Nonprofit organization communication, crisis planning, and strategic responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic

ABSTRACT: Abstract Nonprofit organizations have somewhat different foci, contexts, and resources than typical for‐profit organizations, so may have experienced and responded to COVID‐19 in ways not covered in traditional corporate research. We investigate the influence of nonprofit organizations' communication support and use, crisis experience and preparation, and extent and impacts of COVID‐19 on their strategic responses to the crisis (from retrenchment to perseverance to innovation). Our study is a longitudinal panel survey conducted with 578 U.S. public charities, once before the pandemic and the other 6 months into it. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize the sample, and hierarchical regressions to assess the influences on strategic responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic. A major finding is that communication with external stakeholders predicted organizations' abilities to maintain core activities (perseverance) during a crisis and to pivot (innovating) on mission delivery. Practical applications for nonprofit organizations are addressed, with particular attention to COVID‐19.

SUBMITTER: Fuller R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9088411 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature