 | | Good Neighbor Tool Kit: Leading a Charity Marketing and Public Relations | | ||
|  Nonprofit Nuts and Bolts The Art of Fundraising Recruiting Volunteers and Keeping Them Happy Marketing and Public Relations Leadership and the Board Good Neighbor Tool Kit Main Page Good Neighbor Home Page | Crisis Marketing: What to Do When It Hits the Fan No matter hard you try, eventually something will go wrong and you'll have to deal with negative publicity. What should you do? Prevention is the best medicine. This is easier said than done, but it’s a sturdy maxim to follow. Of course, everything about your organization and its activities should be above board. No cutting of moral or legal corners. Beyond that, you and everyone associated with the organization should conduct your affairs with the understanding that they could be scrutinized and reviewed publicly. Consider the possible public relations impact in advance. Important changes in your organization—changes in leadership, service, and programming—should be specifically examined for both positive and negative public relations impact well before they happen. It’s surprising how many organizations don’t do this, and then their leadership is surprised by the reaction of the press—happily or unhappily. If the potential for negative publicity exists, develop a game plan. The threat of negative publicity should stir people to defensive action. Sometimes they’re much more like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Plan ahead on who will deal with it and how it will be handled. Just ignoring the whole thing is one possibility. Not everybody is going to like what you and your organization do 100 percent of the time. Sometimes ignoring an unpleasant article, story, review, or editorial can be the best policy. Remember that the public gets bored very quickly. What appears to be a major catastrophe one day can be entirely forgotten a few days later. When ignoring won’t work, respond in a timely manner. The longer your organization takes to respond to a negative situation, the more difficult it will be to counter any falsities. Public opinion will have set itself. Media will be less likely to be interested in your reply. Usually, you need to respond to the press within 24 hours after any negative information or material has been made public. Design your response to make your best case. Determine exactly what kind of a response is appropriate to the situation and audience you are addressing.
Show you have nothing to hide. Someone in your organization has to be ready to return phone calls or to make public appearances. Lack of accessibility can be taken as suspicious. Spokespersons must appear to be concerned and eager to respond. Make things right if you’re wrong. When negative publicity has a legitimate basis, do something to rectify the situation as soon as possible. If you’re in the right, build up your ammunition. Don’t think being in the right is enough. You’re probably going to have to counter very forcefully any falsities that have become public. Gather the appropriate information you need and don’t leave things to memory or chance. Determine who can best represent your organization. Countering negative publicity requires the authority of someone in leadership. Don’t send out a foot soldier when a general is required. Decide who in your leadership can present information clearly and convincingly. Prepare yourself or your spokespersons to deal with the press effectively.
Keep calm and collected. You may feel that expressing anger will make a convincing statement of your morally righteous position, but most often it does the reverse. Everyone says things in anger that they regret later. As your emotions rise, your ability to think clearly and to make a persuasive case are reduced. Anger doesn’t usually read well in print or look good on the air. TIP: Maintaining an appropriate demeanor doesn’t mean being passive. Presenting a strong, forthright, well-thought-out argument is a tall order when you’re under pressure, but it will always garner the best results. Forming a Board of Directors: The Basics > | |