Managing reputations in times of crisis: Strategies for development communicators 

Development organisations are always in “crisis mode”. After all, helping solve crises is one of their jobs. But do you feel like crises are intensifying and becoming more frequent?  

For communicators, every crisis comes with reputational risks. Think about the following types of crises and their potential impacts:  

Emergencies   

Development organisations must respond to humanitarian emergencies stemming from conflict, natural disasters linked to climate change, global pandemics and much more. These crises may not have been caused by the development sector, but citizens and the media may ask whether development organisations could have done more to prevent them. People will also ask whether the emergency response is being handled well enough.    

“Home-made” scandals 

Crises can also be home-made, for instance when organisations are accused of corruption or sexual misconduct. These scandals can affect the reputation not just of the organisation concerned, but of the entire development sector. Government organisations will lose public trust, while charities could lose funding.  

Geopolitical tensions 

Geopolitical tensions are on the rise, and development organisations can find themselves caught up in a disagreement they have not caused. An organisation running successful development programmes may suddenly be viewed as having ulterior motives. Organisations risk losing their “license to operate” in partner countries and local communities.  

Mis- and disinformation 

The rise of social networks has allowed mis- and disinformation to circulate at an unprecedented scale and speed, and development organizations have faced targeted disinformation campaigns in their partner countries. This doesn’t just reduce trust in organisations, it can also discourage people from adopting sustainable and healthy behaviours.  

Communicators in the driver’s seat 

As their organisation’s primary link to the public and media, communicators are often tasked with responding to immediate crises while managing longer-term reputational risks. Both challenges are closely related: the better you are at long-term risk management, the more equipped you will be to respond to a crisis when it emerges. 

Here are 7 DevCom principles for communicators to manage reputations in times of crisis. 

1. Monitor the debate 

You cannot manage your reputation unless you know what your reputation is. Communicators must deploy all tools available, including social listening to better understand the public conversation about their organisation and determine when it is necessary to respond to hostile narratives or mis- or disinformation.  

Communicators must also stay on top of developments in countries where their organisations operate. This will help them prepare relevant facts, figures and messages that can be shared when the need and opportunities arise. 

2. Be proactive and join the conversation 

Don’t wait until a crisis arises to be part of the conversation. In its guidelines for reputation management, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), suggests contributing to conversations with facts or data whenever opportunities arise – even if the debate does not directly involve your organisation. By keeping posts neutral and focused on the data, organisations can position themselves as independent and trustworthy. 

Proactive strategies are particularly useful in the case of mis- and disinformation and include “pre-bunking”. To “pre-bunk” any claims about its activities, for example, NATO publishes its schedule of NATO and Allied exercises well in advance. 

3. Make the media your friend 

When a crisis hits, organisations need to reach the media quickly. Knowing which outlets and journalists can be trusted to get the facts across correctly is crucial. Be sure to stay in touch with media partners, and to regularly update materials like press release templates, social guidelines, and media contact lists.  

You can find many more tips on how to partner with the media in the SDG Communicator. 

4. Tell people where you stand on misbehaviour 

Don’t wait for a crisis to tell audiences what you are doing to prevent bad behaviours like corruption or sexual abuse. For example, Denmark’s Danish International Development Agency (Danida) publishes reports on government management, auditing and investigation of corruption allegations. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs invite citizens to report any suspicion of misappropriation of development funds. 

Many government institutions run powerful campaigns to help fight corruption at home and in their partner countries (see box). To build more trust, invite your audiences to get to know and help amplify these campaigns.  

