Resources
Not Here: Zero Tolerance for Inappropriate Workplace Conduct
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Last year I attended a leadership conference hosted by Camp Fire, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people to “find their spark, lift their voices, and discover who they are.” During the opening keynote session, Hal Gregersen, Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center, reminded his audience that “assumptions act as … Continued
Person of Interest: Soliciting Insights from Staff In-the-Know
By Erin Gloeckner “It’s better to be interested than interesting.” – Oprah Winfrey Are you a fan of true crime TV? In a crime drama, “person of interest” refers to an individual who possesses information that is potentially relevant to an investigation. While some persons of interest might come forward themselves, they are often identified … Continued
Charity Gone Wrong: Unethical & Illegal Conduct
By Erin Gloeckner NRMC team members sometimes field calls from concerned nonprofit staff members, volunteers, board members, and even members of the public, who worry that a cherished nonprofit is involved in unethical or illegal conduct. Oftentimes, the inquiring individuals lack the authority to investigate or resolve the issues they report to us. Some report … Continued
Best of Risk Management Essentials
Explore this RISK eNewsletter filled with some of our most popular issues of Risk Management Essentials (RME), our magazine published three times each year. Visit the RME archive for more issues and articles! Manage Risk with an Eye for Ethics Ethics serves as a foundation for the risk management work initiated by many NRMC clients … Continued
COI: Candor Or Inhibition? Managing Conflicts Of Interest
By Erin Gloeckner Hopefully gone are the days when nonprofit stakeholders might sweep potential conflicts of interest under the rug. Nonprofits are held to high standards of ethics, which call upon nonprofit leaders to candidly assess real or perceived conflicts of interest. As charitable enterprises continue to evolve in terms of complexity, performance, and notability, … Continued
An Eye for Ethics: Quelling Confusion about Ethical Quandaries
By Melanie Lockwood Herman Most nonprofit leaders would enthusiastically agree that ethical conduct and core values are key to the success of their community-serving missions. Yet among your co-workers and peers, how acute is awareness of ethical dilemmas in every-day decisions? Do colleagues have the skills and patience to slog through ethical questions when they … Continued
The Ethics Issue
Click here to view a turn-the-page version of The Ethics Issue.
Whistleblower and Retaliation Claims: Policies that Protect Your Nonprofit
A nonprofit organization has a responsibility to the public, the clients, its employees, volunteers, and donors to conduct its affairs ethically and in compliance with laws and regulations. When a volunteer or employee challenges a nonprofit’s conduct by “blowing the whistle,” legal protections apply that all nonprofits need to be prepared to handle expertly. Failure … Continued
How to Honor and Respect Your Volunteers
April 13, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Nonprofits across the country are showcasing their creative talents to celebrate the contributions of volunteers during the month of April, “National Volunteer Month.” Here at the NRMC we receive quite a few calls from volunteers. Unfortunately, since we’re all about ‘risk,’ many of these callers contact us to … Continued
Adopt a Total Ban on Personal Electronic Device Use While Driving
January 26, 2016 By Melanie Lockwood Herman Since we began offering free RISK HELP to our Affiliate Members in 2012, we have answered a wide array of risk questions–some highly unusual. Last week we received this quirky question from two incredibly different member organizations: should we adopt a complete ban on the use of personal … Continued
Kids Matter: Managing the Risk of Bullying
October 28, 2015 The Fall 2015 issue of the Center’s periodic newsletter, Risk Management Essentials, is now available. This edition focuses on child safety in nonprofit organizations, particularly youth-serving organizations. One of our talented summer interns, Lexie Williams, wrote the cover article on ‘Cyberbullying & Cyber Threats to Young People.’ This hot topic receives more … Continued
Boiling the Frog: Fighting the Slippery Slope of Ethical Indiscretions in the Workplace
By Emily C. Stumhofer A familiar anecdote suggests that if a frog is dropped into a pot of boiling water, he will immediately jump out, but if he is dropped into a pot of cool water that is gradually heated, he won’t perceive the danger, and will be cooked to death. Although some recent science … Continued
Whistleblower Protections in the Nonprofit Sector
By Jason M. Zuckerman Since the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), publicly traded companies have begun to focus on protecting whistleblowers and providing mechanisms for employees to raise concerns. This results from numerous provisions in SOX that mandate whistleblower protection, a high number of SOX whistleblower-retaliation complaints filed with the U.S. Department … Continued
Grievance Procedures and Internal Dispute Resolution
Practical Tips for Resolving Internal Disputes Peaceably The following text is excerpted from Section 3 of NRMC’s book: Taking the High Road: A Guide to Effective and Legal Employment Practices for Nonprofits. Having an internal mechanism for resolving disputes is like wearing a seat belt — the internal restraint can help a nonprofit avoid harm … Continued