Crisis communication

Over the past year we also faced the need to address various aspects of the quality of crisis communication.

In February, Nepal Matri Griha, our project partner in Kathmandu, was wrongfully accused of child abuse by a Dutch national TV programme, Een Vandaag. This individual ran an orphanage in Nepal with similar foundations, using the almost identical name Maitri Griha. Thanks to close cooperation between PR agency Whizpr, Marketing and Projects, and with the support of Wilde Ganzen, all involved donors were informed and corrections were issued on all relevant websites within 24 hours. Additionally, TV programme De Leugen Regeert also examined the sloppy journalism.

Where previous crisis communication involved third parties, in early 2008, we had to report on two projects with problems in 2007. In both cases, the involved donors were informed in person, and the newsletter discussed the issues as well. These cases have already been outlined in the project chapter. Control of the message and an open attitude led to a positive response from donors. In all three cases, open communication led to additional donations.