August 31, 2026

Resource Type: Risk Management Essentials

The Volunteer Risk Issue – Fall 2026

Fall 2026 Download Fall 2026 PDF The Changing Volunteer Landscape Craft a Volunteer Training Program That Works Caution, Care and Compassion: Understanding Volunteer Liability Classify Volunteers With Care to Minimize Liability for Misclassification

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August 27, 2026

Resource Type: Articles

Classify Volunteers with Care to Minimize Liability for Misclassification

In addition to the liability exposures discussed in this article, a nonprofit is also exposed to liability for misclassifying volunteers. In rare instances, volunteers may be considered employees by the federal or applicable state labor departments, triggering liability for minimum...

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August 27, 2026

Resource Type: Articles

Caution, Care and Compassion: Understanding Volunteer Liability

A strong volunteer program offers nonprofits the opportunity to increase mission impact. Yet when a nonprofit retains volunteers, its liability exposure—the legal, financial, or other obligation to another—includes two disruptive possibilities. The first is potential liability for harm a volunteer...

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August 27, 2026

Resource Type: Articles

Craft a Volunteer Training Program That Works

A new volunteer shows up for their first day of service at your organization with a positive attitude. That’s a big plus, because several volunteers no-showed for that day’s client services. The new volunteer has a professional background in your...

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August 27, 2026

Resource Type: Articles

The Changing Volunteer Landscape

A few years ago, I took part in an intensive volunteer project for a local nonprofit, telling the stories of families the organization had supported. The people I interviewed shared stories of the hope and acceptance they’d found in the...

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May 21, 2025

Resource Type: Webinars

Employee and Volunteer Screening: What You Need to Know

Has it been a while since you took a close look at your employee and volunteer screening? Learn how the screening field is evolving and how your organization can build a fair and thorough process to select individuals who fit your organization’s needs.

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July 3, 2019

Resource Type: Articles

Three Risk Trends to Keep in Mind as you Enlist Volunteers

In my work with nonprofit teams, I am repeatedly impressed with the array of terrific volunteer programs that support nonprofit missions; that positive impression swells when I observe smart risk management practices in volunteer recruitment and supervision. I experienced first...

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April 10, 2019

Resource Type: Risk eNews

Rewarding Risks: The Prodigious Power of Volunteers

It’s National Volunteer Week, an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of volunteers and the indelible impact that volunteer service makes on communities across our country. In the promotional materials for National Volunteer Week, the Points of Light Foundation reminds us that: “Whether online, at...

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April 20, 2018

Resource Type: Risk eNews

Boomerang Volunteers: Back Atcha

Since it’s National Volunteer Week, the NRMC team has been reflecting on the many volunteers (from guest writers to conference faculty and our board of directors) who fuel our mission to inspire Risk Champions. Because it’s in our DNA, we’ve...

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December 12, 2017

Resource Type: Risk eNews

Valiant Volunteerism: Managing Volunteer Risk & Reward

Enjoy this RISK eNewsletter filled with volunteer risk management resources! The Frankenstein Effect: Misclassifying Your Volunteers The NRMC team fields lots of questions about worker classification. If you misclassify a worker, you increase the likelihood of various downside risks, including...

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