Cahaba River Society Crisis Communication Plan

Cahaba River Society 1

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Crisis Communication Plan

Rectifying Rapid Rivers: Maintaining the Calm Before the Storm

MEMORANDUM

Date: November 7, 2013

To: CRS Executive Board Members

From: ASG Alliance (Kaylyn Alexander, Katie Stewart, Justin Gilbert,)

Subject: Crisis Communication Plan for Cahaba River Society

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Crisis Communication Plan

A crisis communication plan is essential for every organization, even nonprofits.

Cahaba River Society (CRS) has handled crises from oil spills to a smear campaign, so the

organization is well aware of how little time it takes for a crisis to arise and disrupt daily

operations. A crisis communication plan will allow CRS to supervise and manage

unexpected situations that threaten its mission to safeguard the Cahaba River. ASG Alliance

will meet with CRS's Executive Director to determine the guidelines for the following:

identifying a crisis, classifying the levels of crises, creating a crisis communication team and

efficiently communicating with internal and external publics. This plan aims to facilitate

CRS in handling possible crises that interrupt the flow of the organization.


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Crisis Communication Team Crisis Communication Team at a Glance

Crisis Communication Team Position CRS Position Crisis Communication Coordinator Executive Director

Spokesperson Director of Development Internal Communication Liaison Director of Administration Attorney/Legal Consultant Attorney Media Relations Coordinator Officer Manager

Line of succession: In the event that the specified person cannot fulfill his or her duties,

the person in the position listed after them in the chart above will assume his or her

responsibilities.

Crisis Communication Coordinator:

The Crisis Communication Coordinator will determine if CRS is undergoing a crisis, which is

defined as a situation that threatens the organization's daily operations of restoring and preserving

the Cahaba River. The Crisis Communication Coordinator will then confer with with CRS's legal

consultant. After determining that CRS is undergoing a crisis, the Crisis Communication Coordinator

will notify the crisis communication team of the crisis and its potential impact on the organization

using the following notification system:

A. Phone call

B. Email

Spokesperson:

The Spokesperson is responsible for issuing official statements and responding to media inquiries

during and after the crisis.


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Internal Communication Liaison:

The Director of Administration will serve as the internal communication liaison. He or she will

inform the board of directors and volunteers about updates and progress concerning the crisis.

Attorney-Legal Consultant:

The attorney will advise the crisis communication leader on legal matters that may take place

during and after the crisis.

Media Relations Coordinator:

The Media Relations Coordinator will assist the Spokesperson with delivering official statements to

media. He or she will organize communication between CRS and the media. The media relations

coordinator's job duties include creating and distributing media releases, monitoring media,

organizing interviews, maintaining social media and making website updates regarding crisis.

Crisis Communication Center and Media Briefing Room:

Cahaba Grand Conference Center will be designated for CRS affiliates to meet and discuss a

plan of action. During a crisis Cahaba Grand Conference Center will serve as a media

briefing room where the Spokesperson delivers official statements.


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Levels of Crises

Level 1 Crisis: Low Level Crisis

A. Any issue concerning minor incidents involving but not limited to onsite injuries

and minor illnesses within the organization's full-‐time staff.

B. Receives no media coverage

C. Temporary issues that can be resolved with internal efforts

Level 2 Crisis: Mid-Level Crisis

A. Any issue involving but not limited to abuse within the organization, an animal or an

individual, hunting of an endangered species and vandalism at the river.

B. Requires informing those indirectly involved

C. Threatens internal constituents

D. Media coverage presumable

Level 3 Crisis: High Level Crisis

A. Any issue reported by local or national media involving but not limited to the

illegal activity of an employee/volunteer, contamination of the river and fatality at

the river.

B. Affects the organization and the community at large

C. Threatens the safety of employees and the community at large

D. Receives media coverage


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Level 1: Low Level Crisis

Level 1 Crisis—Any issue concerning minor incidents involving but not limited to onsite

injuries and minor illnesses within the organization's full-‐time staff. The Executive

Director will determine the onset of a Low Level Crisis.

