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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.
1. Examine the Situation
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.
1. Examine the Situation
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.