Resources
Survey Says: Contracting Risk Survey Insights
by Rachel Sams You’ve just accepted a new role as a nonprofit CEO or risk leader. You quickly realize that, before you arrived, no one was formally assigned responsibility for reviewing contracts. When issues arise with vendors, you find incomplete files and partially executed agreements. That’s just one of the stories we heard when we … Continued
Managing Contracting Risk: How Do Your Practices Stack Up?
by Melanie Lockwood Herman The expression “nothing is certain except death and taxes,” is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. This week, in between reading a terrific book on The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly, I’m pondering a third inevitability for nonprofit organizations: contracting snafus. If your organization is like every other we’ve advised and supported over … Continued
Managing Risk in Tech Vendor Selection
Choosing a technology vendor can feel like learning an entirely new language and consume valuable staff time your team would rather spend on something else! And because tech contracts and marketing materials are filled with unfamiliar terms, some nonprofit teams lean towards “trust” instead of “verify.” This webinar provides an overview of the risks that … Continued
Lost in Space: Managing Facility Rental Risks
By Melanie Lockwood Herman The goal of maximizing the use of your nonprofit’s facilities is an admirable one. For many organizations, permitting—or encouraging—other nonprofits to use temporarily or regularly vacant space is a practical way to advance your organization’s reputation in the community and support the missions of kindred agencies. Despite the myriad potential upsides … Continued
Contracting Risk: Frameworks for Success
Every nonprofit enters into contracts. From the simplest contract with a volunteer to a complex agreement with a technology vendor, every contract is a potential risk management tool. But a poorly written contract can expose a nonprofit to greater risk than not having a contract in the first place. This webinar explores the key elements … Continued
No Fun Until You Sign a Waiver!
Often without knowing exactly why, the leaders of most youth-serving organizations recognize the inherent weakness in asking children to sign contracts. Therefore, it has become common practice to either ask parents or guardians to waive their right to sue the nonprofit for injuries their child sustains, or to ask both the child participant and a … Continued
Risk-Aware Contracting: What You Don’t Know Could Cost You
Contracts are unavoidable. They are the mainstay of relationships with independent contractors, vendors, other service providers, landlords, to name a few. Yet negotiating sound contracts requires time, understanding and some practical experience with contracting potholes and pitfalls. This webinar will identify common contracting mistakes and offer practical steps to steer clear of the dangers that … Continued
Managing Special Event Risks: Practical Strategies for Nonprofits
Special events are increasingly common in the nonprofit sector. Yet safety often and unfortunately takes a back seat. If your nonprofit sponsors even one event annually, whether it’s an athletic competition held outdoors or a fundraising dinner, you need to begin incorporating the principles of special events risk management into your planning agenda and event … Continued
Contracting Do’s, Don’ts & Musts for Nonprofits
Nonprofit managers and leaders sign contracts on a regular basis. But too often we take pen in hand without first taking time to make certain that we understand the language in front of us. Even fewer people give contracts the time they require to understand whether they are in the nonprofit’s best interests or require … Continued
Would You Sign a Contract You Have Not Read?
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Few days pass when I’m not asked to sign a contract. Whether it’s a form granting permission to record a workshop, or a “click through agreement” I must complete to sit in the exit row on an outbound flight, pages of contract language appear before this lawyer on a regular basis. … Continued