Introduction

The Nonprofit Risk Book grew out of many years of work in the nonprofit sector in the US and in government-NGO partnerships further from home. In trading stories and adventures over the years, we discovered that many of the biggest challenges affecting nonprofit organizations are very common but rarely discussed. We also learned that many of the toughest issues nonprofits face can be addressed by heeding lessons learned the hard way by others. This book is our attempt to turn experience into useful guidance that can take the sting out of lessons otherwise taught in the school of hard knocks.

Our experience has run the gamut from hyper-local community arts, environment, library and crisis response organizations to multi-jurisdictional civic engagement, advocacy, health and human service organizations and coalitions, with time spent in between, working in and with government and philanthropy. All told, we’ve each worked for three decades as staff, volunteers, chief executives and board members using our passion for causes and cities in the service of mission-driven organizations and leaders.

We focus on nonprofit and NGO risk because this immediately focuses attention and resources on preventing problems that plague all nonprofits at one time or another. Whether it's a vulnerability caused by an organization's policies or practices or it's a political, economic or environmental threat that comes from the outside, nonprofits and NGOs often find themselves in a tight spot and in need of smart solutions.