Safeguarding Your Volunteers and Your Organization with Effective Risk Management

Most nonprofit organizations rely on volunteers to some extent.  Some organizations rely very little on volunteers, while some organizations are entirely run by volunteers.  Wherever your organization falls within this spectrum, it is good policy to implement risk management strategies.

One critical step your organization should take is to match the right volunteer with the right job.  Volunteers often serve as the face of a nonprofit organization, and they reflect directly on the organization. 

With technology playing a greater role in the day-to-day operations of nonprofit organizations, cybersecurity needs to be included on the risk management to-do list.  If the volunteer's activities require the use of the nonprofit organization's IT resources, the organization should implement appropriate security measures, such as requiring the use of strong passwords, changing those passwords on a regular basis, and considering whether the use of web filtering software to block inappropriate content is needed.

Volunteer roles can run the gamut from performing clerical tasks to performing maintenance or manual labor activities.  While these pose vastly different risk management challenges, they share characteristics including the need to train volunteers about their responsibilities and to think about potential risks.

Safety training is a critical part of risk management.  Along with the specific tasks that comprise a volunteer's duties, training should also
help alleviate any personal safety concerns.  This training can be made more effective by partnering a new volunteer with an experienced colleague to provide on-the-job training.  This teamwork can help reduce the risk of mistakes or volunteer nervousness that can lead to accidents, while also reinforcing the organization's commitment to volunteer safety and protection. 

It is also important to develop an incident response plan so volunteers know what to do if something goes wrong.  Creating and reviewing protocols for unplanned incidents can help ease negative effects on the organization. 

Lastly, it is important to maintain adequate insurance coverage to help mitigate potential fiduciary risks.

Adequate training, incident planning, and insurance coverage are important tools to help nonprofit organizations attract, protect, and retain valuable volunteers while enhancing the organization's strength and ability to serve its community.

For more information on how WKMR can help your nonprofit organization, give us a call or visit www.WKMR.com.