Resources
How to De-Escalate Conflict
Violence has increased in America, and people’s tempers may flare even in routine interactions. Here are some strategies nonprofit employees can use to assess the level of conflict in a situation, bring down the heat in difficult conversations, and respond if an action does escalate. Assess: How Escalated Is the Conflict? Observe the conflict from a … Continued
How to Build and Fortify a Critical Incident Process
By Rachel Sams Want employees to buy into your nonprofit’s critical incident reporting program? Use the words “critical incident reporting” sparingly, says Regina Wright, Senior Advisor for Child and Adult Safeguarding at Save the Children US. When Wright speaks with Save the Children employees, she explains in jargon-free language why incident reporting matters. She strips … Continued
Build Your Cybersecurity Breach Defenses Before It’s Too Late
By Rachel Sams When a cybersecurity breach hits your organization, it’s too late to build optimal defenses. Your best opportunity to protect your nonprofit’s data exists now. It’s tough for any nonprofit to prepare for a crisis that hasn’t happened yet. Staffs and budgets are stretched thin everywhere. But with a reasonable amount of time … 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
Your Next New Normal: 5 Things to Do to Prepare for What’s Next
By Whitney Claire Thomey At the beginning of 2020, no one could have predicted that a pandemic would knock the world off its proverbial axis or that the ripple effect would touch nearly every aspect of daily life. Organizations have been forced to grapple with an ever-evolving challenge that has required leaders and team members … Continued
Does Your Nonprofit Have Resilience DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is “a molecule that contains the biological instructions that make each species unique.” (See www.genome.gov). Did you know that certain information about future health risks is embedded in your DNA? Popular DNA test kits offer the promise of insights we can use to change our habits and lifestyles to improve health and … Continued
The Best of NRMC’s Resilience Resources
Resilience is a subject that is top of mind for many nonprofit leaders today. At NRMC, we believe that building organizational resilience is a core component of effective risk management. Today’s RISK eNews presents a collection of resilience resources developed by our team. Business Continuity Planning Business continuity planning (BCP) is one of the best … Continued
Ready… Set… Learn! Get Ready NOW for What’s NEXT!
“You must dig the well before you’re thirsty and become curious now—not when a crisis inevitably presents itself.” – Ozan Varol, Think Like a Rocket Scientist This week the NRMC team is putting the finishing touches on a new business continuity web application that we hope will motivate and support teams trying to get ready … Continued
Managing Resumption Risks
June 24, 2020 To manage compliance and legal risks related to reopening offices, consider these 3 core values and 4 action items. Resumption Values Unbiased Many organizations were forced to furlough or lay off employees during the initial phases of the pandemic. Decisions about which employees will be invited to return or be rehired exposes … 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
Take 10: Resume and Thrive Strategies
By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Whitney Claire Thomey The effects of a global pandemic have caused many nonprofits to quickly scale back and shutter programs, send staff home, and redeploy resources to stop the spread of COVID-19. No organization was immune from the need to make fast, and in some cases, immediate decisions about what … 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.
No Business Continuity Plan? Take These 4 Steps
If you’re regretting the fact that you never got around to finishing your nonprofit’s Business Continuity Plan, you’re not alone! Many nonprofits in the U.S. are in the same, unprepared boat. The purpose of this article is to offer a highly simplified, quick-start framework to activate when your nonprofit is currently facing an interruption to … Continued
Systemic Failure and Risk Management
“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” – Marvin Minsky By Glenn Mott The other night, I happened to catch the documentary program “Retro Report” on PBS. Retro Report is a nonprofit news organization that produces mini documentaries that look at today’s news stories through the lens of historical context. Executive … Continued
Cyber Liability Insurance: What You Need to Know
Risks related to data privacy and systems security are top-of-mind for risk professionals. And although insurance coverage is available for many aspects of this complex risk landscape, insurance products differ in intent, structure, and protection. Attend this webinar to learn about the key components and features of insurance policies available to protect against the “what … Continued
Journalism’s Lessons for Risk Leaders
by Glenn Mott Like many professions, journalism has its own unique set of values. Made more unique because journalism is the only profession explicitly protected under the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press–though these First Amendment protections are broadly defined, continually to be defended, and anything but guaranteed. This year in the U.S. … Continued
Technology Mishaps: Planning for IT and Communications Disasters
By Christy Grano For most of us, the word “disaster” usually brings to mind a natural disaster like a hurricane or a tsunami, but in the risk management world technology disasters immediately come to mind. An unexpected loss of data or communication can bring an entire organization to a halt if power, internet, email, or … Continued
Uncertainty: A New Formula for Crisis
by Glenn Mott There is a widely held and often repeated chestnut of Far Eastern wisdom that the Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two seemingly opposite but complimentary characters. Maybe you’ve heard this one? It’s a gnomic gem that is particularly popular among executives and motivational speakers. The adage came into wide circulation … Continued
Right Back At It: Fostering Organizational Resilience
“The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” – Woodrow Wilson Resilience is often defined as the ability to recover after a setback or in the face of adversity, or having the capacity to adapt to new challenges. For many nonprofits, resilience … Continued
The Future is Now: Preparing for the Unknown Crisis
Preparing for a possible future crisis can feel overwhelming and abstract for many nonprofit leaders. With competing priorities and meeting the needs of stakeholders on a day-to-day basis, taking the time to think through how your nonprofit will respond to a currently non-existent crisis can end up taking a back seat. However, when a crisis … Continued
Crisis Management Part 2: Communicating with Care & BCP Overview
An unmanaged crisis could be the apocalypse for your nonprofit. Resolve to keep your reputation intact by acting on the crisis communication principles shared in this webinar. Learn how to select an effective spokesperson to represent your nonprofit, and how to respond compassionately during and after a crisis event. This webinar also offers a brief … Continued
Crisis Management Part 1: Is Your Nonprofit Ready?
