Crisis Communications Planning for NSOs

The purpose of this Crisis Communications Planning resource is to support National Scout Organizations (NSOs) and their leadership to be prepared to respond to an emergency issue or crisis situation in a timely and effective manner.

This resource provides guidance about why NSOs need a crisis communications plan, different types and levels of crisis scenarios, standard operating procedures and checklists for managing a crisis, and provides details about how to build a crisis response team and develop an action plan to respond to a crisis. This resource also provides guidance for managing media relations and social media during a crisis and provides sample statements for the media that can be adapted for use in a crisis situation.

NSO leadership can use this resource to develop their own crisis communications plan and put in place a crisis response team and standard operating procedures to mitigate the risks associated with a crisis, while protecting the reputation of your NSO and Scouting in your country and beyond.