Insurance 101

Join a member of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center’s board of directors for an entertaining and informative look at the intersection of two very different worlds: the nonprofit sector and the insurance industry. During this fast-paced program you’ll learn how to read an insurance policy, practical tips for evaluating your insurance needs, and the role of an independent agent or broker. You’ll also learn about the coverages most commonly purchased by nonprofits as well as rarer policy types that may be worth considering.

Nonprofit Risk Management 101 Sold Out

This pre-conference workshop will feature an introduction to the risk management process, tips on forming and managing a risk management committee, an overview of “top risks” facing nonprofit organizations, and practical suggestions for engaging a nonprofit board in risk oversight. This workshop is ideal for leaders who are relatively new to the discipline of risk management as well as leaders seeking a refresher before the Summit begins.

Only attendees who signed up for Nonprofit Risk Management 101 when they registered for the Summit may attend this workshop. The session is now completely full.

Artistry Unleashed: Tapping Your Qualitative Powers to Manage Risk in an Uncertain World

Problem-solving is a skill that every effective nonprofit leader needs from time to time, if not every day. Yet fewer and fewer challenges facing leaders today are the kind that come with a clear set of instructions or simple solutions. Instead, many of the mission-threatening challenges organizations face involve multiple factors, diverse constituencies, varying perspectives and an overall lack of clarity about the means or the ends. Consultant, professor and author Hilary Austen refers to these challenges as "enigmatic problems." In her thought-providing book, Artistry Unleashed, Austen invites leaders to tap into their fundamental human capabilities, and seek, rather than fear, ambiguity. You won't want to miss this dynamic plenary session and the opportunity to learn why your nonprofit might be better served when you embrace, rather than avoid, surprises. With Hilary Austen as our guide, Summit attendees will have a chance to re-think risk and learn how demanding problems may in fact be priceless opportunities for artistry and organizational transformation.

Health Care Reform: What You Need to Know

Although federal health care reform is not a new topic, it remains a source of confusion and frustration for many nonprofit leaders. The Opening General Session will offer invaluable insights into the changes that have taken place and how developments have and will in the future impact your provision of health benefits to employees. Topics that will be covered include the extension of nondiscrimination rules to fully-insured health plans, the emergence of health care exchanges, and how health care reform is impacting large and small nonprofits differently.

Avoiding a Finance Related Crisis

Illustrating the range of potential finance-related crises threatening nonprofit missions would require a palette with many colors and hues. Each year countless nonprofit leaders find themselves in "panic mode" due to cash flow shortages, inaccurate revenue projections, losses attributed to theft, and more. This workshop will explore a range of practical strategies that will help you recognize and act on warning signs and other indicators of potential trouble ahead. 

Benefits Innovations: Cooperatives, Self-Insurance and Carve Outs

This workshop will explore the emergence of cooperatives as an option for nonprofits in states where regulations permit the development of a cooperative. The presenters for this workshop will also discuss the process of weighing the possibility of self-insuring employee benefits, including financial indicators, the ins and outs of a feasibility study, and lessons from organizations that have opted for self-insurance. The final topic for this workshop is “carve-outs” – for example, the carving out of pharmacy benefits.

Common Ground

Join leaders from faith-based organizations and denominations for a high-spirited roundtable discussion of risk issues of mutual concern.

How to Save Money and Pay for Health Care Benefits

This workshop will explore the practical steps of designing and providing health care benefits with sensitivity to cost considerations. Learn how other nonprofit leaders have approached the tricky issue of health benefits funding and how to balance your desire to be a compassionate employer and provide keys benefits with the need to accurately project costs and assure the availability of adequate funding.

Managing Social Media Risk and Reward

Social media tools offer low cost, engaging and creative ways to engage a wide array of stakeholders. Yet like any tool deployed to advance your nonprofit’s mission, there’s plenty of risk along with potential reward. Attend this workshop to learn about risks caused by intentional as well as unintentional conduct on the part of employees, volunteers, members and others. Learn what you can do to better appreciate and manage the risks that arise from social media use, including uses within and outside your direct control.

