Navigating Uncertainty: Crisis Communications with Transparency + Purpose
In moments of reputational risk, operational disruption, or community concern, strategic crisis communications ensure that messaging stays aligned with values, action continues with purpose, and stakeholders feel seen. The selected examples below showcase work with a multi-state nonprofit navigating a series of challenges, ranging from inaccurate press coverage to addressing a national crisis impacting service, and potential programmatic funding cuts due to policy changes. While each situation required a tailored response, our approach remained grounded in transparency, empathy, and strategy.
The core of 10F Communications’ values is the belief that honest, well-structured - and informed - communication can both preserve reputations and foster collective resilience.
THE CHALLENGE
The organization needed to respond swiftly to several external threats over time, including media inaccuracies, service delivery disruptions, and funding instability, without losing the trust of its external community and partners or its internal team. Each situation demanded a sensitive, deliberate, and timely communications strategy.
THE APPROACH
For each initiative, we implemented a multi-tiered tailored crisis communications plan to ensure internal cohesion, external clarity, and reputational resilience. The approach included both proactive planning and real-time response to emerging challenges.
WHAT WE DID
Manage Inaccurate Reporting
Internal Coordination: Notified key stakeholders early with detailed background and timelines, escalation potentials, and response plans. Shared and spoke candidly with staff as well.
Media Engagement: Provided accurate, verified information and requested corrections directly from journalists and editors. Monitored social media and other potential coverage or discussions.
Prepared Statements: Developed standby tailored messaging for media, staff, board, and partners ensuring transparency, credibility, and continuity.
Public Communications: Spoke candidly with partners, stakeholders, and others with concerns about the situation. Continued sharing impact stories, personal reflections, and contributions and data through digital channels, including social media, newsletters, and blogs.
Address a National Housing Crisis
Relationship Building: Existing partnerships with local, state, Congressional, and federal officials allowed us to convene collaborative discussions to identify solutions and ways forward.
Strategic Media Outreach: Elevated the issue as part of the broader national housing challenge, ensuring local and national coverage spoke to the larger systemic challenge, using firsthand experiences whenever possible.
Clear Messaging: Crafted internal and external communications that clarified service responsibilities and expectations, and ensured accountability.
Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitated town halls and small group discussions with funders, policymakers, community members, and partners to share updates and encourage collaboration.
Mitigate Funding Reductions
Transparent Internal Communications: Kept staff and stakeholders informed in real-time of changes and next steps through direct communication and updates.
Donor and Public Messaging: Empathetic, truthful messaging was shared to reassure partners and funders, while also highlighting funding needs for sustainable service provision.
Community Building and Engagement: Hosted public and invite-only listening sessions and forums to hear from partners, ensure transparency, gathe feedback, share resources, and identify collective solutions.
THE IMPACT
Contained reputational risk.
Sustained donor and community trust through transparency.
Strengthened media and policymaker relationships; shared experiences happening on the ground.
Reinforced internal cohesion and team morale during difficult transitions.
Positioned the organization as a credible, steady leader in times of uncertainty.
This work underscores 10F Communications’ commitment to meeting challenge with clarity. Crisis communications isn’t just about putting out fires - it’s about building trust, listening, and ensuring organizations lead with integrity, even in hard times.
By anticipating challenges, we help mission-driven teams stay on course while remaining accountable to the people and communities they serve. From navigating sensitive media issues to reassuring stakeholders during times of disruption, we keep communications focused, unified, and mission-aligned.
