If you live in Florida, you learn early on that storms are inevitable. It’s not if but when.
That same mindset applies to nonprofit work. At Metropolitan Ministries, we’ve had hurricanes, floods, a pandemic, and now an economic emergency brought on by the government shutdown. SNAP benefits are paused, federal workers aren’t getting paid, and families are showing up to our food markets in record numbers. We’re already seeing double the families, and our frontline team expects it could quadruple.
This isn’t a weather emergency. It’s a life storm. And we’re treating it like one.
Because when families don’t know how they’ll feed their kids next week, that’s an emergency.
And in moments like this, I’m reminded why preparation—planning, budgeting, and being ready to move fast—is the only way to lead through a crisis.
Planning Ahead So You Don’t Have to Scramble
Years ago, after getting hit by back-to-back hurricanes, we learned that scrambling in the middle of chaos just doesn’t work. You’re going to lose both quality and efficiency if you wait to plan your emergency response during the emergency.
So we built a system. We now have an internal Emergency Response Team. These are leaders across departments who prepare in advance for whatever might come next. We even budget for it. We call it our “hurricane contingency budget.”
That means when disaster strikes, or when SNAP benefits get suspended, we already have funds, creative, and campaigns ready to go. It’s not quite as simple as “press a button,” but it’s close.
And that preparedness is good stewardship. We don’t waste precious days figuring out how to respond…
…we just do it.
For hurricanes, we have digital ads, emails, landing pages, press materials, and story templates ready to go. Then, when the details become clear, we tweak messaging and roll them out. Right now, it's a different situation, but we have Thanksgiving meals messaging in the works. We are tweaking the content to be relevant and up to date with the situation our community finds itself in—adding to the request for Thanksgiving meals with information about the additional urgent need.
Building a Rapid-Response Campaign
So what does it take to build an emergency campaign that actually works?
First, have a plan.
Budget for it. Build the creative. Decide who’s responsible for approvals. The worst time to make decisions is in the middle of chaos.
Second, move fast, but stay grounded.
You have to be honest and accurate. Once you put something out into the world, you can’t take it back. Our messaging is carefully calibrated to show strength, compassion, and leadership, without sensationalizing the situation.
Third, lead with digital.
During a crisis, digital is our fastest and most flexible lever. We can change messaging within hours. Email, text, paid ads all allow us to adjust tone and message in real time.
Direct mail is powerful, but in an emergency, it’s often slow. We still use it later to tell the longer story, but digital is how you stay relevant in the moment.
Finally, stay in sync with what your community is seeing and feeling.
If everyone’s talking about families losing SNAP benefits, you can’t ignore that in your messaging. You have to acknowledge what’s happening and invite people to help.
Otherwise, you risk sounding tone-deaf or, worse, irrelevant.
Share Stories From the Frontlines
One of the things that makes Metropolitan Ministries strong is that we never write messages in a vacuum. Every day, our team gathers stories from the front lines. They are talking to families and workers showing up scared, asking how to feed their kids, and having to choose between rent and groceries.
We’ve even heard from furloughed federal employees, people who’ve worked their whole lives and suddenly can’t pay their bills.
Those real stories give our donors a reason to care. This stops the news from being abstract data and, instead, it becomes a human need.
And the beautiful part is that our community always responds. People want to help. They just need to know how to help.
We used to say, “We’ve got to get to the top of the mailbox.” Now, it’s “Get to the top of the feed.” Whether it’s a mailbox or a digital screen, the principle is the same: you have to stand out, and you have to be first. That’s how you get attention when it matters most.
When we do that, donors show up. During last year’s hurricanes, those crisis campaigns raised over $4 million in additional revenue. During COVID, we more than doubled our food box distribution. And now, as we brace for another wave of need, we’re ready again.
The Power of Brand Trust and Media Relationships
Here’s the truth: you can have the best message in the world, but if people don’t trust you, they won’t listen.
That’s why we’ve spent years building relationships with local media and earning the community's trust.
When we sent out our press release about the food crisis, it went out at 9 a.m. and we were on TV by noon. Almost every local station covered it. That’s not luck, that’s years of answering every reporter’s call, even when it’s inconvenient.
I tell my team all the time: if a journalist calls, you answer. Because if you’re not part of the story, someone else will be. And if you’re not visible, you can’t lead.
That visibility matters. When you’re trusted, when people see you as the organization that shows up first and stays the course, that’s when donors, volunteers, and the media all rally behind you.
When you’ve built that foundation, your voice carries weight when it matters most.
People know you’re not crying wolf—they know you’re telling the truth. And when you say, “Families are in crisis. We need your help,” they know they can believe you.
Every Community Has Its Own Storms
Our emergencies might look different from yours. In Florida, it’s hurricanes. In the Northeast, it’s freezing temperatures. On the West Coast, it might be fires. In the Midwest, it might be tornadoes. And for many, right now, it’s economic instability.
Whatever your community faces, the principle is the same: Plan for it. Budget for it. Prepare for it like you know it’s coming, because it is.
At the heart of our mission is the knowledge that people are coming to us in crisis. And our job is to be ready. To show up. To act fast. To serve with strength and compassion.
Because emergencies don’t wait for the perfect timing, the right weather, or a board meeting.
So neither should we.
Final Takeaway for Other Ministries
If you serve people in crisis—whether through food, shelter, or community care—this is your nudge to prepare.
Create an emergency response plan. Build a small contingency budget. Draft your first response brief now, before you need it.
Because the truth is, these “life storms” aren’t rare anymore.
And when they hit, your community will look to you for leadership. Be ready to stand in that gap with integrity, courage, and compassion.
That’s how you stay at the top of the feed.
That’s how you stay at the top of the mailbox.
That’s how you build community trust.
And most importantly, that’s how you help people when they need it most.
