Stop Operating From a Place of Fear
Fear Isn’t A Plan
Fear is a powerful motivator. It’s also a terrible strategy.
And yet, nonprofits operate from a place of fear all too often.
What if a funder doesn’t like a decision? What if donors misunderstand what we’re doing? What if someone criticizes us publicly? What if we share too much? What if we say the wrong thing?
When your organization’s reputation, funding, and mission are all on the line, it’s understandable to want to minimize risk. Sometimes that means saying less. Waiting longer. Avoiding a difficult conversation. Keeping a challenge behind closed doors until you have the perfect answer.
But operating from fear can create risks of its own.
The alternative isn’t to throw caution to the wind. It’s to become more intentional about how you manage risk, communicate uncertainty, and prepare for difficult moments.
Transparency can build trust in times of uncertainty
One of the most important things to remember is that your stakeholders don’t necessarily expect your organization to have everything figured out.
They do expect you to act with integrity.
Bringing people into your story, including, when appropriate, the challenges you’re facing, can actually deepen trust. It gives donors, volunteers, partners, board members, and community members a clearer understanding of what you’re working toward, what stands in the way, and how you’re responding. And sometimes, it may even be appropriate to ask someone for advice on that challenge that’s keeping you up at night.
That doesn’t mean sharing every internal conversation or airing every organizational concern publicly. Transparency still requires judgment.
But there’s a meaningful difference between communicating thoughtfully and withholding information because you’re afraid of how people might respond.
When you communicate honestly about challenges while showing you have a plan to address them, you give stakeholders a reason to believe in your leadership.
Reactive vs. proactive risk management: What’s the difference?
Fear tends to make organizations reactive.
Something happens, everyone scrambles, and suddenly you’re trying to answer questions while simultaneously figuring out what you think, who needs to know, and what you’re allowed to say.
Being proactive doesn’t mean predicting every possible crisis. You can’t.
It means doing some of the thinking before you’re under pressure.
What are the situations most likely to create questions or concerns for your organization? Who needs to be involved if one occurs? Who makes the final decision? Who communicates with your stakeholders and in what order? What information can you share and what needs to remain confidential?
Answering those questions ahead of time gives you something incredibly valuable when the pressure is on: a place to start.
Five ways to manage risk without letting fear take over
1. Name the risks
Start by talking openly with your team about what you’re worried about.
What could realistically happen? What are you trying to protect? Which stakeholders could be affected? And what would the consequences actually be?
Simply naming a risk can make it feel more manageable. It also helps you distinguish between a genuine organizational threat and a fear that may be exerting more influence over your decisions than it deserves.
2. Prepare holding statements
A holding statement is a short, pre-approved response you can use when something happens but you don’t yet have all the information.
It might be as simple as acknowledging the situation, explaining that you’re gathering more information and promising an update when you know more.
You may never use the exact language you prepare. That’s okay. The exercise itself forces you to think about how your organization wants to show up when the answers aren’t obvious.
3. Build your Q&A before you need it
Think about the hardest questions someone might ask and write them down.
Then work through how you would answer them.
Consider questions from different perspectives: a longtime donor may have different concerns than a staff member, client, community partner, or reporter. A good Q&A helps your team anticipate those perspectives and develop responses that are clear, consistent, and grounded in your values. And most importantly, this work is done when heads are clear.
4. Practice through simulations
Sometimes the best way to discover the gaps in a plan is to test it.
Run a tabletop exercise with your staff or board. Introduce a realistic scenario and talk through what everyone would do next. Who gets called first? Who has decision-making authority? Where is the information you need? What happens if the situation changes?
You don’t need an elaborate crisis simulation. Even 30 minutes spent walking through a scenario can reveal assumptions and unanswered questions that are much easier to address now than during a real crisis.
5. Make a plan and make sure people know it exists
A plan is only useful if your team can actually use it.
Document roles, responsibilities, approval processes, key contacts, and communication protocols. Make sure the right people know where the plan lives and revisit it periodically.
Preparation makes uncertainty easier to navigate.
Prepared doesn’t mean fearless
The goal isn’t to become an organization that never worries.
Some risks deserve serious consideration. Some information needs to be handled carefully. And sometimes the right decision really is to wait, gather more information, or say less.
The goal is to make those choices deliberately, not because fear made them for you.
When you have tools, policies, and processes in place, your team has something solid to return to when emotions are high.
Ready to put this into practice?
Our Guide to Getting Started includes templates and practical tips to help your organization prepare for challenging situations before they happen. Use them as a starting point, and adapt them to your organization.
And we’re going to keep building on these ideas.
Next up, Dani will explore how clear policies can help your organization stay grounded and ready for whatever comes your way. Then I’ll be back with guidance on the art of sharing information when the heat is on.
Because you can’t anticipate every challenge, but you can decide how you want your organization to meet it.
Amanda Forr has built a career dedicated to the idea that carefully chosen words are meaningful and can drive progress. As a writer, editor, and strategist, Amanda transforms research and data findings into actionable insights and strategic plans. She also tells stories, bringing voices and perspectives to light in authentic and insightful ways.