Jamal Edwards, CEO of the Howard Brown Health Center, says his organization had at one point suffered from a perception of being dishonest and less than transparent. Since surviving a 2010 financial crisis, HBHC has enacted the following best practices to keep stakeholders abreast of the organization’s fiscal situation:
- Be Honest Internally: An at-least quarterly staff-wide communications meeting was adopted, where management delivers updates on all aspects of the organization’s financial standing through data-driven presentations. A similar meeting is held with other stakeholders, while corporate donors, government sup- porters and individual donors receive the data directly.
- Be Socially Active: Through the “Lifeline Appeal” campaign, HBHC gained almost 10,000 new Facebook fans. The organization communicates regularly through social media as a source of engagement with the community.
- Report Early and Often: The HBHC prepares not just an annual financial report but a midyear report to touch base with the community.
PR News subscribers can find more crisis management strategies in the case study: "Transparency and Proactive PR Create a Viable Lifeline for a LGBTQ Health Center Crisis."