How to Prepare Your International Organization for the Next Crisis Before It Happens

How is your organization prepared for global unrest?

For nonprofits operating globally, the question of whether an international crisis will occur is less about “if” and more about “when.” From political instability to natural disasters, medical emergencies, or security incidents, the world is unpredictable. The true measure of an organization’s resilience isn’t just how it reacts in the moment, but how thoroughly it prepares long before a crisis ever unfolds.

Proactive preparation is the cornerstone of effective crisis management, protecting both your mission and the well-being of your personnel. It moves an organization from a reactive, vulnerable stance to one of strength and readiness.

Here are key steps to prepare your nonprofit for the next international crisis, before it happens:

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Risk Assessment and Inventory

You can’t prepare for what you don’t know. The first step is to gain a deep understanding of your operational landscape and all potential vulnerabilities.

• Map Your Footprint: Identify every country, region, and specific location where your organization has personnel, assets, or ongoing activities. Understand the local political climate, common natural disaster risks, and prevalent security concerns for each area.
• Know Your People: Maintain an accurate and up-to-date registry of all personnel overseas, including their roles, nationalities, contact information, and emergency contacts. Clearly define their relationship to the organization (employee, volunteer, contractor).
• Catalog Your Assets: Document all ministry-owned property, vehicles, and significant equipment overseas. Understand their value and replacement costs.
• Analyze Program Risks: For each international program or activity, identify the specific risks involved. For example, remote medical work carries different risks than urban development projects.

2. Build a Robust, Layered International Insurance Program

Insurance isn’t just a financial product; it’s a critical component of your crisis response mechanism. A comprehensive, layered program ensures you have the resources to act decisively.

• Foreign Voluntary Workers’ Compensation (FVWC): Essential for all employees working abroad, covering work-related injuries or illnesses, including crucial medical evacuation and repatriation.
• Kidnap & Ransom (K&R) Insurance: This policy provides immediate access to crisis response firms and often includes enhanced security evacuation benefits that activate even without official government mandates, allowing for proactive personnel extraction during political unrest.
• Foreign General Liability: Protects your organization from lawsuits and claims arising from incidents in foreign legal systems.
• International Property Insurance: Safeguards your physical assets against damage, theft, or other losses in foreign territories.
• Comprehensive Travel Insurance: Vital for all volunteers and short-term trip participants, ensuring medical emergencies, medical evacuations, and trip interruptions are covered.
• Global Health Insurance: For long-term expatriate staff, Global Health Insurance provides comprehensive medical care abroad, complementing FVWC.

Crucially, review all policy language carefully to identify any geographic exclusions or limitations in “high-risk” areas where your mission operates.

3. Develop and Implement a Crisis Communication Plan

In a crisis, clear and rapid communication is paramount. A plan ensures everyone knows who to contact, how, and what information to convey.

• Establish a Crisis Response Team (CRT): Designate a small group of key leaders with clear roles and responsibilities during an emergency.
• Communication Trees: Develop clear protocols for who communicates with whom, internally and externally (e.g., families, donors, media, local authorities).
• Redundant Communication Channels: Do not rely on a single method. Have multiple ways to reach personnel (satellite phones, messaging apps, emergency contacts) as well as backup communication methods for the CRT.
• Pre-drafted Messages: Prepare templates for initial internal and external communications to save time and ensure consistent messaging during high-stress situations.

4. Train Personnel and Practice Response Protocols

Even the best plans are ineffective without trained individuals. Empower your personnel with knowledge and practical skills.

• Emergency Contact Information: Ensure every individual deployed internationally has easy, immediate access to emergency contact numbers for all relevant services (medical evacuation, security assistance, organizational points of contact). This includes physical cards and digital access.
• Basic Safety Briefings: Conduct mandatory pre-departure briefings on security awareness, local customs, health risks, and emergency procedures for each destination.
• Crisis Drills: For the Crisis Response Team, regularly practice scenarios (e.g., a simulated kidnapping, a natural disaster response) to test the plan, identify weaknesses, and build muscle memory.
• Field Protocol Training: Train field personnel on basic emergency first aid, communication protocols in distress, and how to follow instructions during an evacuation.

5. Foster Relationships with External Support and Conduct Regular Reviews

No organization can prepare for every eventuality alone. Leverage external relationships and commit to continuous improvement.

• Engage an Experienced Broker: Partner with an insurance broker who deeply understands the complexities of international nonprofits and can help you build a truly layered and comprehensive program.
• Connect with Local Resources: Identify local emergency services, reliable transportation options, and safe havens in your operational areas.
• Annual Audits: Conduct a yearly audit of your entire international insurance program, reviewing all policies, personnel lists, and risk profiles. Adjust coverage as your operations or the global risk landscape changes.
• Post-Incident Learning: After any significant incident (even minor ones), conduct a thorough review to learn what worked and what didn’t, integrating these lessons into your preparedness strategy.

By proactively building these layers of preparation, from comprehensive risk assessment and robust insurance to clear communication and continuous training, your nonprofit can significantly enhance its ability to navigate the next international crisis, protecting its people and ensuring its mission endures.