Risk Registry

The Canadian Sport Risk Registry contains a number of common risks and is updated following each Risk Management Workshop. The risks and solutions are presented generically and anonymously, to provide insight for sport leaders to think differently about the risks that are ‘keeping them up at night’.

Lack of depth and balance of sport performance across the country

The Risk and its Impacts:

The sport lacks balance or depth of athletes/teams across the country. A small number of branches/clubs dominate in terms of performance, and PTSOs are highly variable in terms of capacity to develop the sport.

Strategies:
  • Enter into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with PTSOs to identify specific roles and responsibilities in sport development. These can be customized based on capacity of the PTSO.
  • Offer club rewards such as seed money, development grants, matching grants, awards, and recognition.
  • Target specific clubs for enhanced support (financial, administrative, leadership).
  • Consider organizing NSO services and staffing by region to maximize leadership, capacity, and support for PTSOs and clubs (this may be especially beneficial in Atlantic Canada).
  • Have strong technical leadership at national office and commit to sharing information and supporting PTSO efforts in the technical area.
  • Develop a certification type program for club managers to enhance club capacity.
  • Include a club management module in NCCP curriculum.
  • Align championship events with LTD principals.
  • Rotate location of major championships to improve on accessibility and to increase visibility.
  • Use social media to create excitement around the sport or event.
  • Re-organize PTSOs into regional associations to pool resources and deliver better training to all athletes across the country.
  • Have regular scheduled meetings with PTSO Executive Directors.
  • Consider simplifying LTD with a focus on the end user.
  • Strike committees to plan and evaluate the high-performance path, drawing on previous experience.
  • Explore avenues to develop high-performance talent outside of traditional talent streams.
  • Provide coach development and mentoring opportunities.
Communication Strategies:
  • Create a communications strategy that increases awareness and enhances visibility.

Lack of financial stability

The Risk and its Impacts:

Cash flow difficulties and inadequate resources result in operational instability as well as board and staff time inefficiencies (managing short-term financial problems), versus working towards long-term objectives and effective program delivery.

Strategies:
  • Establish a credit line to bridge short-term financial needs.
  • Establish an appropriate surplus and reserve fund to address larger-scale financial emergencies, projects, and/or challenging times.
  • Budget conservatively and include budget contingencies.
  • Establish strong internal financial controls.
  • Institute an audit committee and give it the expertise and authority it requires to oversee finances effectively.
  • Develop an investment strategy to ensure maximum leveraging of existing assets.
  • Review staffing structures to ensure optimal use of human resources.
  • Recruit board members with financial experience.
  • Pursue alternative funding sources through fundraising, merchandising, marketing, corporate sponsorship, alumni giving, crowdsourcing or IP leveraging.
  • Look for financial savings through collaborative or cost-shared programs such as insurance or registration systems.
  • Explore staff secondment opportunities through corporate partners.
  • Clearly articulate and communicate member benefits to boost membership.
  • Look at potential membership areas currently not tapped, and alternative partners (industry, municipalities, schools).
  • Review strategic plan to determine if it is aligned with current reality – may need to change expectations and performance objectives.
  • Undergo a brand strategy development process to better align with potential partners/funders.
  • Apply an ethical code of standards to accounting and fundraising practices.
Communication Strategies:
  • Communications to committees and staff responsible for budgets indicating necessity to adhere to budget.
  • Encourage ways to be more effective and efficient with budgets.
  • Promote ways to enhance economies of scale.
  • Ensure that communications for programs and services offered are customized for each target to maximize impact.
  • Communicate what sets you apart from other organizations.

Lack of internal processes

The Risk and its Impacts:

Operational procedures are not fully developed, consistent, or do not meet minimum legal requirements.

Strategies:
  • Schedule a regular review of all internal processes.
  • Create a task force with assistance from an external consultant.
  • Create a staff Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual.
  • Develop a protocol and policy to manage intellectual property.
  • Integrate Imagine Canada standards.
  • Conduct risk assessment when stepping outside standard operations or procedures.
  • Use organizational values when making decisions.
  • Create clear job descriptions and organizational chart to ensure confidence.
  • Perform cost benefit analysis between hiring and re-organizing.
  • Ensure all organizational information is secure and is regularly backed up.
  • Host regular all-staff meetings to share updates and answer questions.
  • Have access to passwords in case of emergency.
  • Have an elected staff member as a representative for compliance regulations.
Communication Strategies:
  • Communications strategy should be focused on how to manage expectations.

