Last month I wrote a blog entry on communicating with your donors through an uncertain economy. This month I want to expand beyond just donor relations and really start to get to the heart of the matter. Most of my suggestions below are a classic crisis communications model, which begins by segmenting your audiences.
CASE President John Lippincott issued a
statement on October 14th that talked about the "impact of the economy on fundraising strategies." I think it is worth your time to read his statement, particularly as he discusses the need to "redouble your efforts" and "reframe your conversations" with alumni. I couldn't agree with him more, but I want to add a very important point. Communications with all audiences need to be honest, but they also need to be data driven. If you have performed qualitative and quantitative research with alumni and donors in the past, make sure you infuse your current messages in the way and with the words that they want to hear from you. If you haven't done research with these audiences, now is the perfect time to assess their expectations of you in a good economy and in a bad.
Next, I want to ensure that you aren't forgetting about prospect and current students. My daily news clips from
Inside Higher Ed remind me each morning that
public and
private institutions are slashing budgets and are subject to vulnerabilities in the current economy. What are you doing to communicate with prospective and current students to reassure them and their parents that they will still receive a quality education at your institution? Don't let them assume where those cuts will occur, or if your institution is financially sound. And, again, if you have performed research previously, use the data when you draft your messages to create the greatest calm.
Of greatest importance are your internal audiences-- your faculty and your staff. If you are experiencing budget cuts, make sure that they hear about areas impacted from YOU and not from the newspaper or secondary sources. Even if the news is hard to swallow, people appreciate honest in difficult times. And, be sure to talk about how the institution will survive and provide a timeline for the changes, if possible.
In no way shape or form do I believe we are in crisis mode, but remember the best crisis communications responses help institutions prevent crisis mode.
