Nonprofit Emergency Preparedness: Planning for the Unexpected While Staying Mission-Ready
- Rebecca Dugas
- May 30
- 7 min read
Emergencies don’t wait for convenient timing. For nonprofits, even a brief disruption can put mission-critical programs at risk, affect vulnerable populations, and erode donor and community trust. Yet too often, emergency planning gets pushed aside in the face of daily demands.
In this collaborative post between Ghost Writer and Sara Rhine, Commercial Risk Advisor at Strickler Agency, Inc., we explore how nonprofits can take practical steps toward stronger emergency preparedness. With Sara's insurance knowledge and our team’s development and funding experience, this guide offers a holistic approach to building resilience—from planning and protection to continuity and trust.
In recent years, nonprofits have been hit hard by compounding crises. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed just how vulnerable many organizations were to operational shutdowns and public health disruptions. At the same time, the increase in weather-related disasters—floods, fires, and extreme storms—is testing the limits of facilities and infrastructure. And now, uncertainty caused by changes at the federal level is creating ripple effects across sectors, threatening essential programs and staff stability. These challenges underscore a hard truth: emergencies come in many forms, and the most resilient organizations are those that prepare on all fronts.
At Ghost Writer, we believe that nonprofit emergency preparedness isn’t just about safety—it’s about sustainability. You want your organization to continue to do what matters, even in the face of the unexpected. From cyberattacks to weather disasters, financial shortfalls to public health crises, the threats are real—but so are the opportunities to plan ahead.
Why Emergency Preparedness is a Mission Imperative
Nonprofits often serve on the frontlines of crises—offering food, shelter, healthcare, and emotional support. But what happens when the nonprofit itself experiences a crisis? If you don't have a plan for how to respond to disruptions, your organization and your mission can be placed at serious risk.
Preparedness also builds trust with funders, partners, and donors. Having an emergency plan in place is one way to show that your nonprofit is well-managed, risk-aware, and committed to long-term impact.
What Are Nonprofits Preparing For?
No two organizations face the same risks, but most nonprofits should prepare for several core emergency scenarios. The goal isn’t just awareness—it’s readiness. Think through how your organization would respond to the following situations:
Fire - Whether sparked by outdated wiring or an act of vandalism, fires pose not just a physical threat but also a continuity challenge. Do you have offsite backups of critical records? Are staff trained to assist clients or community members in evacuating safely?
Severe Weather - Floods, ice storms, or hurricanes can leave facilities inaccessible for days—or longer. Consider how you’d communicate with stakeholders during closures and whether your services can operate remotely or need physical contingency plans.
Power Outages - More than a nuisance, an outage can knock out servers, lock electronic doors, or disable critical refrigeration for medical supplies or food programs. Does your organization have a backup power source, or a protocol for preserving priority functions?
Medical Emergencies - Are staff equipped to respond if a client experiences a seizure, overdose, or allergic reaction? Having trained personnel and accessible first-aid supplies can make the difference between crisis and control.
Intruder or Active Threat - High-impact, low-probability events like active shooter scenarios demand thoughtful preparation. Does your team know when to lock down, when to evacuate, and how to communicate during high-stress moments?
Cyberattacks - If your donor database or payroll system were locked by ransomware today, how long would it take to recover? As digital operations expand, so does the need for secure access protocols, multi-factor authentication, and regular backups.
Utility Failures - A burst pipe or HVAC breakdown can halt service delivery for days. Do you have a relocation option or emergency repair contacts? What’s your plan for continuity during infrastructure downtime?
Transportation Accidents - If your program involves moving people or goods, a crash isn't just a safety issue—it’s a service interruption and a potential PR event. Does your insurance cover it? Are drivers trained in incident reporting?
Leadership or Key Staff Turnover - What if your executive director resigned tomorrow? Many nonprofits rely heavily on a few people—succession planning isn’t just a luxury; it’s part of your emergency readiness.
Public Health Crises - From contagious illness to contaminated food, health-related emergencies often require rapid coordination with local agencies. Do your protocols account for quarantine, communication, and continuity of care?
Sudden Funding Loss – A major grant not renewed or a key donor backing out can jeopardize payroll, programs, and partnerships—often with little warning. Do you have reserves, diversified revenue streams, or a contingency budget to stabilize operations? What’s your plan for communicating transparently with staff, clients, and funders during financial disruption?
Understanding your unique risk landscape is the first step. From there, the goal is to build a plan that protects people, property, data, and—most importantly—your ability to serve.