Lack of qualified board directors or conflicted board of directors

The Risk and its Impacts:

Insufficient organizational leadership, poor governance, membership dissatisfaction, and failure to deliver quality programming to members.

Strategies:
  • Develop a formal Board of Directors recruitment and application process that is led by a Governance or Nomination Committee.
  • Prepare detailed job/role descriptions for all Directors and Officers.
  • Create and maintain a board Manual that includes duties, responsibilities, board schedules, document access, strategic direction, governing documents and rules, conduct guidelines, insurance, etc.
  • Develop Board Member Agreements/Contracts that address Board conduct, conflict of interest, intellectual property and confidentiality.
  • Develop a standardized new Board Member orientation process.
  • All Board of Directors’ members must complete the Governance Essentials E-Learning Course as part of their onboarding.
  • Use professional groups to assist with board talent recruitment.
  • Establish board performance objectives and complete performance reviews.
  • Identify what motivates board members (i.e., professional development, team culture, recognition) and use this information to retain them.
  • Identify and groom key leaders (i.e., through committee work) for future Board opportunities (talent ID and development).
  • Plan and schedule recognition of board leaders.
  • Develop and maintain a succession plan for all Board of Directors’ members.

Lack of sound hiring and recruitment practices for national team personnel

The Risk and its Impacts:

Lack of formal procedures for selecting coaches and other team personnel, lack of clarity around screening volunteers and staff lead to unsafe environments for national team activities.

Strategies:
  • NSO has both formal and informal procedures for screening coaches and other personnel.
  • Develop a Travel Risk Policy Suite to identify safety procedures and standards for travel, accommodation, and supervision for teams.
  • Personal coaches are restricted to very narrow responsibilities, which are clearly outlined.
  • Institute more formal selection procedures to select coaches for teams, involving application, portfolio, and interview components.
  • Implement ten safe steps of screening with all national teams, including police checks, using a phased approach. See Volunteer Canada: www.volunteer.ca.
  • Create and adhere to formal volunteer selection criteria. Provide volunteer job descriptions and expectations.
  • Conduct team personnel evaluations annually and at the conclusion of major trips.
  • Interview team athletes to identify their satisfaction with team personnel and any issues.
  • Conduct an environmental scan of branches, clubs, or other sports to ensure any potential personnel are not red flagged in other areas.

Lack of strategic planning

The Risk and its Impacts:

Failure to adopt or use a relevant strategic plan to its full advantage, leading to misuse of resources, lack of direction, and lack of corporate accountability.

Strategies:
  • Develop a communications plan for Board of Directors and general membership that clearly identifies strategic goals and objectives and highlights mission, vision, and values.
  • Integrate priority strategic items into operations plan.
  • Use strategic plan as a guide when assessing the feasibility of new projects.
  • Undertake a regular environmental scan to monitor and plan for risk.
  • Adopt a Management by Values approach to daily operations. Reference values in decision-making and team discussions.
  • Conduct an annual evaluation to assess the use of the strategic plan and the achievement of strategic objectives.

Lack of volunteers

The Risk and its Impacts:

Declining quality and quantity of volunteers due to changing environmental factors (i.e., demographic, social, economic, workplace stress). As a result, organizational leadership, program delivery, and the athlete experience suffers.

Strategies:
  • See the risk “Shortage of Qualified Coaches and Officials” and the related risk solutions to increase volunteerism.
  • Enhance opportunities for high-profile international appointments (to attract highly qualified volunteers).
  • Enhance quality of professional development opportunities for volunteers.
  • Establish a more formal nomination process to solicit committee and board members. See also the risk “Lack of Qualified Board Directors.”
  • Develop strategy to retain alumni by offering a menu of options to continue their involvement in the sport.
  • Develop a mentoring program to match people with experience and knowledge with newcomers to the organization.
  • Utilize the True Sport #NoRefNoGame campaign to profile the importance of officials.
  • Undertake research into volunteerism trends and their impact on sport.
  • Undertake youth leadership outreach. Target and identify youth to participate annually to groom future leaders for the sport.
  • Target recruitment of qualified women and equity deserving groups.
  • Determine how to make use of increasing number of youth volunteers, such as those who need volunteer hours for school.
  • Create a plan for keeping volunteers beyond the youth stage.
  • Establish a national volunteer database in collaboration with PTSOs and branches/clubs.
  • Identify and develop incentives that attract young, qualified volunteers.
  • Engage with volunteer agencies (i.e., Volunteer Canada) to promote and attract new volunteers.

