This winter, a small women's nonprofit in Montreal experienced a disruption that many organizations never think about until it happens to them.
During a severe cold snap approaching -30°C (-22°F), pipes froze and began leaking, causing damage to the facility and temporarily interrupting operations. Fortunately, the situation was manageable, but it highlights an important lesson: even seemingly routine maintenance issues can quickly become continuity events.
For organizations that provide critical services, even a short disruption can affect clients, staff, funding, reputation, and mission delivery.
Continuity Planning Isn't Just for Large Organizations
One of the most common misconceptions I encounter is that Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) is only necessary for large government agencies, major corporations, or organizations with extensive resources.
The reality is quite different.
Small nonprofits, local businesses, healthcare providers, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, and community groups are often more vulnerable to disruptions because they operate with limited staff, limited facilities, and limited financial reserves.
When a disruption occurs, they may have fewer options available for recovery.
Questions Every Organization Should Ask
Consider the following:
- What would happen if your primary facility became inaccessible tomorrow?
- How would employees communicate during an emergency?
- Which services or functions must continue no matter what?
- Who has decision-making authority during a disruption?
- Can critical records and systems be accessed remotely?
- How long can your organization tolerate an interruption before significant impacts occur?
Many leaders discover they don't have clear answers until after a crisis begins.
Disruptions Come in Many Forms
While frozen pipes created the problem in this example, organizations face a wide range of threats, including:
- Severe weather events
- Utility failures
- Cyberattacks
- Supply chain disruptions
- Workforce shortages
- Public health emergencies
- Facility damage
- Transportation interruptions
The specific threat matters less than the organization's ability to continue essential operations despite the disruption.
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Building Resilience Before You Need It
This challenge is exactly why I wrote Fast-Track COOP & Business Resilience: Build a Continuity Plan to Stay Prepared, Operational, and Crisis-Proof in Just 100 Days.
Throughout my career leading Continuity of Operations initiatives within the federal government, I saw firsthand that successful organizations do not simply react to crises. They prepare for them.
The book provides a practical, step-by-step roadmap that helps organizations:
✔ Identify essential functions
✔ Assess operational risks and impacts
✔ Establish leadership accountability
✔ Develop continuity strategies
✔ Create communication protocols
✔ Conduct training and exercises
✔ Build a culture of resilience
Rather than focusing on theory, the book emphasizes implementation and action. It also includes access to more than 120 pages of editable appendices, templates, worksheets, and planning tools that can be adapted for organizations of any size.
Preparedness Is a Leadership Responsibility
The Montreal nonprofit's frozen pipe incident serves as a reminder that disruptions often begin with ordinary events. A weather emergency. A power outage. A technology failure. A staffing shortage.
The organizations that recover most effectively are rarely the lucky ones.
They are the prepared ones.
Because disruption is no longer a possibility. It's a certainty.
The real question is whether your organization will remain operational when it happens.
📘 Fast-Track COOP & Business Resilience: Build a Continuity Plan to Stay Prepared, Operational, and Crisis-Proof in Just 100 Days
- Paperback available on Amazon
- Available direct from Ingram
- 30% discount for bulk purchases (10+) please contact the publisher directly: contact@bengpublishing.com
A practical guide for leaders who understand that resilience is not paperwork, it's a leadership discipline.
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