Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Executive Director
“We may be hard-wired for power struggles, greed, and workplace conflicts. But as social creatures, we also derive enormous pleasure from creating, sharing, and implementing new ideas with other people.” – Amy C. Edmondson
What better time than January, the start of a new year, to experiment with novel ways to champion your organization’s mission, set goals, and resolve to do better? Last week I finished a terrific book on the timely topic of teaming. In Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate and Compete in the Knowledge Economy, Professor Amy C. Edmondson uses the term ‘teaming’ to describe ‘teamwork on the fly.’ Tackling risk head-on requires planning, agile learning, and candid communication; effective teaming is the epitome of these practices.
My takeaways from this insightful resource include:
Finally, Edmondson explains that “Generating ideas to solve problems is the currency of the future; teaming is the way to develop, implement, and improve those ideas.” Teaming as described above is an invaluable tool to proactively tackle concerning risks and responding in the wake of a risk event your team was unable to avoid.
Melanie Herman is Executive Director at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Melanie welcomes your questions and comments on risk teams at 703.777.3504 or Melanie@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.”
“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.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
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!