The consequences of a crisis can be dire, and if the media gets a whiff of the story, the damage can increase exponentially. But while a crisis might feel like the end of the world – especially in the charity sector – the good news is that there’s actually a lot you can do ahead of time to soften the blow.

One of the most valuable ways a business can help soften a crisis is to build goodwill and a strong reputation over a long period of time. Customers will respond to the crisis of a company they admire in a far more forgiving way than a company they don’t have any feelings towards. Building up goodwill in the charity sector is pretty straightforward, since the public generally recognises the importance of the work you do. If your business can ensure that it consistently adheres to its own values, a positive reputation will flourish.

Another essential way to prepare is with a crisis management health check. Get your team to run through potential scenarios and consider how your charity would react in each situation. By deliberately prodding and poking every potential risk, you’ll be a lot more prepared when an emergency does eventuate. Plus, if your charity is behaving in a way that could cause a crisis, then you’ll have the time to reassess your conduct before the outside world catches wind of it.

It’s important to select a single spokesperson to communicate with the outside world during a crisis. Ensure that every single member of staff knows this, and understands why. In order to make the process as clear as possible, it’s wise to document this information and ensure it is distributed, explained and role-played consistently. Ensure that your chosen spokesperson understands their role well, and that they have been given enough preparation to conduct their response calmly and quickly.

The very worst thing a business can do in a crisis is to keep quiet. By staying silent, a gap is formed for onlookers to fill with whatever rhetoric they choose to believe. Even if you don’t believe your company is directly at fault, that might be different to what the world outside believes. Either way, it’s always best to set the record straight in your own words, before Twitter threads and media outlets can do it for you.

It can also be helpful to have a stock statement prepared, which can be adapted to suit the situation. Try writing different statements for different audiences, such as current donors and volunteers, your team, the wider media, and your charity’s key stakeholders. If you still don’t feel comfortable planning all of this on your own, consider hiring a crisis management support team or PR agency, that can explain how to word statements and offer support during a crisis.

Ultimately, no matter how much preparation you do, there’s usually no way to predict a crisis. But by laying the groundwork as much as possible ahead of time, you should be able to turn an epic disaster into something a lot more manageable.

About the author:

Phoebe Netto has been a public relations agent for more than a decade and is the founder of Pure Public Relations in Sydney and Melbourne. Pure Public Relations offers media relations, issues management and communication services to charities, not-for-profits and SMEs. Phoebe Netto has a reputation for securing excellent coverage for topics that are not obviously newsworthy and an impressive track record for issues management.