2008 Regional Conferences
Risk Management Essentials for Nonprofit Leaders
January 23, 2008 • Bell Harbor International Conference Center • Seattle, WA
The Center is grateful to NPIP for its generous sponsorship of this conference.
I attended the regional conference in Denver last week. Thank you for putting together such an informative day! It was just what I needed to help get our agency going in the right direction in looking at these risk issues.
— Tamra Schmitt, Adoption Alliance, Denver, CO
This Training Is for You
- executive directors
- chief operating officers
- chief financial officers and treasurers
- fiscal managers
- professional risk managers
- program managers
- board members
- advisors to nonprofits
Conference Agenda
| 9:00–9:15 am | Welcome |
| 9:15–10:00 am | Managing Risk in a Changing World: Do’s, Don’ts. Sins and VirtuesSpeaker: Jennifer Chandler Hauge, Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects, Nonprofit Risk Management Center |
| 10:00–11:30 am | Employment Risks and Your Nonprofit: Hot Topics for 2008This session will explore employment topics on the radar screen for 2008. What risks lurk in your current employment practices? What changes in law and regulation are most likely to result in errors on the part of even a dedicated nonprofit leader? Learn what your organization can and must do to “take the high road” with its employees while remaining safely within the lanes of legal conduct. Speaker: Jennifer Chandler Hauge |
| 11:45 am –12:30 pm | Super Screening to Hire Super StaffScreening applicants for paid and volunteer positions in a nonprofit is essential to increasing the odds of a successful match. Screening is also key to protecting the nonprofit’s critical assets, including its clients and staff. This workshop will present a framework for developing a screening philosophy and strategy in a nonprofit, and then explore the suitability of specific screening tools. A wide range of tools, from reference checks to criminal history background checks and interviews will be discussed. Learn how you can design and execute a practical screening strategy that reflects the unique circumstances facing your nonprofit as well as your resources and operating environment. This workshop covers the do’s, don’ts, hows and how nots of screening. Learn what tools are most valuable, most dangerous, and most misunderstood. Find out what you need to do to make certain your nonprofit is taking a thoughtful, legally defensible approach to screening staff for a wide range of positions. Speaker: John C. Patterson, Senior Program Director, Nonprofit Risk Management Center |
| 12:30–1:15 pm | Lunch |
| 1:15–2:30 pm | Risk Management Case StudiesThis problem-solving workshop brings cases drawn from real events at real nonprofits (Don’t worry we won’t mention you by name). Alcohol use, pluralism challenges, sexual harassment, improper use of the organization’s credit card and volunteer enthusiasm gone wrong, very wrong. Participants will be presented with interesting case studies and have to answer the burning question, “If this happened at our agency (Heaven Forbid!), how would we deal with it?” Strengthen your analytical and problem-solving skills with these thought provoking aerobics for your mind. Speaker: John C. Patterson |
| 2:45–4:15 pm | Key Risk Management Policies: What Are They and How Do I Get StartedDuring this session the speaker will identify key risk management and governance policies that are critical for effective organizations, as well as provide a framework for identifying risks and techniques that organizations can use to reduce their liability exposures. The board's role in financial risk management oversight and the imperative to increase the financial literacy of board members will be stressed, along with practical strategies for busy volunteer boards. Speaker: Jennifer Chandler Hauge |
| 4:15–4:30 pm | Wrap up Q&A and Presentation of Certificates |
About the Faculty
Jennifer Chandler Hauge — Jenny is the type of person you want advising your senior management team, board or risk management committee. She spots the issues and works with you to find practical and feasible solutions based on more than 15 years' experience delivering technical assistance to tax-exempt organizations on legal and board governance issues, and hands-on board experience as a trustee of numerous public charities and foundations. Her prior senior management roles — for a statewide nonprofit during its start-up years, for a community development corporation during a turn-around, and most recently working on public policy and best practices models at the national level — gives her a broad perspective.
Originally educated as an employment lawyer, Jenny is the co-author, with Melanie Herman, of Taking the High Road: A Guide to Effective and Legal Employment Practices for Nonprofits. She also designs and presents workshops and Webinars on employment, governance and finance topics for the Center. She received her undergraduate degree in French and English with Distinction from Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH) and her JD from Boston College (Newton, MA). Jenny's a member of the New York, New Jersey and American Bar Associations and makes a mean decadent chocolate cake.
Her risk-taking indulgence is lots of traveling and telecommuting; thus Jenny's reachable any time through our Washington, DC office, but may actually be somewhere else when you speak with her.
John C. Patterson — John is our staff member with the longest tenure. In a sense, he is the institutional memory of the organization but we all know about memories and senior moments. John has been with the Center for over a decade, but even before joining our staff, he had a long career with nonprofit organizations and government agencies. John is our staff "has been." He has been a lot of different things in his more than four decades of service. He has been the executive director of a community-based nonprofit serving people with mental retardation, a school teacher, a staff member of a nationally affiliated youth-serving organization, director of volunteers for a juvenile offender program, project director for a juvenile justice research project, and director of planning for a state criminal justice agency. In addition, he has been a consultant in juvenile justice and youth protection for many federal and state agencies as well as a broad spectrum of nonprofit organizations. You can see that John has truly earned his title of staff has been.
During his tenure with the Center, John has written several of our publications and serves as a consultant on child sexual abuse issues with many of our clients. He regularly delivers training and technical assistance.
John grew up out West in New Mexico. Despite being in the East since 1980, he still misses the scenery, culture, people and, of course, New Mexican cuisine. There is nothing like Hatch green chilies. He has a BS Ed. from the University of New Mexico.
Conference Workshops
- Managing Risk in a Changing World: Do’s, Don’ts. Sins and Virtues
- Employment Risks and Your Nonprofit: Hot Topics for 2008
- Super Screening to Hire Super Staff
- Risk Management Case Studies
- Key Risk Management Policies: What Are They and How Do I Get Started
Conference Sponsor
Non Profit Insurance Program
The Non Profit Insurance Program (NPIP) groups together non-profit organizations to ensure the availability of stable and affordable protection for the non-profit sector. NPIP accomplishes this through effective risk management, effective marketing and best practices administration.
Conference Location
Bell Harbor International Conference Center
221 Alaskan Way Pier 66
Seattle, WA
phone: (206) 441-6666
Lodging
Edgewater Hotel
Adjacent to Bell Harbor
phone: (800) 624-0670
Marriott Seattle Waterfront
Across the street from Bell Harbor
phone: (206) 443-5000
Directions
Directions from I-5 South
- Take Exit 167 (West Mercer Street/Fairview Avenue)
- Turn right onto Fairview Avenue
- Take the first left onto Valley Street
- Stay left; Valley Street merges into Broad Street
- Continue on Broad Street to Elliot Avenue, and turn left
- Once you pass the Wall Street intersection, park in the Art
Institute of Seattle parking garage on your immediate right
(parking w/validation - $7.00)
Directions from I-5 North
- Take the Madison Street exit (also called Convention Place exit)
- Turn left onto Madison Street
- Stay on Madison Street until you come to the waterfront
- Turn right on Alaskan Way
- You will pass Pier 66 on your left; the next street after the sky
bridge is Wall Street. Turn right on Wall Street. - Turn right on Elliott Avenue
- Park in the Art Insititute of Seattle parking garage on your
immediate right (parking w/validation - $7.00)
Conference Registration Fee
- $45 for NPIP members
- $95 for nonmembers
The Conference Registration Fee includes breakfast and lunch. Registrants will also receive a resource guide containing handout materials.