Whether you are soon to become a tech unicorn, a charity that has received major funding and is about to expand or a school that has seen significant year-on-year pupil increases – growing organisations have many reasons to celebrate.
But it is important to remember the caveat that with growth comes increased reputational risk. Greater visibility, a rising profile, evolving stakeholder needs and growing employee numbers all contribute to a heightened exposure to reputational threats and media scrutiny for growing organisations.
Here is a good example of why you should always have a crisis plan in place and be trained to confidently speak to the press about any issue that could arise. A good PR opportunity? It must have seemed a good idea at the time. AJ Bell, the popular investment platform and lead sponsor of […]
The running charity parkrun found itself in hot water this week over a quite blatant financial conflict of interests that came into the public domain – and one which looks particularly bad in the context of a cost-of-living crisis and households across the country struggling to make ends meet. On Thursday afternoon, alongside stories appearing […]
Comic Relief’s decision to stop producing ‘white saviour’ appeal films is a positive step for an organisation that does great work, but is clearly alive to the risks of the messiah complex. It should inspire other charities to have a period of self-reflection about their culture, too. In all but a few exceptional cases, the UK’s charities […]
Yet again a major institution takes a reputational hit because of problems arising from ‘poor culture’. The Charity Commission report into the scandal at Oxfam highlights how individuals took advantage of the charity’s poor culture to exploit young women and children in Haiti in 2011. There are recommendations for improvements and an acknowledgement that things […]
It has been another challenging year. Widespread dismay over implementation of the Lobbying Act, the trials and tribulations of preparing for General Data Protection Regulation, and, of course, the normal day-to-day competition for those all-important funds. With the nights drawing in, we take a look at top five reputational risks facing the charities sector this […]
The last two years have been among the toughest ever known for charities, with controversies over executive pay, governance failures and data-sharing dominating the headlines. Yet despite high stakes and an apparently strong consensus on the need for change, the 2017 Alder / Third Sector cultural health survey reveals many organisations are still exposed to significant […]