Table Of ContentCrisis Communication Planning and
Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders
Crisis Communication Planning and Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders
examines the unique position of nonprofit organizations in an intersection
of providing public services and also being a part of Emergency and crisis
management practices.
This text discusses the evolution of crisis communication planning,
the unique position of nonprofit organizations and the crises they face,
along with provision of conceptual and theoretical frameworks to generate
effective crisis communication plans for nonprofit organizations to utilize
within diverse crises. Through the use of innovative real-life case studies
investigating the impact of crisis communication plans, this book provides
the foundational knowledge of crisis communication planning, theoretically
supported strategies, crisis typology and planning resources. Each chapter
focuses on critical strategic planning concepts and includes a summary of
key points, discussion questions and additional resources for each concept.
With this text, nonprofit organizations will be able to strategically plan for
organization-specific and emergency management related crises, develop
effective crisis communication plans, garner internal and external support
and generate assessment strategies to maintain the relevancy of these plans
within their future endeavors.
Crisis Communication Planning and Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders
offers a new and insightful approach to crisis communication planning
to assist nonprofit organizations that are called upon to fulfill a variety
of community needs, such as sheltering, food distribution, relief funding,
family reunification services, volunteer mobilization and much more. It is
an essential resource for nonprofit organizations.
Brittany “Brie” Haupt, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at Virginia
Commonwealth University in the Homeland Security & Emergency
Preparedness Department, in Virginia, United States. Her research interests
lie in cultural competency, emergency and crisis management, crisis
communication and community resilience. She has published in Public
Administration Review, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Journal
Nonprofit Management and Leadership, Journal of Homeland Security
and Emergency Management, Disaster Prevention and Management, Risk,
Hazards, and Crisis in Public Policy, Journal of Emergency Management
and Frontiers in Communication section “Disaster Communications”. Dr.
Haupt’s award-winning book with Dr. Claire Connolly Knox, titled Cultural
Competence for Emergency and Crisis Management: Concepts, Theories,
and Case Studies, offers educators a roadmap for successfully engaging
participants in various aspects of cultural competency knowledge, skills and
abilities. This text received the American Society of Public Administration’s
Section on Democracy and Social Justice’s 2021 Book of the Year Award.
Lauren Azevedo, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at Penn State Harrisburg in
the School of Public Affairs, in Pennsylvania, United States. Her experience
as a grant writer with public and nonprofit organizations on program
evaluation and capacity building and consulting with several of these
agencies has helped shape her research agenda on nonprofit leadership. Her
research focuses on nonprofit capacity building, nonprofit leadership and
governance, and social equity. She has published in Nonprofit Management
and Leadership, Public Administration Review, Public Integrity and the
Journal of Public Affairs Education, among others. She has also presented her
research at several national conferences including the American Evaluation
Association (AEA), American Society for Public Administration (ASPA),
the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration
(NASPAA) and the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations
and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA).
Crisis Communication
Planning and Strategies for
Nonprofit Leaders
Brittany “Brie” Haupt and
Lauren Azevedo
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Brittany “Brie” Haupt and Lauren Azevedo
The right of Brittany “Brie” Haupt and Lauren Azevedo to be identified as
authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
ISBN: 978-0-367-70674-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-43539-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-14748-0 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003147480
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
This book is dedicated to my family and friends who supported
me through this process. I also dedicate this book to nonprofit
practitioners and academics who have faced difficult crises and
persevered. Lastly, I give a special note to Dr. Lauren Azevedo,
my friend and research colleague, who has supported me since my
doctoral program and continues to have my back no matter what.
– Brittany “Brie” Haupt
To my family, for your endless support and patience, to my academic
colleagues and friends, for your advice, wisdom and accountability,
and to the nonprofits in our communities, whose work for the most
vulnerable inspires me endlessly – this book is dedicated to you.
– Lauren Azevedo
Contents
List of tables ix
List of figures x
Preface xi
1 Nonprofit Organizations and Crises 1
2 Crisis Communication and Management 13
3 Crisis Communication Theories and Strategies 24
4 Governance Strategies and Leadership during Crises 40
5 Preparing for Crisis Communication Planning 54
6 The Crisis Communication Plan and Strategy
Development 64
7 Communication with Internal and External
Stakeholders 81
8 Implementing the Crisis Communication Plan 92
9 Evaluation and Assessment Strategies 100
10 Looking Back and Moving Forward: Adapting the
Crisis Communication Plan 110
viii Contents
11 Case Studies 114
Appendix: Crisis Communication Planning Worksheet 127
Glossary 133
Index 141
Tables
3.1 Definitions of Crisis Typologies 29
3.2 Crisis Response Strategies 30
3.3 Crisis Type and Strategy Matching 31
3.4 Crisis Communication Resources for Nonprofit Organizations 33
6.1 Example of Revision Table 65
6.2 Stakeholder Notification Process 67
6.3 Communications Checklist 73
6.4 Strategic Issue Identification for Crisis Communication
Planning 77
