When Bad Things Happen to Good Organizations

by Mayer, Starr

• ISBN13: 9781600378614
• ISBN10: 1600378617
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-01
• Publisher: Morgan James Pub

Summary

This road map will give confidence to leaders of nonprofit organizations and faith groups facing the unknown with sometimes limited resources. The many examples--of actions which averted calamities and of failures resulting in chaos--are engaging. "When Bad Things Happen to Good Organizations" answers the questions that are often in the backs of the minds of those who lead organizations: * How do I know this is a crisis? * Can crises be prevented? * What do I do when I walk out the door and the media has questions? * What actions can our board or council take right now? The guides which are included are easily adapted by any organization. Every nonprofit leader should own "When Bad Things Happen to Good Organizations". Every board should discuss this topic. Every organization should have a plan for "When Bad Things Happen to Good Organizations".

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. XV
About Crises	p. 1
Questions to Consider	p. 3
External Crises	p. 4
Internal Crises	p. 4
What Makes a Crisis Life-Threatening	p. 5
Prevention and Cure	p. 6
The Keys to Crisis Management	p. 7
Preventing Crises with Policies	p. 9
The Benefits of Policies	p. 11
Determining Which Policies Are Needed	p. 13
The Essential Documents for a Policy Manual	p. 14
Policies Are Often Overlooked	p. 18
Examples of Preventing Crises with Policies	p. 20
Preventing Crises with People	p. 25
The People Who Make Up the Board of Directors	p. 28
The Role of the Board	p. 29
Keys to Creating a Highly Functioning Board	p. 31
Areas of Board Vulnerability	p. 34
Examples of Preventing Crises through Board Excellence	p. 39
Staff of Nonprofit Organizations	p. 41
Guidelines for Creating a Strong Staff	p. 42
Executive Transition Management	p. 45
Guidelines for Effective Management of Staff	p. 47
Examples of Preventing Crises through Staff Excellence	p. 50
Precursors to Crises	p. 55
Measuring Severity	p. 57
Assessing Tools Already in Place	p. 60
Acknowledging and Managing Conflict	p. 62
Timing and Time	p. 63
Two Key Responses to Conflict	p. 64
Conflict Management 101	p. 65
Bullies	p. 69
Examples of Precursors to Crises	p. 73
It's a Crisis	p. 79
Elements of a Crisis	p. 81
An Identified Crisis is the Reality	p. 84
Emergency Plan in Time of Crisis	p. 86
Examples of Crisis Management	p. 92
The Crisis Has Passed	p. 99
Evaluation	p. 102
Communication	p. 103
Personnel Assessment	p. 104
Critical Conditions for Organizations	p. 105
Examples of Nonprofits in the Aftermath of Crises	p. 106
Making the Organization Safe	p. 111
The Importance of Policies and People	p. 114
Identifying and Addressing Precursors to Crises	p. 115
Managing the Emergency	p. 115
Utilizing the Period After the Crisis	p. 115
Creating a Crisis Contingency Plan	p. 116
Developing and Utilizing a Crisis Audit Team	p. 117
Reaping the Rewards of Crisis Management Work	p. 118
Prescriptions: In Case of Emergency	p. 121
Six Month Plan: Emergency Contingency Planning	p. 125
Emergency Data Bank	p. 131
About the Author	p. 135
Additional Resources	p. 139
Endnotes	p. 141
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