Np Risk » (New Edition)

MELANIE L. HERMAN is the executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, a management assistance organization that provides informational resources, technical assistance, and training to an estimated 20,000 nonprofits annually. Before her appointment as CEO of the Center in 1996, she served on the senior management team at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, where she directed the association’s development, membership, and communications activities. She has authored and coauthored more than a dozen books on risk management in nonprofit organizations.

GEORGE L. HEAD, PhD, holder of several professional designations in insurance, safety, and risk management, has been a risk management educator for over thirty years. Since retiring from an award-winning career at the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, he continues to write, consult, and serve as a Special Advisor with the Nonprofit Risk Management Center in Washington, D.C.

PEGGY M. JACKSON, DPA, CPCU, is a founding partner of Fogarty, Jackson & Associates in San Francisco. She has coauthored three previous book s on risk management in nonprofit organizations.

TONI E. FOGARTY, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Human Resources and Organization Development program at the University of San Francisco, where she teaches courses in organizational behavior and change, research methods, data analysis, and business fundamentals. She is also a general partner and CFO with Fogarty, Jackson & Associates in San Francisco.

Learn how to manage and leverage risk

Like all organizations in today’s volatile marketplace, nonprofits are under tremendous pressure to be more accountable for their operations, specifically to funders, donors, clients, and the public at large. Proper risk management can not only help nonprofits create a sound and transparent financial structure, but also exploit new development opportunities that may not otherwise be realized. Managing Risk in Nonprofit Organizations shows managers how to implement sound risk management procedures in every aspect of their organization.

The authors divide their guide into three sections—The Nature and Purposes of Risk Management, Recognizing the Context for Risk Management, and Risk Financing for Nonprofits. A large array of potential risks is covered, including:

• Human resource issues
• Fundraising
• Internet use
• Mergers
• Volunteer management

Senior level managers and executives at nonprofits, board members, and professional risk managers will find Managing Risk in Nonprofit Organizations to be an invaluable guide to this vital topic.

Too often, nonprofit managers unwittingly adopt an unrealistic attitude toward risk management. They acknowledge the risks inherent in the nonprofit business—from serving a vulnerable population while using volunteers to deliver services, to relying on the kindness of strangers for donations to meet payroll and other expenses. Yet their risk management strategy seeks only to avoid or eliminate risk. Not only does this stance fail to account for the fact that many risks in nonprofit work are plainly unavoidable, but it further fails to recognize the inherently positive component of risk-taking. An organization that designs its risk management activities solely around the goal of minimizing or avoiding risk will miss out on opportunities to strengthen the organization’s assets, offer more meaningful services to individuals or a wider community, and attract a steadily growing constituency of donors, supporters, and volunteers. Four leaders from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center explain how to minimize the negative and maximize the positive consequences of risk-taking in Managing Risk in Nonprofit Organizations: A Comprehensive Guide.

The team of expert authors analyzes every facet of the risk management process, including identifying and prioritizing risk, selecting and implementing risk management techniques, and monitoring risk management for the long term. They begin by highlighting five reasons why risk management should be a top priority for all nonprofit personnel, from the governing board to unpaid volunteers:

• Asset stewardship
• Achieving public accountability
• Attracting stakeholders
• Freeing up resources for mission
• Staying true to mission

The authors systematically explain how risk management can be leveraged in a time-sensitive manner in each of these and other areas, recognizing the myriad pressures and competing concerns that every nonprofit staff faces. Diagrams of the risk management cycle and "dimensions of risk" graphics further illustrate process implementation.

Risk management should be viewed not as a bit of unpleasant housekeeping, but rather as an opportunity to achieve your organization’s full potential. With this practical guide, nonprofit managers will learn how to reap the considerable benefits that proper risk management has to offer.

Author Biography: MELANIE L. HERMAN is the executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, a management assistance organization that provides informational resources, technical assistance, and training to an estimated 20,000 nonprofits annually. Before her appointment as CEO of the Center in 1996, she served on the senior management team at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, where she directed the association’s development, membership, and communications activities. She has authored and coauthored more than a dozen books on risk management in nonprofit organizations.
GEORGE L. HEAD, PhD, holder of several professional designations in insurance, safety, and risk management, has been a risk management educator for over thirty years. Since retiring from an award-winning career at the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, he continues to write, consult, and serve as a Special Advisor with the Nonprofit Risk Management Center in Washington, D.C.
PEGGY M. JACKSON, DPA, CPCU, is a founding partner of Fogarty, Jackson & Associates in San Francisco. She has coauthored three previous books on risk management in nonprofit organizations.
TONI E. FOGARTY, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Human Resources and Organization Development program at the University of San Francisco, where she teaches courses in organizational behavior and change, research methods, data analysis, and business fundamentals. She is also a general partner and CFO with Fogarty, Jackson & Associates in San Francisco.