Continuity planning for nonprofits

• Author: Nancy Meyer‐Emerick,Mehnaaz Momen
• Published date: 01 September 2003
• Date: 01 September 2003
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21

FROM THE FIELD

Continuity Planning

for Nonprofits

Nancy Meyer-Emerick,

Mehnaaz Momen

Many nonprofits assist in emergency response and disaster relief

to alleviate human suffering. In order to enhance those efforts

and the maintenance of routine nonprofit operations, this arti-

cle introduces the concept of continuity planning. Continuity

planning does not focus on specific risks, such as floods or hur-

ricanes, but on the maintenance of critical operational processes

despite natural, anthropogenic, or technological interruptions.

Continuity planning has yet to be widely applied within the non-

profit sector, primarily due to a lack of fiscal or personnel

resources. This article explores several continuity-planning

options for nonprofits and provides a brief explanation of the

process.

CONTINUITY PLANNING, as used in this article, is an abbreviated

name for business continuity planning. The article uses the

abbreviated term in order to eliminate confusion because

although business generally means routine agency operations, it also

brings to mind private sector goals that are not the primary focus of

nonprofit management. The methodology discussed here is generally

based on industry standards for business continuity and disaster

recovery planners: the Disaster Recovery Institute International

(DRII) certification standards (DRII, 2000).

Although large private sector organizations frequently hire con-

tinuity planners, most nonprofits and small businesses cannot afford

such services. Through a grant from the Public Entity Risk Institute

(PERI), the Business and Industry Council for Emergency Planning

and Preparedness (BICEPP) of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the

Red Cross and the authors developed an affordable tool for continu-

ity planning so that nonprofits and small businesses could develop

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, vol. 14, no. 1, Fall 2003 © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 67

Note: This project was supported by a grant from the Public Entity Risk Insti-

tute through the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross.