Mark Your Calendar!
The 2008 Risk Management and Finance Summit for Nonprofits will be held September 7–9, 2008 at the Marriott City Center in Minneapolis, MN. Mark your calendar today and plan to attend this annual gathering of leaders committed to bringing risk management to life in their organizations. Click here for program details and registration.
Survey Sheds Light on Screening Practices of Volunteer Organizations
APRIL 22, 2008 — Washington, DC — At a press conference attended by representatives of prominent youth serving organizations and the local media, the National Center for Victims of Crime revealed the results of Who’s Lending a Hand? A National Survey of Nonprofit Volunteer Screening Practices. The findings presented in the report were based on data compiled through telephone surveys with 517 nonprofit human services organizations drawn from a random sample of 2,251 nonprofits that provide direct services to clients. The sample was purchased from GuideStar. more...
We’re on Tour and You’re Invited!
The Center’s professional staff is headed your way! We’ll be making stops in Tucson, Phoenix, Dallas, Little Rock, Springdale, Billings and Kennebunkport for our line-up of one and two-day regional conferences. Each event offers a content-packed program and valuable resource materials. You’ll delve into a range of risk management topics, including managing governance risks, effective (and legal) employment practices, and financial risk management. The registration fees are affordable due to generous underwriting from the Public Entity Risk Institute. You will receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the day and we guarantee you’ll benefit from one-on-one interaction with our expert faculty and your peers. Space is limited at most of these events, so don’t delay making your plans to attend one of our tour dates. For information on each program and access to the easy online registration process, click here.
Volunteer or Employee: Do You Know the Difference?
By Jennifer Chandler Hauge
At the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, we answer your questions via e-mail or phone (202) 785-3891 every day. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether a worker is a volunteer or an employee.
Q: What is the definition of a volunteer?
A: Federal law, under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, (FLSA) defines individuals that provide services without any expectation of compensation, and without any coercion or intimidation, as “volunteers” (non-employees).
However, there are all sorts of nuances to this definition. For instance, if a volunteer receives a small payment or something of value in exchange for volunteering, is the worker automatically an employee even if she or he didn’t “expect” to be paid? What about a worker who is not compensated but receives college credit for her work? Still a volunteer? Maybe, maybe not. more...
Sign Up Today for Our 2008 Webinars!
With generous support from the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), the Center is pleased to offer a new series of monthly webinars for 2008. The fifth program in the series, Developing and Managing Conflict of Interest Policies, will be held on May 7. Each program offers one-hour of information-packed content, handout material, and the opportunity to interact with a risk management expert. Register for the entire series for only $399 and attend the sessions that meet your needs and schedule. Download the remaining sessions to share with colleagues in your nonprofit. Provide training for your entire staff at the cost of a single on-site program. For details or to register for one, two, three or all of the programs offered this year, click here.
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