1. Examine the Situation

A. In the event of an onsite injury involving a participant affiliated with CRS, the

Field Director or CRS staff member onsite will immediately evaluate the severity of

the participant's injury.

B. If the participant has an injury that is suspected to be contagious, the field

director or CRS staff member onsite internal communication director will be

notified to contact the participant's primary contact to pick them up from the site.

C. If the participant's injury is considered severe and/ or if the participant requests

further medical assistance, the field director is responsible for dialing 911.

2. Inform the Internal Communication Liaison

A. The Internal Communication Liaison will contact the primary contact on the

participant's registration form.

3. Potential Communication Tactics (Procedure Package A)

A. Phone Call— The Field Director on site of the incident will notify the Internal

Communication Liaison via phone call to contact the primary contact of the injured

participant.

i. The primary contact of the participant is listed on his or her registration

form.


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ii. The Field Director is in charge of distributing, collecting and filing

registration forms for CRS-‐hosted river outings.

B. Memo— An electronic memo will be emailed to inform the crisis communication

team about the state of the injured participant along with a list of tips to prevent

future incidents.

i. The memo will be written and sent immediately after the participant has

been removed from the site and received necessary medical attention.

4. Evaluation

A. Crisis communication team members will engage in a verbal conversation to

follow up with internal and external publics.

i. The Director of Development is in charge of making a phone call to the

participant or participant's primary contact 24 hours after the incident to

inquire about the condition of the participant.

ii. The Crisis Communication Coordinator is in charge of meeting with the

internal communication liaison within 24 hours of the incident to discuss

responses to the memo and crisis at hand.


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Level 2: Mid-Level Crisis

Level 2 Crisis— Any issue involving but not limited to abuse within the organization, an

individual attacked by an animal, hunting of an endangered species and vandalism at the

river. The executive director will determine the onset of a Mid-‐Level Crisis.


A. The Crisis Communication Coordinator will consult the board of directors and attorney-‐legal consultant for a solution to the problem. Once the problem has been identified, a plan of action will be developed.

i. The executive director must approve the plan of action before putting it into effect.

2. Inform the Internal Communication Liaison and the Spokesperson

A. The Crisis Communication Coordinator will inform the Internal Communication Liaison and Spokesperson of the crisis and create an efficacious plan of action.

3. Potential Communication Tactics (Procedure Package A+ B)

A. Memo—The Internal Communication Liaison will write and distribute an electronic memo to the board of directors, donors and volunteers about the crisis within 12 hours. The memo should include specific details on the crisis including when it happened, what happened and how it is being handled.

i. Contact information for the internal communication liaison should be listed on the memo for further questions.

B. Social Media— The Media Relations Assistant will determine which messages should be distributed via social media.

i. Official statements will be posted on the Cahaba River Society’s Facebook, Twitter and official website providing information about the crisis and how it will affect Cahaba River Society’s activities.

ii. Contact information will be provided for further questions.

C. Phone Call—The media relations, Spokesperson and CRS volunteers will answer phone calls about the crisis.


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i. The Internal Communications Liaison and Spokesperson will provide information regarding information on the severity of the crisis in order to answer individuals' questions.

4. Evaluation

A. The Media Relations Assistant and Internal Communication Liaison will monitor questions and phone calls for four weeks following crisis.

B. The Internal Communication Liaison will develop and distribute a survey to individuals to assess crisis management efforts.

C. The Crisis Communication Coordinator will evaluate internal responses to the survey to determine how to prevent a similar crisis from happening.


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Level 3: High Level Crisis

Level 3 Crisis— Any issue or controversy being reported by local or national media outlets

involving but not limited to the unlawful activity of a board director or member. The

executive director will determine the onset of a Low Level Crisis.


A. The Director of Development will determine which local and/or national media

outlets are covering the issue to measure the impact and potential hazard level on

the organization.

i. A legal consultant will advise before any legal action takes place.

