Target Audience
“Are we governing reputation and stakeholder trust before something goes wrong or only managing them afterwards?”
The course is designed for those with responsibility for organisational governance, leadership, and decision-making: CEOs and senior leaders, including board members and trustees. It approaches crisis preparedness, reputation and stakeholder trust as governance and leadership responsibilities rather than as specialist functional issues.
Outline
Reputational crises can begin with decisions, behaviours, governance failures or stakeholder concerns that have not been recognised or addressed early enough. Nonprofit organisations operate in environments of high public trust, complex stakeholder relationships, and increasing regulatory and media scrutiny. From governance failures and leadership decisions to cybersecurity, AI and stakeholder controversy, the range of issues capable of damaging organisational trust continues to grow. Yet reputational and stakeholder trust risks can be underestimated or addressed only after problems have arisen.
This practical session will explore how governance culture, leadership behaviour and organisational decision-making influence reputation, legitimacy and organisational sustainability, particularly during periods of change, challenge or crisis.
1. Reputation and Trust as Governance Issues
- Why reputation and stakeholder trust matter to organisational sustainability.
- Understanding reputation as more than a communication issue.
- The relationship between organisational behaviour, stakeholder expectations and trust.
2. Anticipating Reputational Risk
- Identifying potential sources of reputational and stakeholder risk.
- Recognising how governance, culture and decision-making can increase or reduce risk.
- Considering reputation and stakeholder perspectives before a crisis arises.
3. Leadership and Governance During a Crisis
- The respective roles of the board, CEO and senior leadership.
- Decision-making when an organisation is under pressure.
- Maintaining stakeholder trust during periods of uncertainty, change or challenge.
4. Practical Scenarios
- Applying the principles to realistic nonprofit scenarios.
- Questions boards and senior leaders should be asking.
- Practical actions organisations can take to strengthen preparedness.
Methodology
Delivered virtually via Zoom. The session will combine presentation and discussion with practical examples and scenarios relevant to nonprofit organisations.
Instructor
Martina Byrne
Martina Byrne is the founder of Byrne Consultants, where she advises boards and leadership teams on governance, strategic communication, organisational performance and responsible AI adoption. She previously spent eight years as CEO of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland. Martina combines non-executive board experience, executive leadership and academic research to provide independent, evidence-informed advice to organisations facing challenges, change and complex environments.
Martina is a non-executive director of a State body and registered charity and lectures in Corporate Communications at postgraduate level. She holds a PhD in Sociology, a B.A in Communications, and Law Society qualifications relating to governance, AI and the law.
Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will:
- Understand why reputation and stakeholder trust are governance and leadership issues.
- Be better able to identify sources of reputational and stakeholder risk before they develop into crises.
- Understand the respective roles of boards, CEOs and senior leaders in preparing for, and responding to, reputational challenges.
- Be able to consider stakeholder trust as part of organisational decision-making.
- Leave with practical questions and actions they can use to strengthen their organisation’s preparedness.
Carmichael’s Spring Summer 2027 Scheduled Training Programme is kindly sponsored by BoardEffect.
BoardEffect is part of Diligent, the leader in modern governance. BoardEffect delivers an agile board management solution optimised for governance leaders of nonprofits, higher education institutions, community healthcare organisations, and credit unions with the right tools, analytics, and insights to drive more efficient, transparent, and secure governance.
Fees
| €80 | Nonprofit Organisation |
| €70 | Carmichael Resident Organisation |
| €90 | Statutory Organisation |
| €90 | Corporate Organisation |