All Apologies (nonprofit version)

by Amy Brugh

Apologies have been on my mind. Merriam Webster defines apology as:

“an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret”

There are lots of resources floating around for how we can make genuine and intentional apologies…as individuals. A few resources on apologizing:

Here’s a hot take from Ciarra Jones on apologizing as a white person or non-black POC

Erin Walsh from the Spark & Stitch Institute published a post on apologies with family

The Gottman Institute suggests a “repair attempt” as a way to build relationships beyond a simple apology

But what about our organizations? Nonprofits may need to offer an apology to employees, clients and participants, or communities. How can nonprofits examine their faults, missteps, and pitfalls and make a true effort to apologize?

Here are some ideas for nonprofit apologies:

Scan your organization

Take a cold, hard look at your organization. Who wants and deserves an apology from your organization? What past or current actions may not align with your mission, vision, and values (or perhaps the statements warrant an apology, too)? How have you continued to uphold white supremacy and patriarchy or other dominant yet damaging paradigms, even when you’ve pledged otherwise? How can you do the difficult work of beginning to apologize? When are you going to make apologies? Why haven’t you?

Practice apologizing

Identify where your organization has gone wrong and to whom you may own an apology. Ask them if they’re open to engaging in this conversation with you. Respect their answer if they don’t want an apology or aren’t ready for one. If they say yes, practice your apology first. Get clear on why you are offering an apology. Reduce your defensiveness ahead of time, in case it doesn't go the way you thought it would. Know that you may need to try again.

Follow up your apology with real change

Ask the person, group, or community to whom you are apologizing what change they’d like to see. If you can’t make real change, then consider whether you’re ready to make the apology in the first place. Include clear, tangible, changes in your apology, based on what you heard is wanted or needed. Commit to a timeline for when your organization will make these changes.

Repeat this cycle

If we’ve messed something up in the past, we’re probably at risk of doing it again. Know that apologies are not one-time events. They must be a part of a process of acknowledging past harms, understanding what this means for the present, and committing to repairs and amends into the future.