General
NODA shall practice risk management in all appropriate Association activities and events. Risk management is a deliberate process meant to identify foreseeable risks, determine what levels of risk are acceptable, and to mitigate or eliminate risks where appropriate. Risk assessments shall be conducted for individual programs or activities as part of the planning process. In addition, the Association should undertake a broad periodic risk assessment of all aspects of the Association on a regular basis.
Scope
The Association seeks to eliminate or mitigate risks related to:
- Health and safety of its members, employees, or participants in Association sponsored events and activities;
- Legal liabilities related to any associated event or activity;
- Reputation of the Association;
- Assets, physical and monetary, belonging to the Association;
- External circumstances which may reasonably be foreseen to have potential impact on NODA activities;
- Any other types of risk that can be reasonably foreseen by Association event and activity planners and managers, staff, and leaders.
Risk Management for Events & Activities
NODA staff shall be responsible for developing risk assessment forms and practices related to individual events and activities to be used by event planners. NODA staff will work with appropriate NODA volunteers, such as conference planning committees, to carry out the risk assessments, and to ensure appropriate action and follow up occur. NODA conferences must have a document risk assessment on file with the Association staff. NODA staff shall be responsible for determining whether other NODA events or activities, particularly those with significant foreseeable risk, require a documented risk assessment.
Documentation of risk assessments must be submitted to NODA staff prior to the event or activities start, in compliance with deadlines established by NODA staff, and shall become a part of the records for each event or activity for as long as those records are held. Risk assessment documents shall be housed at the NODA Association office.
Periodic Risk Review
NODA staff shall be responsible for assembling a team to conduct a broader risk assessment of the Association and to submit a report to the Board of Directors when completed. This risk assessment should include a listing of all foreseeable risks related to any NODA activity, ratings of risk likelihood and potential impact, and shall include recommendations for actions needed to mitigate risks to the Association. This periodic risk review shall occur once every three years. The risk assessment should include all areas listed in the Scope.
The risk assessment team shall be led by the Executive Director and the NODA Associate Director of Membership & Operations, and shall include at minimum the following, appointed by the NODA President: one board member who is serving or who has served on the executive committee; one active NODA professional member; and one non-NODA member who should have knowledge of association risk management. This person could be a paid consultant, if deemed appropriate by the Executive Director and if approved by the Board of Directors in the NODA budget.