Shortage of qualified coaches and officials

The Risk and its Impacts:

The inability to meet demands and expectations for the sport due to a shortage of qualified coaches and/or officials, resulting in a weakened sport experience.

Strategies:
  • Implement #NoRefNoGame social media campaign to help clubs improve their capacity to attract and retain coaches.
  • Extend coverage of national employment benefits program to salaried club coaches.
  • Collaborate closely with provinces in coach development and official development.
  • Consider an entry-level coach training module to attract young coaches, and to implement in school-based programs.
  • Develop an alumni strategy to improve retention of athletes and their recruitment into coaching and officiating roles after retirement.
  • Prepare formal coach mentorship program to match new coaches with experienced coaches in the system.
  • Ensure appropriate honoraria/per diems for officials.
  • Create True Sport awards and recognition programs for coaches and officials.
  • Provide competitive salaries for national-level coaches.
  • Hire a technical director who can be directly responsible for the effective delivery of coaching and officiating training.
  • Provide greater leadership and support to PTSOs to assist them in their efforts to develop coaches and officials.
  • Make a strong and very public commitment to support coach professional development and coaching excellence.
  • Use AGM/congress to achieve professional development delivery for coaches and officials.
  • Provide coach and officials development and training using innovative new technologies (social media).
  • Establish an officials committee to develop a strategy for recruitment, retention, and mentorship of young officials.
  • Encourage best practices within clubs to promote professionalization of coaching.
  • Develop a professional coaching career path.
  • Develop a strategy that will lead to all national team coaches being full-time, salaried professionals.
Communication strategies:
  • Communicate and promote the benefits of coaching.

Shortage of qualified coaches and officials

The Risk and its Impacts:

The inability to meet demands and expectations for the sport due to a shortage of qualified coaches and/or officials, resulting in a weakened sport experience.

Strategies:
  • Implement #NoRefNoGame social media campaign to help clubs improve their capacity to attract and retain coaches.
  • Extend coverage of national employment benefits program to salaried club coaches.
  • Collaborate closely with provinces in coach development and official development.
  • Consider an entry-level coach training module to attract young coaches, and to implement in school-based programs.
  • Develop an alumni strategy to improve retention of athletes and their recruitment into coaching and officiating roles after retirement.
  • Prepare formal coach mentorship program to match new coaches with experienced coaches in the system.
  • Ensure appropriate honoraria/per diems for officials.
  • Create True Sport awards and recognition programs for coaches and officials.
  • Provide competitive salaries for national-level coaches.
  • Hire a technical director who can be directly responsible for the effective delivery of coaching and officiating training.
  • Provide greater leadership and support to PTSOs to assist them in their efforts to develop coaches and officials.
  • Make a strong and very public commitment to support coach professional development and coaching excellence.
  • Use AGM/congress to achieve professional development delivery for coaches and officials.
  • Provide coach and officials development and training using innovative new technologies (social media).
  • Establish an officials committee to develop a strategy for recruitment, retention, and mentorship of young officials.
  • Encourage best practices within clubs to promote professionalization of coaching.
  • Develop a professional coaching career path.
  • Develop a strategy that will lead to all national team coaches being full-time, salaried professionals.
Communication strategies:
  • Communicate and promote the benefits of coaching.

Sport lacks strong international profile

The Risk and its Impacts:

The sport lacks a strong profile and reputation within the international community, which inhibits competitive invitations, hosting opportunities, international funding and decision-making influence.

Strategies:
  • Undertake deliberate succession planning for international appointments. Target and develop emerging leaders and support them in their leadership aspirations.
  • Fully fund all international delegates, and institute reporting requirements in exchange for funding.
  • Pursue development of a hosting strategy in conjunction with sport tourism interests.
  • Collaborate with USA counterpart to enhance North American hosting opportunities, and/or other like-minded nations to address imbalances and identify best practices.
  • Support international representatives in creating a communications network or website portal to improve communication and information sharing among them.
  • Create a facility development strategy. Focus on sustaining a small number of highest quality facilities in Canada to assist in hosting efforts.
  • Educate members on opportunities available as an international federation supporter.
  • Identify and capitalize on all advantages offered by the Canadian approach. Identify the unique assets and strengths we bring to the table (e.g., policy development, diversity, safety standards).
Communication Strategies:
  • Communications strategy is focused on branding Canada as a place worthy of hosting international competitions.

