What does Michael Phelps have to do with your nonprofit organization?  Not much at first glance. But there’s a good lesson you can learn from his recent publicity.

In case you missed it, Michael got in some trouble over a picture of him at a party, having perhaps too good of a time.  Whether he’s guilty or not, lots of people have formed opinions and it has certainly tarnished his image and credibility.

I’ve preached for years that a nonprofit has its reputation and not much else.  When you depend on donors from the community to support your good work, it only takes a little negative publicity to slow down the donations.  Who can afford that in today’s economy?

So take a lesson from Michael: keep your nose clean!  Make sure everything your organization does is above board and beyond reproach.  Be transparent: be willing to share any information with the public.  After all, you should have nothing to hide and lots of your organization’s information is public record anyway.

When you’re making a decision you aren’t sure about, use what I call the ‘Front Page Test.’  If the results of your decision were on the front page of the paper tomorrow, how would people react?  What would your donors think?  What would your Mother think? 

I remember a story several years ago about a food bank that had a rodent problem.  Word got out and the media picked it up.  It was not good for their reputation in the community!  They had to do a good bit of work to do to rebuild trust.  Seems like we hear stories regularly (unfortunately) of incidents at day care centers, and the way the media tends to focus on news like this there’s a good chance it will get picked up.

So, what would be the worst thing that could happen at your organization?  Is there something that can be put in place to prevent it from happening?  Have you thought through how to handle communications with the public in times of crisis?  It’s really worth the time and effort to think through these questions.

Post a comment and let me know what you think.