Individuals on a nonprofit team are likely to cope and react differently to a crisis. For some, a crisis is a challenge to be conquered; they enjoy being tested, working under pressure, and the opportunity to experiment and innovate. For others, a crisis causes panic and decision paralysis; their short attention spans grow shorter and nerves are on edge. This webinar presents five strategies to equip your diverse team to weather an active or future crisis.
crisis management
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- To Speak or Not to Speak: Should Executive Directors Respond to Social and Politicized Events?
By Jada Monica Drew, Social Designs
Nonprofit organizations can adapt this sample emergency succession plan (CompassPoint) for the process of appointing an acting executive in the event of an unplanned absence.
Every organization will eventually experience a change in executive leadership, which is a time of both risk and opportunity. Nonprofit organizations can adapt this executive director succession policy example to create their own succession policy (Raffa, formerly TransitionGuides).
Executive transitions can be stressful for everyone involved. Transition Guides makes this transition easier with an "Executive Search & Transition Time Line Worksheet" to assist your organization in the process. (Transition Guides)
Sample Emergency Succession Plan by Tim Wolfred gives a model plan with emphasis on "identifying the key leadership functions carried by the executive, identifying the agency managers best qualified to step into the executive role in an emergency, and prescribing the cross-training necessary to prepare the back-up managers to cover the leadership functions." (CompassPoint Nonprofit Services,
Research suggests that a skilled interim executive director (ED) helps nonprofits to emerge stronger, more fiscally sound, and with higher levels of optimism. Learn how an interim ED can lay the groundwork for the next leader's success.
© North Carolina Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Inc. From Common Ground, a publication of the N.C. Center for Nonprofits, www.ncnonprofits.org.
Crisis prevention is doubly important for small public entities, companies and nonprofit organizations. Small organizations often have fewer resources to draw on when a crisis erupts, and insurance and other risk financing tools may not be an available due to the organization’s meager financial resources. But every organization, from the smallest to the largest can and should take steps to prevent the preventable and prepare for the unavoidable. The key is to select the strategies that appeal to your organization and best suit your situation.