February 19, 2012 | Read Time: 4 minutes
In today’s polarized and highly politicized environment, a growing number of nonprofits can expect to get swept up in America’s culture wars. While not every challenge is easy to forecast, all groups can learn to respond intelligently, experts say.
“The old advice to keep quiet for fear of making things worse is no longer true,” says Jon Pratt, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. “Today, you must respond early and aggressively.”
Above all, he says, stay calm: “If you do get attacked, don’t hit the panic button.”
His organization recently hosted visitors from Poland who left behind a saying he finds relevant: “The dogs will bark, but the caravan moves on.”
Following are some tips for surviving the culture wars:
Expect turbulence. Make sure trustees, donors, and others are ready for possible battles, says Mr. Pratt. “It can be hard to prepare them if you are an organization that is always about sharing good news, then, all of a sudden, you are the center of a ‘gotcha’ moment.”
Instead, he says, nonprofit CEO’s can get the board ready for controversy by taking public positions and inviting the group’s critics to appear at trustees meetings. That will get board members used to hearing criticism, Mr. Pratt says, and it will make the charity more relevant and resistant to damage.
Seek clarity on values. Lee Lynch, head of Edelman Alliances, who connects charities to government and corporations, says nonprofits need to state more clearly their ideology and vet that of their board members and senior leaders—and craft strong conflict-of-interest policies for their boards.
“This can go a long way toward ensuring that individual passions driven by financial or ideological interests don’t drive the organization down a path that’s not in line with their mission,” Ms. Lynch says. Careful vetting could also provide insight into an individual’s possible agenda.
Take stock of weaknesses. Mary Lassen, managing director of the Campaign for Community Change, says her group has been attacked because of its work on immigration issues, enough that the advocacy organization regularly assesses its vulnerabilities. Group leaders ask themselves questions such as, “Can someone hack into the Web site?” and “Are there ways we’re talking about a hot-button issue that may draw opponents in a hotheaded way?”
The group’s managers regularly check in with staff members to make sure they aren’t going off message and have the training they need. “Groups just need to be more vigilant,” Ms. Lassen says. “From top to bottom, you need to be prepared and ready to handle things if they get crazy.”
Strive for consistency. Nonprofits need to think clearly about who they are, and they need to be consistent in clearly telling the community what they stand for, says Ms. Lynch.
The controversy this month that enveloped Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a case in point, says Ms. Lynch. The public knew where Planned Parenthood stood on most issues, she says. But when Komen decided to strip its support from the women’s health group, its position was a big surprise to most supporters.
“Consistency in action and messaging is what creates a brand—and inconsistency can tear that brand down,” Ms. Lynch says.
Keep affiliates in the loop. When Komen’s national organization announced its initial plan to cut support to Planned Parenthood, staff members at some of the cancer charity’s affiliates were “caught off guard,” says Shawn Elmore, the Phoenix group’s development director. Mr. Elmore spent several days answering calls and responding to e-mails from confused donors, explaining to them that the affiliate operates separately from headquarters, though it gives 25 percent of all the money it raises to the national group.
“It definitely makes our job more difficult because of the sensitivity of the issue,” says Mr. Elmore. “This is a political issue that unfortunately people feel very strongly for or against.”
Stand up for principle. It can pay off for a charity not only to know its identity but also to stick with it, says Albert Ruesga, chief executive of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. He points to the Girls Scouts of the USA, which has come under fire for its nondiscrimination policies.
Despite a boycott of the Scouts’ cookie sales, leaders didn’t back down when people criticized the organization for admitting a transgender girl into a Colorado troop this past fall. Instead, the Scouts underscored its 100-year commitment to inclusion and diversity.
“Sure, the Girl Scouts lost some donors, but they gained others in the process,” says Mr. Ruesga. “I never used to buy Girl Scout cookies. This year I bought 10 boxes.”
Raymund Flandez contributed to this article.
