Giving Compass' Take:

• Here is a list of ways that nonprofit organizations can navigate coronavirus by supporting staff and communicating needs with direction and clarity. 

• How can donors help ease nonprofit struggles during these times?  

• Learn about how philanthropy can help address coronavirus. 

The recent coronavirus outbreak is a case study in crisis communication. What looked to many like a run of pneumonia in China quickly turned into a global epidemic. As the situation evolved, the gaps in information surrounding the outbreak made managing the crisis even more of a challenge.

My experience guiding a nonprofit organization (NPO) through similar challenges taught me something invaluable: Anxiety fuels much of the fervor associated with these events. The lack of notice one has before a nonprofit controversy sparks concern that could adversely affect how information is received, digested and even shared.

Fortunately, there are ways to distill misinformation and rumors (intentional or not) that allow NPOs to rebuild any lost trust. Whatever the scenario, leadership should prepare to keep the focus on its beliefs and value systems, enabling decisions and communications to happen with the nonprofit’s bigger picture in mind.

To navigate through a crisis or similarly challenging situation, NPOs should take these precautions to bolster morale and keep communications clear:

  1. Expect (and prepare) to be misunderstood.  No matter how well leadership crafts a message, it won’t click with some members of the public. The message’s content will be colored by someone’s personal views, which may adversely influence how an NPO’s actions appear to certain audiences.
  2. Keep the big picture in mind. Preparing to be misunderstood requires taking a holistic approach to problems.
  3. Let the NPO’s vision be your eyes and ears. With the organization’s founding message top of mind, NPO leaders can fully understand how their team’s knowledge, experience and discipline can benefit people.
  4. Remember that we’re all in this together.  Finally, don’t underestimate the power of positivity. Trust is the most significant component during a crisis, and negative reactions like blame, anger and suspicion can topple otherwise successful responses.

Read the full article about how nonprofits can use communication in times of crisis by Kevin Xu at Forbes.