Free checklist, 15 checks
Nonprofit crisis preparedness checklist
Last updated: November 2026
Is my nonprofit ready for a communications crisis?
Your nonprofit is ready for a communications crisis if you have a named response team and spokesperson, drafted holding statements, a set order for informing staff, board, donors, and media, and a plan to review what happened afterward. This free Beltway Media checklist tests each of those in 15 checks.
The checklist
15 checks to work through
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Closing the gaps
Pay special attention to speed: approval rules that take days and statements that do not exist yet are gaps worth closing first. The guide to nonprofit crisis communications preparedness walks through a six-step plan. Beltway Media includes crisis preparedness planning and media training in its fractional chief communications officer service.
See all free nonprofit communications checklists, or read the main guide to nonprofit communications consulting.
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers to the questions nonprofit leaders ask most. See all 47 answers on the nonprofit communications FAQ.
- What should a nonprofit crisis communications plan include?
- A useful plan names a small response team and one spokesperson, lists your key audiences in the order you will contact them, includes holding statements for likely scenarios, sets approval rules that work in hours rather than days, and explains how you will monitor coverage. The free crisis preparedness checklist on this site covers each piece.
- Does Beltway Media offer crisis communications help for nonprofits?
- Beltway Media's fractional CCO service includes crisis preparedness planning, plus media training and spokesperson development. Preparedness means deciding in advance who speaks, what you say first, how you inform your board, staff, donors, and members, and how you handle reporters. If a situation is already underway, contact Beltway Media directly to ask what support is available.
- Do nonprofit leaders need media training?
- Anyone likely to speak for your organization in public benefits from media training. It builds confidence with reporters, keeps messages consistent under pressure, and lowers the chance that an offhand remark becomes the story. Media training and spokesperson development are part of Beltway Media's fractional CCO service, and its Managing Director previously worked as a journalist at The Hill.
- How should a nonprofit communicate after a data breach?
- Communicate early, accurately, and in plain language: what happened, what data was affected, what you are doing, and what people should do now. Coordinate with legal counsel and follow any notification rules that apply. Beltway Media publishes a free Cybersecurity Communications Checklist on its main website to help organizations prepare before an incident.
- How should we communicate about budget cuts or a deficit?
- Be direct and early with the people most affected, especially staff, board, and major donors, before they hear it elsewhere. Explain the cause, the plan, and what support helps. This is increasingly common: the Center for Effective Philanthropy reports the share of nonprofits reporting a deficit rose to 39% in 2025, up from 22% in 2022.
Talk to a senior communications leader about your nonprofit.
The first step with Beltway Media is a free discovery call about your communications challenges, goals, and current capabilities. There is no obligation to continue.