Free kit · Policies and risk
Crisis Communication Plan Template: free nonprofit crisis plan in Word and PDF
Settle on a calm day who speaks, who approves each message, whom you tell first and what you say while the facts are still arriving. Written for a nonprofit without a press office, where the executive director is the spokesperson, the plan takes one afternoon to build.
Word and PDF · 12 pages · For executive directors and board chairs
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Next: Nonprofit Scenario Planning Worksheet and Layoff Communication Plan
What is inside
- Crisis communication plan. Who speaks and who approves, the order you tell seven audiences, who holds each channel and the five crises that start the plan.
- Holding statement and messages. A holding statement to fill in on a calm day, a social media line and the opening words for each audience.
- The first 48 hours. The first 48 hours in three stretches, from writing down what you know to calling funders in order.
- Contact sheet and logs. The contacts you will need on the day, a log of who was told what and a log of every decision as you make it.
- After-action review. Four questions for the board chair and the executive director once the acute phase ends, and a plan to rebuild trust.
How to use it
- One afternoon: name the spokesperson, the backup and the approver, and agree the approval rule (Form A).
- The same afternoon: list your audiences in order, then draft the holding statement and read it aloud (Form B).
- Each quarter: check the contact sheet (Form D), and review the whole plan once a year.
- When a crisis starts: work through the first 48 hours (Form C) and keep both logs (Form D).
- Within two weeks of the acute phase ending: a 30-minute after-action review (Form E).
Not legal advice. This kit covers what you say, not your legal duties. Where someone is hurt or at risk, call emergency services and make any required report first. Have counsel review the parts that touch legal duties: data breach notice (every state has a breach notification law), employment matters, and incidents involving harm or safeguarding.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word file is fully editable: fill in your people, audiences and channels, and rewrite the holding statement and the messages in your own voice.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
More kits for executive directors
Nonprofit Scenario Planning Worksheet and Layoff Communication PlanBudget cases with trigger points the board approves, human scenarios and a layoff plan through to the team that stays
Succession and Transition Plan KitEmergency succession plan, bench review, five-phase transition plan, handover checklist and announcements
Nonprofit AI Use Policy TemplateA one-page policy, a staff survey, an approved tools list, a staff guide and logs
With a crisis, the plan is rarely where it goes wrong. The spokesperson is. A coach gives the executive director someone to think out loud with who does not employ them, report to them or fund them.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
