Resources
Make Wise Risk Moves, Not Hasty Resolutions, This Year
By Melanie Lockwood Herman In his recent New York Times guest essay titled “This Year, Make a Resolution About Something Bigger Than Yourself,” author Roger Rosenblatt urges readers to put aside “self-oriented promises” and choose “airtight commitments” to improve our world. He writes: “The task of improving the world may seem impossible, but it isn’t. … Continued
Get Your Risk Management Message Heard
Did you ever log out of a presentation, or step off the stage, and feel your heart sink? Did you know in your gut that your audience heard a lot of messages in your talk, but not the one you wanted to deliver? Of course we’ve all delivered a risk communication (or two, or three) … Continued
The Secrets of Effective Risk Communication
“Clear, concise, accurate, and timely information is hard to come by.” – General Stanley McChrystal & Anna Butrico, Risk: A User’s Guide By Melanie Lockwood Herman During three decades of advising nonprofit sector leadership teams, we have heard and seen that many groups run out of time for candid conversations about risk and spin their … Continued
How to Adopt an Optimistic Risk Frame
by Melanie Lockwood Herman Several years ago, I experienced the phenomenon of a waning friendship whose decline I struggled to fully understand. I was perplexed that my friend’s texts and invites caused dread instead of delight. Racking my rational brain led to endless questions but no clear answers. Recently I stumbled into sense-making about this … Continued
All Aboard: Building Internal Support for Risk Management
Join NRMC to learn how to build and sustain support for risk management in your nonprofit. This webinar explores some of the most common reasons for pushback and resistance, as well as proven techniques to convert nay-sayers into yay-sayers.
Don’t Faint at Complaints: How Negative Feedback Can Enhance Your Reputation
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” —Henry Ford Rumors and false information can move at the speed of a digital virus. One false allegation can ripple through social media in minutes, and a single misunderstood statement can become a Hydra head, turning faithful supporters into outraged opponents—not to mention … Continued
A Risk Management Journey with Miranda Hora
Miranda Hora is Senior Manager of Global Operations at Helen Keller International (HKI), a global development organization at work in 20 countries to save and improve the sight and lives of the world’s vulnerable by combating the causes and consequences of blindness, poor health, and malnutrition. Miranda manages the global operations systems that support the … Continued
The Most Important Skill for Risk Leaders? Guess Again. . .
“Almost all of us have some kind of communication problem that we don’t know we have.” – Alan Alda By Melanie Lockwood Herman I’ve just finished reading Alan Alda’s fascinating book, If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? I’m feeling fortunate to have chosen this title to read on the … Continued
Dampening Drama: Lessons from a Large Family
by Christy Grano I was the oldest of seven siblings, with two military veterans for parents. That’s right, seven kids, just like the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music. We didn’t march to a whistle or live in a mansion, but efficiency, order, and education were certainly high priorities. Charts mapped out our … Continued
Got Growth? Managing Risk When Your Nonprofit is on the Rise
By Christy Grano and Melanie Lockwood Herman For several years our NRMC team has had the opportunity to work with a number of nonprofits that have grown rapidly from a small capable corps of nimble and idealistic pioneers to strong, sustainable organizations with functions, departments, and even signs of bureaucracy. We’re grateful for the opportunity to … 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
The Power of Anecdote: True Stories of Nonprofit Risk from the Front Lines
By Christy Grano While attending the Risk Summit, it occurred to me that a powerful benefit of the conference was the opportunity to exchange true stories and tough lessons learned on the frontlines of nonprofit service. After hearing several leaders describe how their organizations narrowly escaped significant losses or recovered from a loss, I began … Continued
Scorched Middle Earth: Banishing The Department of No
by Melanie Lockwood Herman As fans of high fantasy fiction know first-hand, Middle-earth is the fictional setting for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the most widely-read books from English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Wikipedia, “Middle-earth has also become a short-hand to refer to the legendarium and Tolkien’s fictional take … 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
Say Cheese! Serving Up Risk Communication
By Erin Gloeckner “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” – Charles de Gaulle Some argue that with this inquiry, French general and politician Charles de Gaulle lamented the Cold War era work ethic and priorities of his French compatriots. Others assert that de Gaulle was referencing the historic nature … Continued