Liz Rawlins, communications manager, Elrha Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Charity Comms:
dealing with a crisis
Liz Rawlins, Communications Manager
Elrha

2. What
happened?
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Timeline

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6. your
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7. • Risk audit and mitigation
• Select your team
• Scenario planning
• Messaging
• Stakeholders and reaching them
• Recovery
• Further mitigationneeded?
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8. • What do you know?
• Who do you need on your team?
• Who do you need to inform/update?
•
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9. Communicationat times of crisis is too
important to be left to the professionals
nobody wants to hear from a
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10. What worked from our
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11. • Scenario planning
• Key messages
• CRM
• Relationship knowledge
• Internal comms
• Horizon scanning
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12. Messaging Magic Formula: CARE
C Concernwhat for,who for?In what order?
A Actiontalkabout actiontaken;inquiry? Investigation?Review?
RE - Reassuranceinternally and externally
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14. •
• Wider links to charities caught up
• Impact on our team
• Workload!
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15. Two Types
• SURPRISE! • Far more reputationally
damaging
• It happens to us • Creeps up slowly, quietly
• Sudden •
escalate
We are perceived as the victim •
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We need to be equipped to deal with both!

16. The 4 Stages
STRATEGIC
risk issue management
Planningand prep
TACTICAL
Management and response
Recovery
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17. React. Respond. Reassure.
• Recognisethecrisis
• Take theinitiative
• Be honest,positiveand notdefensive
• Be seento take theaction
• Seniority;communicatefromthetop BUT the
appropriateperson
• Impressionscount,perceptionisreality!
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18. • Build your team
• Pre-drafted messaging for possible scenarios
•
• Agreed stakeholder lists and priorityorder
• Off duty contact list
• -
• Media training
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Top Tips

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THE VACUUM CAUSED BY A
FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE IS
SOON FILLED WITH RUMOUR,
MISREPRESENTATION, DRIVEL
AND POISON