Developing a Community Crisis Communications Plan

1
Developing a Community Crisis Communications Plan

• OR
• How to Keep Your Cool
• When the Big One Hits

2
What is a crisis?

• Community Crisis
• Will happen someday
• Organizational Crisis
• Far more likely
• Predictable
• Unpredictable
•  

3
Can you plan for a crisis?

• Goal of planning When the crisis hits, you dont
  panic. (Like self-defense training you can
  rise above the adrenaline and fight back)
• Communications Planning is only part of overall
  Crisis Planning (Business Continuity). It can be
  the most critical.
• Must get your message out clearly and quickly or
  crisis may escalate.

4
Plan Ahead

• Ask What types of crisis could you face?
• Staff, Agency, or Board related
• Disgruntled former employee
• Malfeasance or mismanagement
• Financial/fund-raising issues
• Client-related
• harm or death
• Violence
•   Grantees
• Controversy about management, projects, etc.
•   National organization or another chapter
• Red Cross, United Way the national crises
  reflects on your local credibility
•   Disaster for your agency
• Fire, flood, interruption of business
•   Victim of larger crisis
• earthquake, natural disaster
•   Need to respond to larger community crisis

5
Analyze

• Look at scenarios, and analyze what you could do
  in each situation.
• When someone else has a crisis, ask yourself what
  your agency would do in similar situation.
• Dont be afraid to ask for advice and help.

6
The Plan

• Write it down.
• Have a simple checklist so whoever is around or
  in charge can follow the plan without thinking
  too hard.

7
Community Crisis

• Could be major/regional.
• Loma Prieta
• Sept. 11
• Business Interruption
• In 199.. CFSV experienced a fire that destroyed
  records and disrupted business.
• Most common business disaster is fire sprinklers
  going off in the office building, destroying
  computers and records.

8
Step One Assess

• Is your agency able to function?
• Is your staff safe? Do they have family needs
  that take precedence over work?
• Are your clients safe? Will they be needing aid
  from your agency?
• What do you need to do to resume service? Which
  services are critical?
• What can you do to help others?

9
Step Two Prepare Response

• Key staff, board members, legal counsel, and
  others should meet if possible
• Message should be determined immediately
• Sample messages for various scenarios should be
  in your plan

10
Step 3 Designate Spokesperson

• Only the spokesperson talks to media.
• Spokesperson must be able to stay on message.