Crisis is inevitable. Preparation matters.
You come out of crisis the best when you are strongest going into crisis.
Recently I heard a speaker tell a story about preparing for a double hip replacement. In the months before the surgery, she focused on getting as strong as possible. She adjusted her diet, exercised regularly, and did everything she could to prepare her body and mind for what was ahead.
Her reasoning was simple: recovery would go better if she was strong going in. And it worked. She recovered faster and with fewer complications than expected. That story has stuck with me, because the same principle applies to organizations, nonprofits, and changemakers.
The social sector has been living in a near constant state of crisis for years now. Funding shifts. Political volatility. Attacks on communities and values. Rapid change that makes it difficult to plan ahead.
In moments like this, the stronger you are going in, the stronger you will be coming out. But of course, many of us are already in it.
So there are two questions worth asking:
How do you prepare for crisis?
And if you're already in it, how do you get through it?
1. Know your values
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is always the starting point.
You need to know what matters most. If you already know your core values, return to them. If you don’t, define what matters most in this period of time.
For example, if transparency is a priority, you might focus on consistent, open communication with your staff and community during difficult moments. If joy is one of your guiding values, you may intentionally create space for small moments of connection and celebration, even in stressful periods.
Values help you make decisions when things are uncertain.
2. Define what success looks like
In a crisis, success may look different than it normally does.
Ask yourself: what does winning look like right now?
For some organizations, success might mean continuing to serve your community. For others, it might simply mean staying financially stable or protecting your team through a difficult period.
The important thing is that you’re adjusting the measuring post to the realities of the current moment rather than judging crisis time performance against pre-crisis time expectations.
Clarity around success helps focus your energy.
3. Protect your resources
Crisis requires difficult choices.
You need a plan for how you will protect the resources that matter most: your finances, your people, and your time.
What priorities must remain protected? What initiatives are you willing to pause or let go of?
Answering these questions ahead of time can make crisis decisions easier.
4. Give it the time it takes
One of the biggest mistakes people make in recovery, whether from surgery or crisis, is assuming it will take a fixed amount of time. Two weeks. Four months. One year.
But recovery rarely follows a neat timeline.
The best thing you can do is allow the process to take the time it takes, while recognizing that you cannot do in recovery what you can do in health. This is often the hardest – and the most important – part.
Adjust the pace and expectations accordingly.
Many organizations don’t get the chance to prepare. If you're already in the middle of it, the approach shifts slightly.
1. Start with values
This remains the same. Know what matters most and use those values as a guide for decision making. One trick is to determine which values are going to guide you in this particular moment or crisis. Rather than figuring out what matters the most to you globally, concentrate on what matters the most right now.
2. Change your priorities
Crisis requires focus.
Anything that does not directly help move the needle in the current moment may need to be paused. Even if only temporarily. This can be uncomfortable, but it allows you to direct energy toward what matters most.
3. Adjust expectations
You cannot do the same work in crisis that you can do in stability.
Expecting the same output, pace, or results will only lead to frustration. Adjusting expectations, for yourself and your team, creates space to move through the moment more sustainably.
Crisis is difficult. There is no way around that.
But clarity about values, priorities, and expectations can make it easier to navigate. And if you are already in the middle of it without the chance to prepare, give yourself grace. You can still move forward one thoughtful decision at a time.