By Julia Schroeder
Marketing & Nonprofit Account Coordinator
Big Buzz Idea Group
Change is inevitable for any nonprofit or business, just as people experience times of uncertainty in their own lives. Someone may pass away or lose a job they were counting on to pay the bills. A nonprofit organization may need to dissolve due to a lack of resources or difficulty keeping its supporters engaged.
When sudden change occurs – perhaps a loss in major funding or a board member decides to leave before their term is up – the organization may need to scramble to put all the pieces together. It can be tricky to determine how to communicate, all while navigating the administration, accounting and many other aspects of a nonprofit. How does your organization navigate its public relations and marketing strategy in an ever-changing landscape?
You may need to take a step back and consider the perspective of who cares about your mission. Why is it important to communicate with them during times of unease? Ultimately, you don’t want to lose their trust. Consider all the effort that went in to gaining their support to begin with. When you communicate with them about the struggles you are experiencing, they will likely try to do whatever they can to help.
Asking for help and broadcasting the struggles within your organization is not a sign of weakness; it simply means you need support more than ever. So this is not the time to leave your supporters or your members in the dark. Even minimal communication while you figure out the next steps is better than nothing, and may even help to improve the situation sooner or more easily.
Internal communications with your team, board members, or volunteers can differ from external communications with your donors or members. Internally, you may want to call a meeting to bring the issues to light and address their concerns. External communications can involve emails and social media posts to a wider network. Depending on the relationship you have with people closest to the organization, such as major donors and stakeholders, you may want to pay them a phone call.
It may seem daunting and even a tad embarrassing to admit you need help or that you don’t know what the future holds for the organization. If you are dissolving the nonprofit, take the opportunity to explain the reasons behind it while also highlighting and supporting other nonprofits with similar missions, emphasizing the importance of that support.
Here’s a list of communication tips to frame your organization within your core mission and values:
- Craft messaging that is clear, concise, and compassionate and addresses what is happening or has already taken place.
- Be sincere to maintain trust and engagement with your supporters and/or members.
- Tie in the mission and core values that uphold your nonprofit organization.
- Uphold honesty and integrity. It is important to be transparent with your supporters and communicate what is relevant to them.
What you don’t want to do is go dark without a rhyme or reason. You don’t want to leave your supporters wondering why they never heard from you again. Even in the most challenging news to convey, there is always a positive angle to communicate with your supporters.
