How do you handle an angry customer?
Nonprofit employees will occasionally encounter an unsatisfied volunteer, donor, strategic partner, or community stakeholder. Fundraising managers will typically address complaints from donors and strategic partners. The interviewer wants to know that you handle yourself with professionalism and poise in the face of high-stress situations or environments.
Share with the interviewer how you remain focused and engaged in this situation. Describe how you acknowledge the person's complaint, and then lay out the steps you take to address the situation. Remember, the goal is to show how you would be an excellent representative of the organization in any situation, and you can do this while also demonstrating your knowledge of the organization's programs.
"A few years ago, a client called to complain that the volunteer scheduled to deliver her weekly box of supplemental, shelf-stable food supplies had not been delivering her food. I assured her I would investigate the issue and return her call within the hour. I contacted the volunteer, who insisted he had been making the deliveries. I opened the client's file and saw that her address had been mistakenly altered in a recent software update, so the volunteer had been delivering to the wrong home. I called the client and apologized for the mistake, contacted IT to correct the issue, alerted the volunteer to the address change, and sent the client enough food to make up for the days lost. She was happy with my quick attention to her concern."
