisis is critical to making sure your response is timely.
When a crisis hits
Breathe. Don’t immediately react; instead take some time to think through your plan and determine your next steps.
Gather all your facts first. Find out if there has been media coverage, if there are conversations on social media and any additional information before developing an internal update for your leadership team.
Remember that plan you developed? Follow the process you established. This will keep people focused and will help you stay sane.
After the crisis passes
Review and reflect. Also known as an After-Action Review or Post-Mortem. Get everyone together who managed through the crisis and discuss: What was supposed to happen? What actually happened? What was the reason for the outcome? What did you learn and how can you improve?
I wish you a healthy, safe and crisis-free month.
Kate