Transparency in Crisis – and Non-crisis – Communications 

This event is part of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Annual Conference. Registration is required to attend.

No organization relishes talking about challenges, but not talking about them can certainly lead to even worse results. Transparency will often prompt improved support if it is voluntary (and not coming after an ill-timed report in the local news). This case study will follow the decisions of In the Heart of The Beast Puppet and Mask Theater as it went public with a challenging set of information about their annual May Day Festival and Parade. This tiered-communications approach had to dismiss some fears, and took an investment in staff and board time to show a potential path forward without over-promising. The transparency theme need not be limited to just difficult news. A commitment to using transparency tools such as the Charities Review Council and Candid (formerly Guidestar) can create a framework for how “boring” data can increase donor engagement – even if the donor doesn’t actually read it.
Steve Boland, managing partner, Next in Nonprofits