Strategy & Risk

The Importance of Government Engagement for Board Directors

Amongst finance, risk, strategy, oversight, compliance and share/stake holders, board directors could be forgiven for thinking engaging with government is an afterthought. Yet government engagement is one of the few areas that crosses over every single board director’s responsibility and should be an agenda item on every board meeting. Government engagement is a catch all term we started using almost a decade ago because we felt that terms like lobbying, advocacy and campaigning didn’t quite capture the importance, nuance and detail required to ensure government is aligned to your organisation.

The Secret Ingredient to Great Not-for-Profit Strategy

Co-authored by Felicity Green and Elena Mogilevski Strategic planning for the not-for-profit sector is vastly different from planning for the private sector. Many board directors of not-for-profit organisations are volunteers with a background in corporate or private enterprise, and the difference between strategies in the sectors can sometimes be challenging to navigate. It is imperative to understand, however, that the north star to guide social sector strategy development is not simply shareholder value, but rather an often complex combination of outcomes that drive positive impact for those that the organisation exists to serve.

Strategy – Is it really that difficult?

In recent years, serious concerns have been raised by governance experts and public inquiries over the amount of time spent by NFP boards monitoring the day-to-day operations of their organisations at the expense of driving long-term strategy.1 There are a number of reasons directors may have felt constrained to a short-term outlook, including their organisations being under-resourced, heavily reliant on grants and donations and staffed by volunteers and employees of varying levels of experience.

Strengthening Risk Management at the Board Table

I see lots of risk registers and risk related documents. Some are great and really help board members and executive teams identify, manage and report on the “effect of uncertainty on objectives” (as defined in AS ISO 31000:2018) but many could be strengthened. Ultimately, risk management is a strategic process – looking forward to explore what may happen in the future that will assist or hinder your organisation in achieving its purpose and goals.

The Intersection of Risk, Culture and Crisis and at What Price

Much is said and written about personal, brand and company reputations, but when all is said and done reputation rests on three pillars: context, stakeholders, and culture. Context because what happens around a business from a government, social, environment and economic perspective dictates the level of risk associated with your operations and your business decisions. What was right or acceptable 20 years ago may not be right today. What is right according to the letter of the law may not be perceived as right by the society in which you operate.

Integrating ESG into Not-for-Profits: Managing Risks and Opportunities

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies and practices have become important aspects for Not-For-Profits (NFPs). The three ESG pillars are not only essential in risk management but have also been seen as emerging considerations for growth and opportunities. The three pillars of ESG are: “E” - the Environmental aspects. This refers to the NFP’s environmental impact and environmental stewardship. “S” - the Social aspects. This refers to how the NFP manages relationships with, and creates value for, stakeholders - including the interaction with its employees, beneficiaries, and the community.

The Board and Risk Management

We remain in the midst of a global pandemic. We have all had to think, respond and behave differently as a result. Things that we took for granted before 2020 are no longer possible or require a different approach. Our expectations have changed. Our priorities have changed. The pandemic has created uncertainty for us all. This is in addition to other factors that create uncertainty in our environment, business and personal worlds.

Unlocking the Power of Strategic Thinking and Planning

How do you think and plan strategically to address complex missions while balancing resource and workforce constraints? It’s an important question for the non-profit, philanthropy and social enterprise sector. Being strategic appears to be critical if organisations wish to be sustainable and improve employee and client outcomes, yet many non-profit leaders and staff frequently say that they can’t find the time to think or plan strategically. Clever organisations are overcoming this problem by instilling strategic thinking within their organisational culture.

Developing Deeper and More Strategic Partnerships with Business: A Framework for Moving Forward

Corporations are now interested in social sector partnerships for much more strategic reasons than they have been in the past. How can NFP CEOs take advantage of this trend? For years NFPs have been partnering with corporations, tapping into resources via their philanthropic and social responsibility agendas. However, we are now seeing the emergence of strategic relationships driven by the pressure on companies to find new sources of shareholder value, and this presents game-changing opportunities for NFPs.

Listen: Take Notice of and Act on What Someone Says

“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view …until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”1 Many of us have been consumers and carers. Whether it’s shopping, queuing for an event, visiting a GP, picking kids up after school, or supporting an ageing parent.