Mar/Apr 2010

Are You Prepared When Your Mission Calls?

by Molly Brooksbank, Lead Interactive Consultant, Convio

The following article is an excerpt from the guide “Be Prepared When Your Mission Calls” that takes an in-depth look at rapid response preparedness and case studies on nonprofits that have leveraged the best practices outlined here to maximize fundraising and outreach success in times of need. 

For charities, is there ever really such a thing as the quiet before the storm?

In early January 2010, most nonprofits were breathing a short sigh of relief following the always hectic end-of-year fundraising season. Direct mail gifts were still being processed while online and telemarketing results were starting to undergo analysis. Renewal appeals were going out on schedule and everyone was anxious to know how their peers fared in the rough economy of 2009. 

Then an earthquake struck Haiti.

Whether or not your nonprofit does work in Haiti, or even disaster relief work of any kind, we were all thrown into disaster response mode. Organizations like the American Red Cross, World Vision, American Jewish World Service, and countless others sprang into action — mobilizing organization-wide to provide relief and fund the effort. Everyone else in the nonprofit industry paused briefly and quickly regrouped to change their immediate communications and fundraising strategy.

A disaster like the one in Haiti reminds us all that we need a rapid response plan. Think about it: nonprofit emergencies and opportunities come in many forms. Beyond natural disasters and acts of war, political advocacy organizations need a plan for the day a Supreme Court justice retires, or their issue rockets onto front page news (such as when Michael Vick was arrested for his involvement with dog fighting). Social services agencies and hospitals need a plan for the next “snowmageddon,” heat wave, or epidemic.

There is no calm before the storm, so before things return to normal, we should all evaluate our readiness for whatever disaster, emergency, or other unplanned event we will almost certainly someday face.

A few of the top takeaways from the guide include:

Respond Quickly - When communicating during times of crisis, simplicity and effectiveness are far more important than design or prose.  A straight-forward communication will help your supporters understand your organization’s position to the crisis and how they can support your efforts.

A Quick Response Requires a Quick Setup – The more time you spend on approving messaging, the less time you have to harness the energy and interest around your cause. Plan and prepare to the best of your ability so that you can respond rapidly.

Adjust Your Message - Sometimes messaging around an event requires sensitivity. But don’t let that inhibit your creativity to turn this concentration of awareness into something positive for your organization. For example, The Polly Klaas Foundation, a national nonprofit committed to promoting child safety, demonstrated a unique way to adjust its message to help with emergency response while remaining true to their mission. In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, the Polly Klaas Foundation sent an email to their housefile urging people to donate to specific international disaster relief agencies that “focus on protecting children who have been separated from their families, and helping those children reunite with family members.” This was an exceptional example of an organization finding a creative way to further their mission and adjust to a disaster despite the fact that donations would support other organizations.

Know the Plan - Working quickly sometimes is accompanied by haphazard decision making. The unintended fallout of such mistakes can be missed opportunities, offended donors or worse, PR problems. The number one mistake any organization can make is not having the right message on the right donation form at the right time. Planning for these events and knowing your anticipated response helps you to minimize the opportunity for error and maximize your capacity to seize the benefits a media spotlight can provide.

No matter what your organization’s mission, a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti reminds us all that we need a rapid response plan for unplanned events. By planning ahead, practicing the plan, and cultivating donors after the urgency of the situation fades, you will be prepared for whatever emergency you will almost certainly someday face.