Insights from anti-corruption campaigns

The following three campaigns work because they make fighting corruption personal: asking citizens to flag violations they have witnessed, enlisting influencers and putting a human face on good conduct. Latvia’s whistle-blower campaign In 2019, Latvia started its “Redzi.Dzirdi.Runā” (or “See.Hear.Talk”) campaign to encourage whistle-blowing about misconduct in public institutions and the private sector. People could report violations and damage to the public interest on a dedicated website. They could also find contacts and request advice. In 2020, citizens submitted 517 reports. Greece’s “Be the change you want to see” While relatively few citizens work in public institutions, these institutions touch many people. In 2015, the Greek government, with support from the OECD and European Commission, launched the “Be the change you want to see” campaign, targeting young audiences about the need to fight corruption in the public sector. YouTube influencers engaged followers in discussions about how to fight back. The message? To change a corrupt system, people must change their behaviour. The videos got more than 62,000 reactions, mostly from 13-34 year-olds.  The “Integrity Icon” initiative  In fifteen countries on five continents, citizens can elect an “integrity icon” – local public servants who deserve praise. The initiative was developed by international NGO Accountability Lab; in 2014, they held their first contest in Nepal. Local volunteers travel the country, set up discussion forums, and gather nominations. Five finalists are presented on national TV and radio, and citizens vote for their favourite via SMS or online. The winner is crowned in a national ceremony.

5. Listen to the public 

Showing that an organisation values external feedback and uses it to improve is a great way to help build public trust. To do this, organisations can gather public comment on their performance, and take questions via their web site or social channels. Website, social media or community managers should funnel this feedback to colleagues and ensure that questions receive appropriate responses. The aim is to ensure that those who take the time to comment are heard. Development communicators should also make clear to the public how this information will be shared and used.   

6. Have a response roadmap 

You cannot and should not prevent a news story from coming out. However, you can try to take control of the narrative, and for this a clear timeline is key. Tech firm Regroup suggests the following timeline:  

• No more than 15 minutes after an incident: Share an initial statement. This can be a pre-written placeholder, showing awareness of the incident and promising to respond further shortly. 
• 30 minutes after an incident: Share additional information and details.  
• Within an hour: Where possible, share an in-person message (live or on video).  
• Within 90 minutes: If necessary, hold a press conference. 

Ensuring that this timeline works effectively requires careful planning. So here are five ways to prepare: 

• Set up a good team. For crisis communications, Regroup recommends a team with representatives from public relations, legal departments, key departments and subject-matter experts.  
• Test it out. Test-running a crisis response will ensure that all stakeholders are clear on their roles and responsibilities, and that all necessary communications tools are in place. Writing on the TechTarget website, IT expert Paul Kirvan recommends having a brainstorm on each potential crisis and applying the response timeline to each one. 
• Prep for media outreach. Ensure that any designated spokespeople have media training and up-to-date information at all times. Make sure that the right resources are in place for quick media outreach (press release templates, social guidelines, necessary contacts, etc.).  
• Document the response guidelines and share them widely. When finalised, be sure to write your response strategy down and make it widely available internally. This will help reassure staff that a plan is in place for when incidents occur.  
• Review and revise. What worked and what didn’t? Be honest about successes and failures and learn for the next time.  

7. Get the message across  

The crisis response timeline will fail if you don’t know how to reach your audience. So here are five ways to get crisis messaging right. 

• Stick to one narrative. Focus on a core statement, or set of statements, that can be adjusted to fit different audiences. 
• Keep it simple. Clarity and brevity are key – especially on social media. Language should be straightforward and easy to understand.  
• Focus on people and solutions, not on the problem. For example, in the case of an abuse scandal, communicate about how you are helping victims and protecting staff. In the case of a corruption scandal, highlight the immediate measures your organisation is taking.  
• Remind the public why you matter. One crisis should not derail a valuable programme. Be sure to emphasise how communities are benefiting from your organisation’s work. 
• Partner with others. To get the message across, collaborate with external stakeholders like influencers or thought leaders that can reach audiences who may be susceptible to hostile narratives.

Partnership was a key part of the Colombian health ministry’s long-term crisis response to COVID-19. The ministry reached out to Colombian artists, singers, sports figures and celebrities to help fight misinformation, specifically that related to religious beliefs. The government also partnered with one of the most important music festivals in the country to promote vaccination.

The takeaway: Think long term to manage the short term 

Crises, no matter how they arise, can affect development organisations in far-reaching ways. They can challenge the reputations of individual organisations and the development sector as a whole. Communicators can help their organisations anticipate, prepare for and respond to crises as they arise. This means combining immediate crisis responses with long-term efforts to build public confidence and trust.   

So how do you manage crisis comms? Contact us at Dev.Com@oecd.org to share your experiences.