Staff turnover and lack of succession planning

The Risk and its Impacts:

Turnover of key staff and leaders, including the loss of current generation of strong leaders and coaches. The organization may experience loss of key corporate knowledge, interruption of business continuity, duplication of effort and other inefficiencies, loss of strategic focus, and potential relationship damage.

Strategies:
  • Develop a succession plan and/or business interruption plan in the event of the loss or incapacity of key staff and leadership positions
  • Target athletes close to retirement and communicate opportunities to remain involved in the sport in a leadership role (groom future talent).
  • Do a regular review of compensation packages to remain competitive as an employer.
  • Have clear and current written job descriptions for all positions, that are reviewed annually.
  • Offer flexible working environment and flexible office hours.
  • Provide professional development opportunities to enhance growth and job satisfaction of staff and board.
  • Undertake careful staff recruitment to ensure good fit with organizational culture.
  • Promote diversity in hiring practices.
  • Provide detailed orientation program for new staff and board directors.
  • Undertake an independent human resources analysis to ensure optimal structure and functioning of staff.
  • Incorporate organizational values into staff recruitment and evaluation strategies.
  • Build a positive working environment.
  • Conduct structured and well-planned exit interviews to identify unresolved issues and to improve staff positions.
  • Find a way to celebrate your key leaders through planned/scheduled recognition.
  • Establish a transfer of knowledge (TOK) team at the board and staff levels and develop a TOK process to preserve corporate history.
  • Communicate opportunities to remain involved in the sport in a leadership role to alumni.
  • Consider modern work scenarios such as job sharing, flexible office hours, and remote offices.
  • Identify individuals with similar skill sets and job descriptions who can provide short-term help in case of staff turnover or provide mentoring to new staff.
  • Identify what motivates staff (i.e., money, benefits, professional development, projects, team culture, recognition) and use this information to retain them.
  • Develop a board skills matrix to identify desired skills sets.

Weak brand and profile of sport in Canada

The Risk and its Impacts:

Risk of not building a strong brand that could raise the profile of sport in Canada (e.g., relationships with common interest groups, brand alignment, messaging).

Strategies:
  • Purposefully align events and communications with common interest groups.
  • Invite common interest groups to sit on committees or boards.
  • Consider collaborating with other sport, recreation, education or health partners with similar goals and issues.
  • Undergo a brand strategy development process to better align with partners, including a communications plan.
  • Leverage LTD into branding.
  • Create a common logo for NSO, PTSOs and host communities.
  • Ensure brand is presented appropriately to various audiences.
  • Use strong international profile when possible to build brand domestically.
  • Build awareness by partnering with a recognizable face of the sport.
  • Develop a branding guidelines document.
  • Leverage unique aspects of the sport.
Communication Strategies:
  • Promote written accolades and letters of support.

Weak governance and board operations

The Risk and its Impacts:

The risk of a weak governance structure at the board level.

Strategies:
  • Create a formalized process of board member training and evaluation.
  • Review sub-board committee structure to ensure alignment to strategic plan.
  • Identify a process of board recruitment and selection that reflects the organization’s vision, mission and values.
  • Identify possible leaders with targeted skills and expertise for board members.
  • Undertake regular environmental scan or SWOT analysis (Strength/Weakness/Opportunity/Threat) to monitor and plan for risk.
  • Create a governance manual which outlines current policies and procedures, as well as relevant job descriptions which carry executive authority.
  • Develop a succession plan for board, senior staff, and key volunteers.
  • Develop a communications plan to clearly show how the board makes decisions.
  • Use organizational core values to enhance decision making (Management by Values approach).
  • Board of Directors’ members must complete the Governance Essentials E-Learning Course as part of their onboarding.

Weak leadership

The Risk and its Impacts:

Risk of not being seen as a system leader during times of change, leading to negative perceptions, mistrust, and damaged relationships.

Strategies:
  • Share important information showing leadership through a communications plan to members, and by providing updates on key issues.
  • Involve PTSOs and members in the conversation during times of change.
  • Find a way to engage certain provinces and territories and for them to champion change.
  • Effectively communicate return on investment and align decision making with corporate values and strategic goals.
  • Identify and offer/recommend leadership development opportunities for staff and board.