14/08/2025
Working with celebrities can offer charities and campaign-oriented organisations many benefits for increased profile, media opportunities and raised income. But it can also be fraught with risk. If the worst should happen that’s when good crisis comms preparation comes into play – without a plan in place, it’s already too late.
Becky Slack, Agenda co-director, offers some crisis comms tips for organisations either working with a celebrity or thinking about taking the leap:
📌Undertake a risk assessment and have statements prepared
Make sure you are on the front foot, complete a risk assessment before you engage a celebrity.
📌Quickly identify any legal or safety concerns
Should you find that one of your celebrities has been accused of something serious and illegal, you should act quickly and decisively. Your priority should be ensuring the safety and security of your people – staff, members, volunteers, beneficiaries, donors.
📌Check whether your values align before making a decision
It may be that the individual hasn’t done anything wrong per se, but certain sections of society don’t like their views or associations – you need to assess whether your celebrity’s values match with your own and choose whether to maintain the relationship.
📌If you are going to stand by them, be prepared!
Be warned that the media/social media attention may turn on you and therefore you need to be fully ready for this with statements and spokespeople.
📌Think carefully about when to release a statement
The type of media statement you should publish again depends on the situation. If people have been harmed, their needs should take front and centre of your statement.
📌Do you even need to make a media statement?
If the incident involving the celebrity does not have any direct links or relevance to your organisation, there’s no real need to issue a statement in advance of a media request.
📌Deciding what to include in the media statement and other information
The contents of the media statement again depend on the situation. Keep your statement factual and free from emotion.
If you’re looking for more in-depth advice and guidance then you need our new practical workshop on Crisis Communications. It’s built for busy comms professionals in charities, unions and companies with a social purpose and is designed to get you crisis-ready.
You’ll walk away with:
✅ A clear understanding of what to do before a crisis hits
✅️ Practical tips you can tailor to your organisation
✅️ The essential dos and don’ts that protect trust, people and reputation
✅ Confidence to lead with calm, values-led communication when the pressure is on
Just like an insurance policy, a good crisis plan protects you when things go wrong. This workshop helps you build one that actually works.
⏳Only 8 places available – reserve yours now and be ready before the next storm breaks.
Crisis comms workshop: Be prepared for the unexpected
Wednesday 17 September
10am-12pm BST
Price: £67 / €79
👉 https://your-agenda.com/latest/events/crisis-comms
