Resources
How to: Empower Your Employees to Make More Decisions
Ever wonder why staff members hesitate when you ask them to make a decision? Some aspects of your workplace culture may create unintentional barriers to independent decision-making by employees. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Here’s how to foster a culture of independent decision-making at your nonprofit.
Applying a Risk-Aware Frame to Your Nonprofit’s Most Impactful Decisions
Many nonprofit leaders might not think about risk until a board member or committee asks them to or an unanticipated development or event disrupts operations. A risk-aware approach can help your nonprofit make better decisions in all aspects of its work. Bringing a risk lens to your work doesn’t have to be taxing or complex. … Continued
Does Your Nonprofit Live Up to Its Values?
by Melanie Lockwood Herman I recently finished reading a thoughtful book titled Strategic Risk Leadership: Context and Cases by Toben Juul Andersen and Peter C. Young. I found Chapter 4, titled “Risk leadership as a moral endeavor,” especially intriguing. In that chapter, the authors write that “…leadership can be moral or immoral, and therefore leadership … Continued
How to Become the Resilient Leader Your Mission Requires
Risk management leaders require personal resilience and a strong sense of balance, helping their organizations avoid harm while enabling growth after disruptive experiences. Watch this webinar to learn what constitutes resilient leadership as a risk professional or individual contributor to a nonprofit’s mission. Enjoy a countdown of ten compelling characteristics every resilient leader endeavors to … Continued
How to Be the Manager You Wish You Had
by Melanie Lockwood Herman “There are two important days in a person’s life—the day you are born and the day that you figure out why.” – Mark Twain During the past few weeks, I’ve finished two books that offer thought-provoking insights on managerial musts—and potential missteps—in the journey to a post-COVID-19 workplace. Becoming a better … Continued
Traveling via TARDIS: Managing Risk with the Risk Time Machine
Prepare for risk events while traveling in style and across time like The Doctor. Doctor who, you ask? This time The Doctor is YOU! Attend this webinar to learn how to use NRMC’s Risk Time Machine worksheet to assess a specific risk while practicing both reflection and foresight. Learn how to lead a team through … Continued
Fuzzy Futures: Managing Uncertainty with Scenario Planning
Events like the COVID-19 pandemic provide sobering wake-up calls to nonprofit leaders, who must execute their missions today and tomorrow despite unnervingly uncertain futures. To better prepare for surviving unpredictable, unthinkable events or futures far from today’s reality, watch this webinar to learn about the art of scenario planning. Leave the webinar with a basic … Continued
Pace of Change Worn You Out? You’re Not Alone
By Rachel Sams I led dozens of change management initiatives in my years running a newsroom. But the toughest professional change I ever faced came when I unexpectedly got a new boss. That’s a common reaction, according to an article from consultancy Gartner. Changes that affect someone’s daily work life, like an assignment to a … Continued
Story Time: Risk Lessons from My Pandemic Reading List
Join the Nonprofit Risk Management Center’s CEO, Melanie Lockwood Herman, for a “story time” tour through her recently-favorited risk-related reads, all of which she absorbed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Explore lessons from inspiring leadership development books and other popular titles, and learn how Melanie applies these insights to the discipline of risk management. Leave the … Continued
Managing Risk & Safety: What’s New and What’s Next?
This webinar explores the changing risk landscape for nonprofit organizations and the risks that arise from our uncertain, evolving circumstances. Learn how to apply lessons from recent experience to your work to infuse a spirit and commitment to safety, resilience, and well-being. The NRMC team will highlight some of our interactive tools and resources that … Continued
Breaking The Silence: Navigating Difficult Topics in the Workplace
This webinar explores the risks associated with uncomfortable conversations, awkward situations, and fear in the workplace. Learn why fear and intimidation reduce motivation and engagement and how building ‘psychological safety’ is key to creating a workplace worthy of your mission. This webinar concludes with practical tips and strategies for anticipating and managing difficult circumstances and … Continued
Lessons from the Pandemic: On the Road to the Next New Normal
Risk programs have been forced to adapt rapidly during the pandemic. All nonprofits have had to pivot in myriad ways to respond to the ever-changing situation. This “Black Swan” event left many nonprofits scrambling to adapt risk assessments, policies and procedures, and risk management practices. In this webinar, we explore graceful adaptations and silver linings … Continued
Choose Essential: Define Your Singular Risk Priority
By Melanie Lockwood Herman This week I’ve been reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. The book’s themes touch on a prickly subject for me: saying “no.” A very wise friend once told me that we often say yes out of fear that if we say no, we won’t get asked again. … Continued
Question Everything
“The ability to ask questions is the greatest resource in learning the truth.” – Carl Jung I’ve just finished reading Questions Are the Answer, by Hal Gregersen. This terrific book has inspired me to scribble more than usual. I’ve been jotting down questions on scraps of paper, adding questions to our staff meeting agendas, and … Continued
Anything Could Happen: The Wild, Wild West of External Risks
Many nonprofit teams spend a great deal of time worrying about external risks—risks that are truly beyond your control to influence or prevent. This webinar explores the wide world of external risks and offers tips and strategies to build resilience and preparation.
