The Institute for Risk Management (IRM) has launched a free short guide for the UK's 900,000 charities to better understand risk management. While rising user demand and increasingly restricted resources may push risk management down the priority list for many non-profit organisations, it's this could produce big problems further down the line. The IRM has produced a short guide introducing the concept of risk management for charities - useful for organisations where there is no dedicated risk management expert. The guide summarises the four T's of risk identification and management.

From child protection to grant making to international aid, running charities can be fraught with risk. Charities face the same strategic and operational risks as other sectors, with the added pressure of maintaining public trust and confidence in their work. Yet many, small organisations, don’t have the knowledge to plan and manage these risks. Risk Management for charities – getting started, is written by IRM’s expert Charity Special Interest Group and provides charities and voluntary organisations with a step by step guide that debunks some of the myths and jargon around:

• How risk management can help
• Setting up their risk management framework
• Identifying and assessing their risks
• Treating risks
• Monitoring and reviewing risks

The guide is available to download for free from the IRM's website (PDF)