Sustaining Nonprofits During Economic Downturns
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2009 Webinar Series Announced
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center is pleased to unveil its line-up of monthly webinars for 2009. Consider enrolling in the entire series to realize the greatest savings. Join us the first Wednesday of each month for an informative, provocative, and affordable training program that you can join "live" or listen to at your convenience. We've carefully selected twelve timely topics and we invite you to add the series to your training calendar for the coming year. Provide training for your entire staff at the cost of a single on-site program. Click here to view the topics, dates, and to register for one, two or all of the upcoming programs.
Fiscal Responsibility and Oversight: Empower Your Board to Lead
By Melanie Lockwood Herman
(This article is excerpted from the Center’s brand-new book, Financial Risk Management: A Guide for Nonprofit Executives. Order your copy.)
While it is rare in a mature nonprofit for a board member to perform day-to-day bookkeeping or financial management duties (such as making journal entries or signing checks), board members exercise overall responsibility for the fiscal affairs of the nonprofits they serve. To discharge this responsibility board members must more...
Be Proactive in Times of Crisis
The unexpected happens. Even with insightful planning and sound risk management—people are injured, fires destroy, and investments evaporate. When “stuff happens,” savvy nonprofits know that action is needed and that action has to be communicated to stakeholders. Speaking recently about the challenges posed by the economy, Rebecca Rimel, President of the Pew Charitable Trusts, stressed that clear and continual communication among the nonprofit’s staff, board and constituents is critical. How should difficult messages be crafted? Given the challenges that so many nonprofits are facing right now, we thought it was a good time to revisit some basic tenets about communicating with stakeholders in a time of crisis. more...
Anxiety + Motivation = Inspiration for Sound Risk Management
These days the news is all about risk in the financial markets. Many institutions and individuals are justifiably anxious about their investments, their banks, and their insurance companies. At the Nonprofit Risk Management Center we believe that facing a crisis has some benefits. What could possibly be the benefit of the current turmoil in the financial services industry? At a minimum, the events of late Summer remind us that while seeking positive opportunities, we shouldn’t neglect to prepare our organizations, and those who depend on a nonprofit’s programs and services, for potential downside risks associated with those efforts. more...
In my view, www.nonprofitrisk.org is the Web's gold standard for risk management information. If I was stuck on a desert island and could only bring one Web site with me it would be www.nonprofitrisk.org. That may sound ridiculous, but next time you have a risk management question, I'll bet you can find an answer at www.nonprofitrisk.org.
David Hartley, Manager, Training & Outreach, Insurance and Liability Resource Centre for Nonprofits, Toronto