Risk-Informed Decision Making
One of the most important goals of risk management is to support risk-aware or risk-informed decision-making. This webinar explores three ways to apply a risk lens to important decisions and decision-making processes at your nonprofit.
It’s Time to Banish Blueprints and Best Practices
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Katharine Nesslage When our team is asked, “What should a risk committee do?” or “How should risk roles be described on position descriptions?” or “How often should … Continued
Five Low-Tech Ways to Anticipate and Manage Active Threats
It always pays to be cognizant of what is happening around you. From the risk of an avoidable accident to the dangers of a determined perpetrator, lack of focus and awareness can be devastating or deadly. This webinar explores low-tech ways to anticipate and manage the risks of active threats. Use what you learn watching … Continued
Fiscal Sponsorships: Managing Risk and Reward
By Glenn Mott and Colleen Lazanich This week we speak with Colleen Lazanich, CEO of CalNonprofits Insurance Services, the only social enterprise insurance brokerage in California. She has more than 30 years of experience across the insurance industry, with more than 20 years specializing in nonprofits. Colleen has worked for carriers, wholesale brokers and retail brokers … Continued
Social Distortion, Personal Responsibility, and Reputational Risk
By Melanie Lockwood Herman “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” – Cool Hand Luke, 1967 This week I’ve been reading Rethinking Reputational Risk: How to Manage the Risks that can Ruin Your Business, Your Reputation and You, by Anthony Fitzsimmons and Derek Atkins. In an early chapter, the authors share the following definition … Continued
Use Design Thinking to Find Creative Solutions to Worrisome Risks
By Katharine Nesslage “Some of our important choices have a timeline. If we delay a decision, the opportunity is gone forever. Sometimes our doubts keep us from making a choice that involves change. Thus, an opportunity may be missed.”– James E. Faust As disruption—rapid change in current behavior with no time to oppose it—becomes the … Continued
Out of Focus: How Being Less Focused (and More Aware) Pays Off
By Glenn Mott Mindfulness, like it’s complement gratitude, has been much hyped—with good reason. Our underlying mindset and conditioning are nearly invisible to most of us; by itself, the conscious mind is insufficient to get at the deeper mindset. Nonjudgmental, present-moment awareness (aka mindfulness meditation) has been shown to change attitudes, emotional responses, and habitual … Continued
Running Successful Risk Workshops
Attend this webinar to learn top tips for an engaging risk workshop, based on 20 years of conducting hundreds of NRMC workshops and trainings. Whether your workshops sessions are dazzling or dragging, we hope this webinar will provide everything you need so that your attendees will walk away feeling informed and refreshed.restricted
Don’t Be Dispassionate: How to Use Emotional Impulses to Make Better Decisions
By Glenn Mott Recently, I had an opportunity to read a special issue of the Harvard Business Review called “The Brain Science Behind Business”—a compilation of previously published articles about neuroscience. Reading these articles got me thinking about the role of heuristics in risk management. Heuristics refers to a set of rules we develop through … Continued
Dampening Drama: Lessons from a Large Family
by Christy Grano I was the oldest of seven siblings, with two military veterans for parents. That’s right, seven kids, just like the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music. We didn’t march to a whistle or live in a mansion, but efficiency, order, and education were certainly high priorities. Charts mapped out our … Continued
Got Growth? Managing Risk When Your Nonprofit is on the Rise
By Christy Grano and Melanie Lockwood Herman For several years our NRMC team has had the opportunity to work with a number of nonprofits that have grown rapidly from a small capable corps of nimble and idealistic pioneers to strong, sustainable organizations with functions, departments, and even signs of bureaucracy. We’re grateful for the opportunity to … Continued
Setting & Applying Your Risk Appetite
Dive into the concept of risk appetite with this webinar. Learn about a couple common risk appetite frameworks, and the NRMC team’s philosophy for applying risk appetite in a practical way that relates to decision-making. Engage your team in dialogue about your collective risk appetite, and guide your team to confidently make decisions that align … Continued