Bad press can do serious damage to an organization. How should you respond when negative stories begin bubbling up?

To start, consider the source, recommends the Capterra Nonprofit Technology Blog. Does the publication command authority and have a good reputation? If a source isn’t credible, you may not want to take any action at all.

If the source is credible and the facts are correct, then you should consider publishing a public response. “When writing your response, don’t dwell on the negative press. Mention it for the sake of context, then move on to explain your point of view,” writes Nick Morpus. “If your nonprofit is at fault for the negative press—say your nonprofit experienced a data breach due to an employee’s error—then it’s important to own the mistake and focus your response on what your organization is doing to address the situation.”

You can publish this response on your blog and share via social media, or you can reach out to newspapers with a letter to the editor or an op-ed.

Invent the Future

The profiles of leaders who are excited about the futurehttps://t.co/uBryQEjcbh

— Harvard Business Review (@HarvardBiz) December 19, 2017

The world is changing faster than ever before. In an uncertain time, which leadership characteristics will help your organization find success?

In a new post, the Harvard Business Review shares four categories of forward-thinking leaders. Consider the Eager Experimenter. This leader not only is willing to try new things, but also knows that most experiments fail and is willing to accept those failures and learn from them.

“Leaders who are fit for the future understand that there is no success without setbacks, no progress without pitfalls,” writes Bill Taylor.

Other Links of Note

Nonprofits are constantly looking for new donors. The Bloomerang blog shares 10 ways to find them.

What do millennials want from professional development? Blue Avocado details which PD topics are most important to this generation.

Event marketing best practices are always in flux. The Eventbrite blog reveals the marketing trends for 2018.

(Sezeryadigar/iStock/Getty Images Plus)