Non-profit organizations rely on the goodwill of the public to engage them in the tasks they undertake, and this relationship is based on trust and the ethical ground that non-profit organizations strive to maintain. Unfortunately, non-profits often experience a loss of reputation due to negative reports published about them, which make them less reputable than other non-profit organizations.

For this reason, it is very important for these organizations to have a plan in place to mitigate the impact of negative publicity. Below are four steps that non-profit organizations can follow to develop the appropriate plan for dealing with negative press.

  1. Assess the Source of the Rumor

Assessing the source of the rumor or negative report is the first step in dealing with negative publicity. Therefore, the non-profit organization must verify the source of the reports that tarnish its reputation, and the parties behind them, and whether these negative reports are taken seriously. When the source is disreputable, silence is the best strategy to avoid granting undeserved credibility to it and to prevent giving these organizations the rumors a chance and the proper platform to spread further. However, investigating and discussing the story is not harmful if it has been published by a more reputable source.

  1. Communicate with the Article’s Writer

If the article's source is reputable and trustworthy, and there are some inaccuracies in the article, the concerned non-profit organization can communicate with the writer to clarify the story from its perspective while maintaining respect and composure. Since reacting emotionally in such cases will generate a negative response that will exacerbate the issue, the primary goal of taking this step is to make the targeted organization's perspective on the various aspects of the story heard and to avoid gathering more enemies.

  1. Issue a Public Response

Thanks to the internet, issuing a widespread response is easier than ever. Therefore, the concerned non-profit organization can publish a public response on its blog or on social media. When drafting the response, the non-profit organization should explain its perspective, and if it has made a mistake, it should then focus in its public response on what it plans to do in the future to rectify the situation.

After explaining its perspective and making promises to rectify mistakes (if necessary), the concerned non-profit organization should move on to mention its most positive aspects, including the number of people it has helped, the successful projects it has contributed to, and the importance of its mission. It is crucial that the public response published by the organization ends on a positive note so that readers have a chance to think and focus on all the charitable work the organization is doing.

  1. Avoid Arguing on Social Media

Arguing on social media is unproductive. The organization should not pay much attention to some comments here or there on its social media, especially if these comments come from a disreputable source. However, if the comments are overwhelming and come from dozens of users in response to a particular rumor about a certain organization, then that organization should not react defensively but instead respond politely, including a link to its official public response and inviting users to read it.

In conclusion, the non-profit organization must take into account that everything it publishes online is visible to everyone, noting that poorly worded and emotional responses can turn this response into a completely different argument. If the attacks are unreasonable, the non-profit organization should avoid responding to these comments or delete them.

Source: Capterra

Author: Nick Morbus