Turning Urgency Into Impact: 8 Quick Tips When Emergencies Arise
When urgent news breaks, organizations need to act quickly and with purpose. From digital to direct mail, preparation to transparency, every response matters.
We’ve put together 8 quick tips to help organizations respond effectively, maintain credibility, and connect urgency to impact.
1. Prep Ahead
The fastest responses are built on preparation. Develop emergency template statements, social posts, and emails in advance that allow you to plug content and messaging in as crises unfold. Having formats and some language ready allows your team to pivot quickly and communicate with confidence under pressure.
2. Move Fast on Digital
When urgent news breaks, digital is your first stop. Post quickly on social media, send an email alert, and direct people to a clear call to action. Being timely shows credibility. Avoid the urge to feel like you need all the information in the first contact. Simply let your audience know you’re responding, and more information will follow is critical.
3. Update Call Scripts
If a calling campaign is live, refresh scripts to reflect the latest updates or have responses prepared for donors who ask about the recent news. If no call is up, consider getting one up quickly. These conversations can reinforce urgency, strengthen relationships, and offer donors a way to respond immediately.
4. Adapt Direct Mail
Check what’s scheduled for print and what will drop soon — could a buck slip be added with relevant context? If not, weigh whether a streamlined, urgent package is necessary. Just make sure your message will still resonate when it hits homes weeks later.
5. Connect to Impact
Don’t just acknowledge the emergency — show how it connects to your mission. Explain why your cause matters in this moment and how donor support directly fuels your important work. Keep emergency donors informed as situations unfold.
6. Be Honest
Your audience values transparency and authenticity. Share what your organization knows, acknowledge what you are still working through, and explain how you’re responding. And if you don’t know how you’re responding yet? Talk about how you’ve responded in similar situations and note that more information will follow. Being honest builds trust and invites donors into your work as partners.
7. Watch the Numbers
Emergencies can shift fast. Stats may become outdated within hours. Qualify specific numbers (“at the time of writing...’) and focus more on personal stories and clear needs that will remain relevant even as events evolve.
8. Don’t Let Conversions be an Afterthought
Emergencies can bring on a surge of new donors that, without thoughtful and intentional strategies that are ready to go when disaster strikes, will primarily be one and done donors. Act fast for sustainer conversion while this audience is primed to give to maximize the impact beyond just the immediate need for your organization.
Connect with us here for more direct, hands-on insights and strategies of how to deal with the unexpected emergencies!