Categories: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
Managing Risk in an Improbable World
In his fascinating book, Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities, University of Toronto professor Jeffrey S. Rosenthal explores the science of probabilities. Rosenthal’s text offers a compelling argument for thoughtful risk management while reminding readers to accept the...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
The Outer Rim of Risk
The discipline of risk management invites a close-up examination of events and circumstances that threaten the mission and goals of an organization or that offer the promise of mission-advancing benefit. Nonprofit CEOs, CFOs, senior staff and even board members are...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
Everything You Need to Know About Risk, You Learned in Kindergarten
As I prepare for my daughter’s eighth grade graduation this week, I feel nostalgic for the days when she began her academic career as an energetic tow-headed little Kindergartener. I remember her coming home wide-eyed and excited to tell me...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
Risk Aversion Conversion
The topic of risk-taking was front and center in a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Risk-Averse Culture Infects U.S. Workers, Entrepreneurs” by Ben Casselman. According to the author, the risk-taking, dream-chasing spirit is dwindling in the hearts of American workers and business...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
Uncommon Sense
During the past fifteen years many workshop attendees have commented that risk management is “common sense.” I’ve agreed with this assessment on countless occasions. I’ve also shared my view that moving beyond the limited view of individual experience—by tapping into...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
Say Something!
As an advisor to nonprofits striving to better understand and cope with myriad risks, I spend a lot of time trying to come up with practical solutions to complex problems. As anyone who’s worked with the Center knows, we don’t...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
Normalcy
When a member of my family questions my somewhat eccentric father about a recent purchase, Dad’s standard response is “normal is boring.” Family members have learned that there is no point questioning any acquisition—whether it’s a vintage motorcycle found on...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Risk eNews
The Opposite
One of my favorite episodes of the sitcom Seinfeld is called “The Opposite.” In that episode, which aired in 1994, Jerry Seinfeld persuades his friend George Costanza that George’s natural instincts frequently lead him astray. George decides to take Jerry’s advice and “do the...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Articles
Do board meetings have to be open to the public?
In some states there are laws known as “Sunshine laws” that require groups to open their meetings to the public, however, these laws generally only apply to governmental or quasi-governmental groups. Unless the nonprofit is a governmental entity, there is...
Topics: General
December 2, 2016
Resource Type: Articles
Managing Restricted Grants: Routine or Risky Business?
The article below was adapted from Mission Accomplished: A Practical Guide to Risk Management for Nonprofits, published by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. For more information about NRMC's book, click here. (Mission Accomplished has been replaced by Enlightened Risk Taking:...
Topics: General