Each charity should have a plan to protect its reputation and keep itself off the front page of the national newspapers, a communications expert told Trustee Exchange last week.

In a session at Civil Society Media's conference for trustees,  award-winning PR professional and former BBC journalist Sarah Pinch (pictured) said the sector had not worked hard enough to protect its reputation.

She said things will always happen that you can't predict or control. But as long as you have a plan and stay calm, you should be able to withstand it.

"Reputation is a shared experience and the whole board's responsibility," she said. "But don't fall into the trap of everybody thinking someone else is owning that responsibility, when in fact nobody is.”

She said that an organisation's reputation had been shown to be worth around 28 per cent of its value, "so if you lose your reputation, you are sunk".

Pinch said the sector needed to respond with one voice but had so far failed to do so. She said the sector was not alone in experiencing declining public trust – there is less trust in all types of organisations and institutions than there used to be – but charities should not complain that they have been victimised by the media.

“You guys get some phenomenal coverage for some of the great fundraising you do,” she said, “so remember it works both ways.”

She said the charity sector was not as effective as some other sectors at responding to criticism.

“The banking industry has set up a working group to look at restoring trust in the sector – has the charity sector done anything like that? I’ll leave that idea with you.”

How to look after your reputation

1. Make sure your organisation has defined values and behaviours; recruit people according to these and operate your board accordingly too.

2. Find out what your staff and volunteers think of you.  Gather the data using free online tools and then spend some money on a market researcher who is signed up to the market research code of conduct, to analyse the results.  That way you guarantee the anonymity of respondents but gather honest responses.

3.  Cultivate strong relationships with your valued stakeholders, such as your volunteers, during "peacetime" – because when things go wrong it's very powerful if they will speak up on your behalf.

4. Know who your enemies are and keep them even closer.

5. Investigate the possibility of doing integrated reporting - reporting on aspects of your organisation’s progress other than just financial.  See http://www.cipr.co.uk/content/about-us/agms/2015/integrated-report for more information on this.

6. Make sure 'reputation' is a standing item on your board agenda, and regularly discuss what you are doing to enhance it.

7. Have a trustee who is responsible for reputation, someone who understands communications, marketing and engagement.

What to do if a crisis strikes

1. Put your carefully-prepared plan into action.

2. Say sorry. Saying sorry is not the same as admitting liability or guilt.

3. Keep calm - behave like you have always behaved.  

4. Think about all the questions you might be asked and come up with answers - it doesn't matter if you never get asked them, at least you'll be prepared if you do.

5. Get your chief executive out there at the front of the organisation.