You are the executive director of a nonprofit that runs an animal shelter and animal services, such as low-cost spay/neuter programs. Your biggest donor, a local foundation, has just withdrawn funding, saying that it has refocused its mission on supporting arts programs and your activities do not align with that. Unless other funding can be found, and soon, the shelter building will need to be closed, paid staff laid off, and most animals turned over to other, already crowded shelters. Your employees and volunteers are very worried and are looking to you for leadership.
Which of the following do you do? Check all that apply.
a. Withhold information about the organization’s financial picture so that employees continue to be loyal rather than looking for other jobs.
b. Hold meetings with employees, volunteers, and representatives of other local shelters and listen carefully as they brainstorm ideas.
c. Honestly acknowledge the challenges the organization faces while also communicating optimism about finding the resources to fulfill your mission.
d. Stay in your office as much as possible so people know you’re hard at work, and when you do walk around, keep a "poker face" on so no one gets the idea that things are worse or better than they are.