What Do You Mean We're Not Covered?! A Closer Look at Insurer Disputes

Each year many nonprofit leaders receive word that the claim they have filed with an insurer falls outside the scope of coverage. Attend this workshop to learn about some of the reasons for the denial of claims filed by nonprofit insureds. Attendees will also explore the “anatomy” of a claims dispute with a carrier. Find out what you need to know and do now to minimize the risk of a dispute, plus tips that will increase your chances of prevailing, should that dreaded day arrive.

What You Don't Know Could Hurt: Federal and State Employment Law Update

This workshop will examine the changing landscape of federal and state employment laws. Attend this session to learn about new laws (e.g., "ban the box" legislation and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act), amendments to existing laws (e.g., Dodd-Frank Act amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act), and new interpretations of long-standing laws (e.g., whether the use of organization-provided smart phones by non-exempt workers is compensable time under the Fair Labor Standards Act). You won't want to miss this fast-paced, informative workshop.

Benefits Communication

Many nonprofit employers spend very little time reflecting on how best to communicate the details of their benefits programs. Attend this workshop to learn ways to effectively describe the benefits your nonprofit offers today or hopes to offer in the future. This workshop explores the importance of balancing “what” you say with “how” you say it.

Financial Due Diligence: It's More Than Checking Boxes

Due diligence and risk management are inextricably linked. CFOs typically think of due diligence in the context of managing the risks of contractual arrangements, partnerships or new business ventures. But many finance professionals view due diligence as a checking-the-box process of confirming facts, which trivializes the process. Good due diligence requires an understanding of materiality and a willingness to look for indicators that may signal unusual or unexpected risks. Done properly, due diligence should offer information and insights beyond re-statements of fact. This session will focus on financial due diligence using actual financial statements. The presenter will illustrate how to derive maximum benefit from an investigative process.

KNRMC Talk Radio – Insurance Questions and Answers

This workshop will be conducted as a mock call-in talk radio program featuring questions about insurance coverage, the insurance-buying process, and claims handling. If you’re responsible for managing your nonprofit’s insurance program (hint: it’s your job to make certain your organization has the policies and limits it needs), you won’t want to miss this opportunity to pose your thorny insurance questions to our panel of insurance experts.

The Role of Voluntary Benefits: Today and Tomorrow

Employee benefits can be offered on an employer paid, contributory or voluntary basis. In recent years the provision of voluntary programs has become increasingly popular. Your employees may place a high value on the availability of voluntary benefits such as voluntary life, disability and health products. Attend this workshop to learn about the process of developing a program, the commitment to education that is required, and information on actual products. Learn about critical “musts” in designing a voluntary benefits program as well as how to roll-out or update a voluntary benefits program at your nonprofit.

Top 10 Legal Risks Facing Nonprofit Organizations

Attend this workshop for a guided tour of legal exposures your nonprofit can't afford to overlook. You'll learn about liability risks that could drain your nonprofit's human and financial resources. Find out what your leadership team should be doing now to understand and manage your exposure to claims arising from your governance, HR, fiscal oversight, service delivery and other activities. 

We're All Human: Human Behavior and Risk Management

When a nonprofit adopts a risk management “framework,” deputizes members of a risk management committee, and approves a set of slick policies that have been blessed by counsel, one would expect that the risk management journey will be smooth and uneventful. But not if there are human beings in the mix. This workshop will explore how predictable human behavior impedes the realization of risk management strategies and policies. Learn how to anticipate and address common behaviors that paralyze otherwise sound risk management programs.

Beyond Financial Oversight: Expanding the Board’s Role in the Pursuit of Financial Health and Sustainability

Fiscal oversight is a widely accepted responsibility of nonprofit boards, despite varying interpretations of what effective oversight really looks like. This workshop will explore the nonprofit board’s broader leadership role in assuring good fiscal health and mission sustainability. Attend this workshop to learn how to empower your board to fulfill its ultimate responsibility for the health and well-being of the organization.

