Your Media Relations Can Make or Break Your Charity - It's that Simple

Did you see the 60 Minutes story about Greg Mortenson, his book, Three Cups of Tea, and his charity, the Central Asia Institute? If not, you can get the gist of the expose with this AP article or Monday's New York Time's article about it.

The 60 Minutes report was pretty damning, alleging misrepresentation of the facts in Mortenson's wildy popular book, suspicious financial arrangements at the charity, and testimony from some credible third parties that something is not right at the charity.

It's too early to tell yet who is right and who is wrong in this situation, much less how the negative publicity will affect the charity's fundraising and its cause. But it is certainly a good example of what not to do when the media comes calling.

Here are some lessons from the way Mortenson and his charity mishandled this situation:

• Get out in front of any damaging media coverage. The organization and Mortenson knew CBS was investigating but apparently did not respond to earlier requests for contact from the network.

• Never run away from an unexpected visit from the media. A 60 Minutes reporter approached Mortenson at a book signing before an event (apparently because they had been unsuccessful in making contact earlier) and Mortenson looked like the typical deer in the headlights, caught in the act guilty person who was caught red-handed. His "people" called in the hotel security forces to try to evict the reporter and camera crew. They promised to send someone to meet 60 Minutes in the lobby later but sent no one. Mortenson "escaped" out the back door after cancelling the event. Whew...can't get any worse than that.

• Never hang the reputation of your charity on that of one individual. This is a common problem when one person, the founder usually, becomes a "star" and receives most of the attention. The danger is, of course, that that person can fall as quickly as he or she rose, to the detriment of the cause. A charity should be about team work, not one person.

• Never lie. Don't even fudge the facts. Someone will find out. It's inevitable and fatal.

So why do people get into this kind of trouble with the media? They just never think it will happen to them, and they don't understand the power of the media. At least they don't believe it until it happens.

What are the lessons to be learned from the Mortenson expose? Are the media too tough? Unfair? Was the charity and its founder heading for a fall? What do you think?

Related:

• 5 Ways to Master Media Relations for Your Nonprofit
• 5 Tips for Effective Nonprofit Crisis Planning
• 10 Steps to a Nonprofit Issues Management Program

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