Trend to Watch: Managing Crises

As you move forward, it’s essential to monitor and assess organization-specific results while keeping an eye on other factors and trends in philanthropy that will undoubtedly come into play in the next three-to-five-year development strategies.

MANAGING CRISES: In June of this year alone, there was $10 billion in damages due to natural disasters in the United States. The size and scale of weather-related disasters are increasing. When they are significant enough, the American public typically responds generously.

That said, disaster giving has a distinct pattern that is rarely unbroken: A sharp rise followed by a steep decline and almost no repeat gifts.

When individuals give in a time of crisis, they often pause giving to certain organizations to redirect funds to where they see the greatest need.

As these crisis points are likely to happen more frequently, it is important to plan to adapt your own messaging and tactics to demonstrate how you are either providing key services in times of crisis or why your organization’s work still matters and deserves support, even though it is outside the sphere of the crisis.