Should We Say Something? Knowing When to Make a Public Statement
Generational changes and societal shifts have led many individuals to expect nonprofit organizations (and other workplaces) to take a stand and issue public statements in response to local, national, or global events, especially during times of crisis. Many nonprofit leaders have contacted me after feeling pressure from staff or the board to address certain issues publicly, asking, “Should we make a statement about this event? It doesn’t seem directly related to our mission. And if we do, does that mean we’ll be expected to speak out on similar issues in the future?”
An organization’s internal audience of board and staff is important and must be considered alongside the needs of external audiences. However, demands from any vocal audience group should not be the sole deciding factor when considering whether a statement should be made on a certain topic or event. Knowing when to speak out is, at its core, a strategic decision. When advising nonprofit leaders on this topic, I often begin with a set of questions to help them reflect and explore what is truly needed. These questions include:
Does this issue impact our ability to carry out our mission and vision daily?
[If the answer is ‘No’] Does this issue directly affect the physical or emotional well-being of staff, hindering their ability to fulfill the mission?
[If the answer is ‘Yes’] Consider what your key audiences need to know, highlight shared values, and outline actionable steps that align with your mission. This is just the beginning; more can—and likely should—be done to ensure the response is genuinely authentic rather than merely performative.
Does this issue directly affect our partners and intersect with our mission? If so, how?
Am I responding solely to staff or board pressure to speak out? If not, is there another reason, as a leader, that speaking out on this issue aligns with our brand values?
By this point in the conversation, nonprofit leaders typically begin to gain clarity on what to do and why.
Since many nonprofit staff members are highly empathetic and care deeply about issues outside their workplace, there will be moments when external events affect some staff but don’t impact the organization's mission. Staff may urge leadership to take a public stance on an issue motivated by their personal values and opinions. In such cases, internal communications may be the best response rather than issuing a public statement on your website or social media.
Sharing your decision-making process with staff and explaining why and when you make public statements fosters transparency and builds trust in your leadership. Acknowledging staff concerns, even if you can't resolve them or hold differing viewpoints, is a powerful way to make individuals feel seen and heard—rather than leaving them uncertain about whether leadership shares their values.
Seth Chalmer, a communications leader at nonprofit Leading Edge, shared his experience with this in an article published by the Stanford Social Innovation Review on deciding when to speak out publicly on issues:
“Norms that prevent needless and unproductive arguments are great, but reluctance to touch controversy often goes too far. If everyone is too nervous even to mention that people in the organization may hold divergent views about a hot-button issue, that’s a recipe for enormous tension if and when the subject becomes unavoidable. If we neglect the skills of working together across important differences internally, our organizations will be in enough trouble that what we say or don’t say in public will be the least of our concerns.”
At times, an issue may directly affect your partners, and it's crucial to show up and stand in solidarity with the organizations you collaborate with to drive impact. This may not mean a public statement is still necessary; consider the means and method of showing your support and what is most needed at that moment.
Even after making a decision on whether to speak out, leaders should evaluate their actions and recognize the need to continuously adjust and refine the approach as they gain insights into the outcome of their decision. I firmly believe in adaptive leadership, which emphasizes continuous learning, among other benefits. An adaptive approach by nonprofit leaders in situations like this will benefit both them and their organizations. While we make the best decisions we can with the information available at the time, it doesn’t mean those decisions shouldn’t be reassessed as circumstances evolve.
To assist in navigating these difficult situations of knowing when to say something and to who, I’ve compiled several resources, including real-world examples from nonprofits, checklists, flowcharts, and informative articles. These tools can help guide your decision-making process on whether your organization should issue a public statement, address it internally, or take no action. Click here to view and download these resources.
What other frameworks have you used to help determine when it’s time to speak out on an issue? Email me at Kristen@KMCStrat.com to share your tips, and we’ll add them to our next Resource Roundup in our Field Notes newsletter.