Good causes, bad press

It can happen to anyone, or any organization.  But non-profit organizations and political causes are particularly vulnerable to negative publicity for two reasons: one, they are often held to a higher standard by the public because they are philanthropic; and two, they often don’t have the resources in place to manage the communications.

On the other hand, non-profits are often better situated than corporations to manage a public relations problem. That’s because they’ve got goodwill, and are more likely to have made an emotional connection with the public through their good works.

Camino PR has deep expertise in crisis communications for non-profits and social change organizations. Good crisis communications takes a great deal of precision. But even very small non profits can do what it takes to turn lemons into lemonade.

The secret

If I could give only one piece of advice to an organization or individual who finds themselves in a tough public relations environment, it is this: get help quickly.  That sounds self-serving, coming from a crisis PR consultant. But the reality is that if you personally are under fire, you need to partner with a trusted professional that is going to provide the following: a) an honest assessment of what’s going on; b) some perspective that is very hard to maintain inside the eye of a storm; c) the benefit of experience; and d) a trusted place to explore creative solutions.

Here’s the secret: if you have a better reputation than your detractors, you will likely win. Those non profits that treat their reputation like a precious asset, as precious as your bank account or real estate holdings, will survive negative publicity. Period.

Managing tough communications is 90% preparation and 10% execution.  If you are engaged in an issue that the media generally treats as a controversy, you should lay the groundwork for crisis response.

Next steps
You can contact us to discuss crisis communications work, and you can get access to an online tutorial complete with strategy worksheets that help you create a unique strategy that meets your specific situation.