An unmanaged crisis could be the apocalypse for your nonprofit. Resolve to keep your reputation and operations intact by acting on the crisis planning and crisis response principles shared in this webinar. Gain the know-how to create a figurative crisis bunker for your nonprofit, including guidance for developing a crisis management plan and a crisis … Continued
Crisis Response: From Chaos to Clarity
Whether your worst nightmare is a hurricane, an angry donor, or negligence by a licensed caregiver, you won’t want to miss this practical webinar on crisis management. This program explores the essential planning steps that should be taken long before the crisis, and the key facets of effective crisis response. By the end of the … Continued
Crisis Management and Crisis Communications for Your Nonprofit
A crisis is any event that disrupts delivery of your services or programs. No matter the source, it hits hard and fast, leaving no time to make plans. When you have a plan in place, your nonprofit will be in the ideal position to contact key suppliers, employees and board members, leap high hurdles in … Continued
Fact Sheet – Active Shooters
December, 2015 Key Considerations and Approaches More than 160 active shootings were documented in the U.S. from 2000 to 2013 and the number of events escalates each year. The agreed-upon definition of an active shooter by U.S. government agenciesincluding the White House, U.S. Department of Justice/FBI, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Homeland … Continued
On a Smaller Scale: Adapting Crisis Management Principles for Small Nonprofits
Crisis prevention is doubly important for small public entities, companies and nonprofit organizations. Small organizations often have fewer resources to draw on when a crisis erupts, and insurance and other risk financing tools may not be an available due to the organization’s meager financial resources. But every organization, from the smallest to the largest can … Continued
Handling Suspicious Packages and Letters
Mailroom security, an area often overlooked as policies and procedures are created or updated to reduce risks and losses, has risen in importance following the biological scares in late 2001. Small government entities or nonprofit organizations are especially vulnerable because many don’t have a centralized mailroom or designate a single person to receive and distribute … Continued
Coping With Crisis: Managing Employee Fear and Low Morale
In the weeks and months following a major disaster or traumatic event, employers in government entities and nonprofit organizations discover unprecedented levels of fear and concern on the part of staff. The evidence manifests itself in many ways. People with perfect attendance records call in sick at record levels, seriously impairing the organization’s ability to … Continued
Crisis or Hoax? Responding to Hoaxes
One person’s practical joke may be viewed by others as lack of vision, poor judgment or malicious intent. How do your staff members know the difference? If you’re making the assumption that everyone innately knows, you may find you’re doing more than “Making an a_ _ of you and me,” as the saying goes. At … Continued
Emergency Evacuation Strategies
Fires, explosions, chemical releases, violence or biological releases pose a threat to everyone in your organization’s facilities. One way to ensure the safety of all affected populations and reduce the risk to your organization is to have an evacuation plan. The beauty of this strategy is that even the smallest organization operating with meager resources … Continued
Crisis Management Essentials
Every nonprofit would be well-served to spend time planning how it will cope with a crisis. The crisis management plan for your nonprofit will detail how you will deliver your organization’s programs despite adverse conditions. The strategies should encompass events such as fires, explosions, power outages, natural disasters, theft, embezzlement or the death of the … Continued
Communicating During a Crisis
Headline news. Something you may dream of having — when it showcases your public entity, company or nonprofit organization and your products and services in a positive light. Unfortunately, the news media thrive on tragedy, drama and scandal — not the good news. Crisis in the nonprofit sector feeds the frenzy, because the organizations are … Continued
Bomb Threat or Threatening Call Checklist
The danger of a possible fire or bombing is too great to ignore. All phone calls threatening bombs, arson, death or bodily injury should be treated as real expressions of the caller’s intention to inflict injury or damage. In the case of a letter bomb, the U.S. Postal Service and several other sources, advise training … Continued