He Said, She Said: Managing Workplace Disputes

In a perfect world every nonprofit employee would be “content” 100% of the time. Few if any nonprofits live in such a world. This session will explore the risks associated with discontent and offer practical suggestions for managing complaints, learning how to respond with finesse and fairness. The workshop will cover systematic approaches such as authentic open door policies, training employees on the complaint process, adopting a practical complaint investigation process, and determining witness credibility. Mediation and other dispute resolution techniques will also be discussed.

Should I or Shouldn't I: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas in Nonprofit Life

Some situations defy the simple choice between right and wrong. When there is no obvious answer, no precedent to follow, or conflicting demands of stakeholders, decisions must satisfy not only the immediate problem but must also be aligned with the organization’s mission and values. The ethical challenges facing nonprofits are unique. What is needed to “do the right thing” is often unclear. Answers may be as complex as the underlying questions.  Learn through actual experiences how to be aware of and balance stakeholder expectations, the ethical options available and how to approach the decision making process in a way that is consistent with long term viability.

Between the Lines: What We're Learning from What We're Reading

Join our panel of enthusiastic, voracious readers for an unforgettable and unconventional “book group” session. Each panel member will share their favorite books of 2011 and two or three key lessons or insights from each book. If you love to read you’ll leave this session with a terrific list of “must reads.” If you don’t like to read this session offers answers and insights without the work!

Health Risk Management: Developing a Culture of Wellness

Most nonprofit leaders quickly recognize the benefits of risk management techniques and strategies for property and casualty exposures. But our sector has been a bit late to embrace the need for health risk management. Federal health care reform has led to increased interest in the financial and other benefits of healthier workplaces. Today’s general session will explore strategies for developing a culture of wellness in a nonprofit and practical steps for catching up with our counterparts in the business sector to better integrate health risk management in the nonprofit workplace.

10 Employee Benefits Mistakes You Need to Avoid in 2011

Managing benefits isn’t easy. And with increasing complex regulations in play the risk of making a costly mistake has increased. Add to the mix the fact that nonprofit organizations have adopted a wide range of policies concerning the accrual of benefits. For example, some nonprofits require employees to use their accrued leave before the end of the fiscal year, while others permit unlimited or limited carry over. There are innumerable options. Attend this workshop to learn about the costly mistakes you might make in 2011 and how to avoid them.

Retirement Benefits in the Nonprofit World: What’s New and What You Need to Know

Most nonprofit leaders with responsibility for benefits are aware of the recent changes in 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plans that have made them increasingly similar to 401(k) plans. Attend this workshop to take your knowledge of retirement benefit plans to the next level and learn practical tips for managing retirement benefits in an era of unprecedented change.

Calibrating Your Nonprofit’s Risk Appetite: Candid Conversations at the Board Table

Conducting an Audit of Volunteer Risks

Volunteer roles, responsibilities and associated risks are as varied as the nonprofits that depend on volunteers for mission fulfillment. Gone are the days when assumptions could be safely made about the types of harm a volunteer may suffer or cause. This workshop offers a practical approach to identifying and appreciating the risks that arise when you recruit and deploy volunteers. If you occasionally lose sleep wondering what your volunteers are up to, you won't want to miss this session.

Cyber Attacks and Financial Fraud: What You Need to Know

Unlike a hurricane or other weather event that can be tracked on radar, cyber attacks come without warning or clearly marked evacuation routes. This workshop will explore some of the risks that organizations bear when they collect and store personal and financial information. Learn what steps you can take before an attack to shore up your defenses and test the effectiveness of your security procedures. Find out what you should and must do in the wake of a cyber attack or financial fraud.

Got Risk? Legal All Stars

Every year liability risks leave visible scars on nonprofit leaders and the organizations they serve. Leaders lose sleep and focus, and missions suffer while attention is focused elsewhere. Worst case scenario? Reputation harm, financial loss, and a mission that is off the rails. Exacerbating the complexity of legal risk is a landscape whose shifts are not easily visible. What will state and federal courts and legislatures do next? Attend this workshop to hear a panel of legal “all stars” weigh in on trends that are already impacting nonprofit organizations. Learn about the danger areas that are worth losing sleep over and find out if some of your worries are exaggerated and should be put to bed.