2. Inform the Internal Communication Liaison and the Spokesperson

A. The Crisis Communication Coordinator will inform the Internal Communication

Liaison and Spokesperson of the crisis and create an efficacious plan of action. 3. Implement

3. Effective Communication Tactics (Procedure Package A + B + C)

A. Memo— The Director of Development will develop and distribute a memo to

inform the board of directors and members with updates regarding the impact of

the crisis.

B. News Release— The media relations team will create a detailed message

informing members on the status of the crisis and the steps being taken to resolve

the situation.

i. In case there is a crisis at a similar organization, the news release will

mention a collaborative effort between like organizations to resolve the

situation.

ii. News releases will be sent to broadcast and print media.


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iii. If necessary the release will counter and correct any false statements

being reported about the crisis.

C. Phone Call—The Media Relations Coordinator, Spokesperson and CRS volunteers will answer phone calls about the crisis.

i. The Internal Communications Liaison and Spokesperson will provide information regarding information on the severity of the crisis in order to answer individuals' questions.

D. Official Statements— The media relations team will develop statements to be

presented by the spokesperson.

i. The media relations team will post statements to CRS’s Facebook, Twitter

and website regarding the crisis.

E. Press Conference— The media relations team will arrange a press conference at

his or her discretion.

i. Press conferences will be held at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center.

4. Evaluation

A. The Media Relations Assistant will monitor the media for three months to

determine if the crisis is still receiving attention. If so CRS will continue to utilize

the appropriate tactics to inform or contravene.

B. The Director of Development will distribute survey to members to evaluate crisis

management efforts.

C. The Director of Development will evaluate member responses to determine future

improvements.


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Procedures • Crisis Management Overview

• *Yellow-‐ no media coverage

*Orange-‐ probable media coverage • *Red-‐ media coverage •

1. Get Crisis Management Assistance

Crisis Level Probability of Media Coverage

Procedure Package

Level 1 Low Level

*Yellow

Package A Package A: 1. Phone call 2. Memo

Level 2 Mid-‐Level

*Orange

Package A + B Package A:

1. Phone call 2. Memo

Package B:

1. Social Media 2. News Release

*Red

Package A + B + C Package A:

1. Phone call 2. Memo

Package B:

1. Social Media 2. News Release

Package C:

1. Official Statement 2. Press Conference


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The Director of Development oversees external communication and is responsible for

delegating tasks among the crisis communication team in all levels of crises.

• Spouse, parent or legal guardian: in case of an accident.

• Build list of emergency contacts in case of an accident during a program or

event.

Package A

1. Phone Call

The Internal Communication Liaison is in charge of making phone calls to

2. Distribute Memo

The crisis communications team will distribute an electronic memo to inform

members of the state of the crisis and its effect on those involved.

Package B

3. Regulate Social Networking

The Director of Development and Media Relations Coordinator will determine

which messages should be distributed via social media regarding the crisis.

• Official statements will be posted on CRS’s Facebook, Twitter and blog

informing members of the crisis and how it will affect CRS activities and

the Cahaba River.

• Contact information will be available for all questions and concerns.


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4. Distribute a News Release

The Media Relations Coordinator will write and distribute an informative, detailed

message to inform members about the state of the crisis and the steps being

taken to overcome the crisis.

• News releases will be sent to local print and broadcast media.

• In the event that there is a crisis at a similar organization, the news

release will include cautious steps to crisis prevention.

• The release will counter or clarify any false statements or half-truths being

reported about the crisis.

Package C

5. Develop Official Statements

The Director of Development will develop statements for the Spokesperson to

deliver to the media.

6. Arrange a Press Conference

The Director of Development will call a press conference if necessary.

7. Survey

The Director of Development will evaluate member responses to determine

future improvements.

Informal evaluation– arrange surveys through conversations with

members regarding the crisis.

Formal evaluation– the crisis communication team will distribute

digital surveys to members to evaluate crisis management efforts.

Business

Cahaba River Society Crisis Communication Plan