Legal & Risk Management

Risk Management FAQ from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.

Community Risk Management Center : A source for tools, advice, current and archived articles on risk relating to nonprofits, boards of directors, volunteers, etc. The new Pillars of Accountability assessment tool is also available on this site. Nonprofits may qualify for a free subscription to the Center's Community Risk Management and Insurance Newsletter.

Crisis Prevention : Adapting Risk Management Principles On a Smaller Scale. A "Mission Controls" Fact Sheet from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.

Directors' and Officers' Coverage : Is It Worth It? Every prospective or current board member should read this article from The Nonprofit Quarterly.

Crisis Management Fact Sheets : An index of free fact sheets on the topic of crisis management. The best time to plan how to respond to a crisis is before it happens. Topics: Community Collaboration; Communicating During a Crisis; Crisis Management Essentials; Emergency Evacuation Strategy; Employee Fear and Low Morale; Handling Suspicious Packages & Letters; Policies and Procedures for Hoaxes; Screening Prospective Staff; Threatening Call Checklist & Record Sheet. From the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.

Nonprofit Law : Articles from The Grantsmanship Center Magazine on a variety of topics from hiring independent contractors to keeping boards "above board."

BoardSource provides an extensive Q&A archive which can be searched for legal issues relative to boards, nonprofits, compliance and reporting.

NOLO Legal Encyclopedia Articles on Nonprofit Corporations.

Hiring Independent Contractors : FAQ's and articles from NOLO's Legal Encyclopedia.

Screening Prospective Staff is Sound Risk Management : A "Mission Controls" fact sheet and screening checklist from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.

Workers' Compensation FAQ : From the Florida Department of Financial Services, with links to publications and additional information.

Volunteers : Risk & Liability. Articles and other tools for organizations involving volunteers, from Energize, Inc.

Controlling Risks in Volunteer Programs : A tutorial offered by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, this online tool explains how to control risks in a volunteer program to protect the agency, the volunteers and the clients.

Nonprofit Advocacy Resources : The Alliance for Justice provides information via several free publications (available in PDF format), FAQ on advocacy and lobbying, information on one-on-one technical assistance by phone, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lobbying and Advocacy by Nonprofits. From the Center for Nonprofit Management.

A Summary of the Laws Governing Lobbying by 501 (c) (3) Organizations : By John Pomeranz, Nonprofit Advocacy Counsel, Alliance for Justice (from the National Council of Nonprofit Assocations).

Advocacy Rights : Nonprofits have the right to engage in advocacy and lobbying activities. The National Council of Nonprofit Associations notes on their website that they are seeing challenges to, and attempts to eliminate, these nonprofit lobbying rights. This site includes position statements, issue updates and comment links.

Information & Tools for Nonprofit Advocacy : A website from NPAction to encourage greater participation by nonprofits in the policy arena and to strengthen their ability to advocate for their causes. Free tools include online directory of advocacy resources, basics of advocacy including an Advocacy Glossary, and a directory of state policymakers and the media.

Sarbanes-Oxley and Nonprofits : This Act only affects public companies, right? Not so fast! Richard Larkin, CPA and Technical Director, Nonprofit Services at BDO Seidman, LLP suggests funders are likely to start saying, "If you want our money, we expect you to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley... members of associations will pressure their governing boards to comply...many governing boards, on their own, will decide that for public relations and fundraising purposes, they will want to show the world that they comply with the spirit of Sarbanes-Oxley...and reporters for local news media will start asking nonprofits if they are complying with Sarbanes-Oxley and if not, why. Take a look at four actions nonprofits should consider.