Building a Culture of Readiness
Emergency preparedness begins with intentional planning, but it doesn’t end there. The most effective nonprofit plans address the full lifecycle of an emergency—from prevention to recovery. This includes not only evacuation routes and contact trees, but also insurance coverage, staff training, and technology backup systems.
Our friend and insurance guru Sara Rhine emphasizes that insurance plays a critical role in that readiness. "It’s really about building a safety net that supports both your mission and the people who carry it out," she says. General liability and property insurance are foundational, but nonprofits often overlook other essential protections like Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance, workers’ compensation, and cyber liability coverage.
Rhine also points to underutilized tools like volunteer accident coverage, which can help protect the individuals many nonprofits rely on most. For organizations serving children, seniors, or vulnerable populations, abuse and molestation coverage is another important—though sometimes uncomfortable—layer of protection. Importantly, many carriers also provide free or low-cost risk management resources, such as HR hotlines or safety templates, which Rhine notes are often underused.
Insurance and Continuity of Operations
When a nonprofit experiences a fire, flood, or other physical disruption, it's not just the property that’s affected—it’s the continuity of service. Property insurance helps organizations rebuild, but business income insurance helps them stay afloat during the interruption. Rhine explains that this coverage can help cover lost revenue, ongoing expenses like payroll or rent, and even relocation costs if the organization needs a temporary space.
"Continuity is everything for mission-driven organizations," she adds. "The faster you can recover and get back to doing the work, the more trust you maintain."
What to Do Immediately After an Emergency
When a crisis strikes, your response in the first few hours matters. According to Rhine, the first priority is always safety—ensuring staff, volunteers, and clients are out of harm’s way. After that, prompt communication with your insurance agent is essential.
She recommends documenting everything: photos, notes about what happened, and any damaged items—if safe to collect. Preventing further damage (such as covering a broken window or leaking roof) is often a policy requirement. Keep detailed records of all actions taken and people contacted. If your nonprofit has a continuity plan, now is the time to activate it.
Financial Resilience is Emergency Readiness
Here’s where Ghost Writer can help make a big difference.
Many nonprofits put off emergency planning or facility upgrades because of funding limitations. We get it—grant cycles are competitive, and general operating support is hard to come by. But financial readiness is a core piece of emergency preparedness.
For example, deferred maintenance—like a leaking roof or outdated HVAC—can quickly spiral into an emergency situation. A capital investment today can prevent a costly crisis tomorrow. Similarly, maintaining a small reserve fund can be the difference between staying open or shutting down temporarily during a disruption.
We work with organizations to identify funding sources for infrastructure improvements, emergency equipment, and even staff training. There are grants available for things like cybersecurity upgrades, building hardening, and safety equipment. With the right strategy, preparedness can be funded proactively, not reactively.
Grants Can Support Your Preparedness Goals
Many nonprofit leaders don’t realize that preparedness-focused projects are often eligible for grant support. Federal and state programs like FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program provide funding for everything from surveillance systems to reinforced doors. Local foundations may offer microgrants for safety improvements or emergency planning.
Ghost Writer helps nonprofits uncover these opportunities, write compelling proposals, and manage the follow-through. Whether you're seeking to install a generator, create a continuity plan, or upgrade your technology systems, we’ll help you make the case to get the funding you need.
Getting Started with Nonprofit Emergency Preparedness
Emergency planning can feel overwhelming, especially if your organization is already stretched thin. But you don’t have to do everything at once, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Start by assembling a small team or committee focused on resilience. Assign roles, review your insurance policies, and conduct a basic risk assessment. Reach out to local emergency services or your insurance provider for templates and checklists—they often have resources specifically for nonprofits.
Rhine suggests using the following two resources to help you get started:
Want to speak with an insurance agent about your organization's risks? Reach out to Strickler Insurance Agency to set up a conversation with one of their Commercial Risk Management team members.
And if you’re not sure where to begin finding funding for your emergency response plan, Ghost Writer is here to help. We can guide you through building a preparedness funding strategy, apply for relevant grants, and help craft the messaging that communicates your readiness to funders and your community.
Preparedness is Purposeful
At the heart of all of this is your mission. Every emergency your organization navigates successfully means one more day you can keep showing up for the people and causes you care about. That’s why nonprofit emergency preparedness is so important—and why it’s worth investing in.
Whether you need help building your plan, identifying funding sources, or telling your story to stakeholders, Ghost Writer is ready to stand beside you.
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