Attitude of Gratitude
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
By Whitney Thomey
Lead Consultant & Risk Ethnologist
“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Two humble words, “thank you,” have the power to ground us, build us up, and develop deep, meaningful connections. November in the United States is when many people are reminded to take time to pause and be grateful. However, it’s risky to think that once a year is enough to express your thanks for hardworking staff, generous donors, engaged affiliate members, and tirelessly supportive nonprofit boards.
2020 has been a whirlwind of challenges for all nonprofits, and now, more than ever, it’s essential that leaders reach out to the people who have supported their missions and express sincere thanks. It’s not enough to simply be grateful. The power of gratitude comes when it is shared with those to whom you are thankful. This year, the NRMC team has many reasons to be thankful.
We are deeply grateful to our board members. Nonprofits do not exist without the dedicated guidance and support of boards who volunteer their time to mission-advancing work. Rarely seen publicly, we thank our board for all of the behind-the-scenes work, cheerful enthusiasm, and unwavering support that allows the NRMC team to continue our mission of making risk management accessible to all nonprofits. As we celebrate our board, we also pause to remember a board member we lost in 2020. David Szerlip was more than a visionary leader who dedicated his professional life to helping nonprofits navigate the sometimes confusing and murky waters of the insurance industry; he was a friend, a trusted advisor, and a tireless champion of our mission.
The NRMC team thanks all of the stakeholders who helped make our 2020 Virtual Risk Summit possible! Each of the Risk Summit Partners (Great American Insurance Group-Specialty Human Services, 501(c) Agencies Trust, AHT Insurance, Care Providers Insurance Services, Chubb, First Nonprofit, GRF CPAs & Advisors, HUB International Limited, Munich RE Specialty Insurance, Nationwide Insurance, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, and Szerlip & Co.) gave their generous support and dedication to the Risk Summit and embraced this year’s format. Their continued championship allowed more participants than ever to take advantage of this risk education and networking event!
We are grateful that over 45 volunteer faculty members dedicated their time to contribute thought-provoking sessions and spark candid conversations with fellow attendees during the 2-day virtual conference experience. Takeaways from the conference have such a long-lasting impact on nonprofit leaders and risk champions as they build risk management capabilities at all of their organizations. To all the conference attendees, the NRMC team thanks you for engaging with one another to foster a sense of community and support during a time when so many feel isolated. Without this exceptional community, we could not have put on such a successful conference under the challenging pandemic circumstances.
Finally, we thank our Corporate Advisory Committee (CAC), chaired by Kevin Duke of Great American Insurance Group-Specialty Human Services, for the insights and support they have provided our team throughout the year. This group of individuals has shown their dedication to advancing the risk management discipline through the valuable insights they provided NRMC for several resources featured in our eNews archives. The inspiration our for-profit colleagues provided on the assessment of the nonprofit risk landscape was an invaluable resource. It enabled our team to design, plan, and develop new resources and services for the sector. We look forward to the continued development of our relationship with CAC members.
We urge you to take a moment during this season of Thanksgiving to make a deliberate effort to examine who you are grateful for and the value they have brought to your nonprofit. This simple gesture has the power to strengthen relationships, boost productivity, and foster cohesion among teams. Is forgetting to say, “Thank you” a risk you’re willing to take?
Whitney Thomey is Project Manager at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Whitney welcomes your comments and questions about gratitude, at 703.777.3504 or Whitney@nonprofitrisk.org.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
— Scott Brown, Mohonk Preserve
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
— Sidney Abrams, BBYO
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
— Pamela Mattel, Basics Promesa Systems Inc
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
— Jodi Spataro, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
— Marti Worshtil, Prince George’s Child Resource Center
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!