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’.
Challenges to compliance
The Risk:
Inadequate staff capacity or expertise to ensure that organization is compliant with all requirements.
Solutions:
- Consult with like organizations to determine how they maintain compliance.
- Seek board members with subject expertise.
Challenges to compliance
The Risk:
Inadequate staff capacity or expertise to ensure that organization is compliant with all requirements.
Solutions:
- Consult with like organizations to determine how they maintain compliance.
- Seek board members with subject expertise.
Challenges to compliance
The Risk:
Inadequate staff capacity or expertise to ensure that organization is compliant with all requirements.
Solutions:
- Consult with like organizations to determine how they maintain compliance.
- Seek board members with subject expertise.
Lack of depth and balance of sport performance across the country
The Risk:
That the sport lacks balance or depth across the country. A small number of clubs dominate in terms of performance, and PTSOs are highly variable in terms of capacity to develop the sport.
Solutions:
- 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, as part of a club excellence type program to enhance club capacity.
- Include a club management module into NCCP curriculum.
- Align championship events with LTAD 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 PTSO's into regional associations to pool resources and deliver better training to all athletes across the country.
- Have regular scheduled meetings with PTSO EDs.
- Consider simplifying LTAD 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.
Lack of financial stability
The Risk:
Cash flow difficulties and inadequate resources result in board and staff time being spent managing short-term financial problems, versus working towards long-term solutions and more important objectives.
Solutions:
- Establish a credit line to bridge short-term financial needs.
- Budget conservatively at all times.
- 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.
- 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.
- Review programs / services and eliminate those that provide little value to members.
- Establish an appropriatea small surplus and reserve fund.
- Undergo a brand strategy development process to better align with potential partners / funders.
- Consider Club Excellence Program participation for access to financial management audit and review
- Apply an ethical code of standards to accounting and fundraising practices.
Lack of internal processes
The Risk:
Operational procedures are not fully developed, consistent or do not meet minimum legal requirements.
Solutions:
- 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.
Lack of sound hiring practices
The Risk:
Lack of formal procedures for selecting coaches and other team personnel, lack of clarity around screening volunteers, lead to unsafe environments for national team activities.
Solutions:
- NSO has both formal and informal procedures for screening coaches and other personnel.
- Have strict policies for travel, accommodation and supervision for teams.
- Personal coaches are restricted to very narrow responsibilities. Institute more formal selection procedures to select coaches for teams, involving application, portfolio and interview component.
- Implement ten safe steps of screening (See Volunteer Canada - www.volunteer.ca) with all national teams, including police checks, using a phased approach.
- Implement ten safe steps of screening with all national teams, including police checks, using a phased approach. See Volunteer Canada.
- Create and adhere to formal volunteer selection criteria. Provide volunteer job descriptions and expectations.
Lack of strategic planning
The Risk:
Failure to use strategic plan to its full advantage.
Solutions:
- Develop a communications plan for board of directors and general membership.
- Integrate priority strategic items into operations plan.
- Use strategic plan as a guide when assessing the feasibility of new projects.
- Undertake regular environmental scan to monitor and plan for risk.
Liability issues with hosted events
The Risk:
Liability risks associated with hosted events.
Solutions:
- Supply written guide for organizers containing standards to be met.
- Use signed hosting contract (NSO-PTSO-Host committee) setting out contractual commitments.
- Have risk management and insurance committee driven by staff.
- Standardized use of waiver forms.
- Build proactive and collaborative relationship with insurer.
- Enhance role clarity for event organizers – who has jurisdiction for what aspects of the event.
- Offer training to PTSO technical staff to help them deliver well-organized, safe events.
- Clearly identified financial signing authority for both host and NSO / MSO.
- Explore national insurance program (to cover all members and partners of hosted events).
- Develop a financial management policy, budget and reporting templates for use by host. Make the use of these templates a condition of hosting the event.
- Negotiate performance audits in critical areas to maintain hosting standards.
- Work with PTSO's to create hosting agreement and realistic financial model.
- Create an emergency action plan.
- To optimize attendance at the event, communicate / promote past successes.
- Establish what the key legacy pieces are for your event.
- Develop a communications plan clarifying how / who with / when / what information is shared.
- If few organizations have the capacity to host a national event, develop a business plan to address growth.
Managing competing priorities
The Risk:
Not being able to determine or decide which projects or programs to prioritize, and which to decline or discontinue.
Solutions:
- Use part-time staff, temporary staff, or contractors when appropriate.
- Explore partnership opportunities with PTSOs to complete projects.
- Invest only in programs that further the organization’s mission and vision.
- Review strategic plan to reconcile which current priorities are
Managing competing priorities
The Risk:
Not being able to determine or decide which projects or programs to prioritize, and which to decline or discontinue.
Solutions:
- Use part-time staff, temporary staff, or contractors when appropriate.
- Explore partnership opportunities with PTSOs to complete projects.
- Invest only in programs that further the organization’s mission and vision.
- Review strategic plan to reconcile which current priorities are
Managing competing priorities
The Risk:
Not being able to determine or decide which projects or programs to prioritize, and which to decline or discontinue.
Solutions:
- Use part-time staff, temporary staff, or contractors when appropriate.
- Explore partnership opportunities with PTSOs to complete projects.
- Invest only in programs that further the organization’s mission and vision.
- Review strategic plan to reconcile which current priorities are
Poor alignment between NSO and PTSO
The Risk:
Poor alignment of system resulted in disjointed planning, and confusion as to roles and responsibilities of NSO versus PSO in the sport delivery system.
Solutions:
- Create customized Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with PTSOs.
- Encourage all PTSOs to align strategic plans with pillars of Canadian Sport Policy.
- Convene meetings of NSO and PTSOs to better coordinate planning efforts.
- Ensure clear terms of reference for all committees.
- Examine best practices of other NSOs to determine what works well to improve alignment of planning.
- Collaborate with PTSOs on items that may or may not affect them.
- Develop an issue specific communications plan.
- During times of change, set realistic benchmarks with clearly communicated timelines.
- For larger changes that affect all members, strike small committees involving PTSOs to ensure buy in and to assist with any transition issues.
- Have regular scheduled meetings with PTSO EDs.
- Offer PTSOs a workshop on policy management that encourages alignment with NSO policies.
- Include PTSOs in NSO strategic plan development as a means to develop a sense of PTSO ownership and involvement.
- Clearly define the roles of NSO, PTSO and other sport organizations to avoid duplication of efforts and jurisdictional conflicts.
Reliance on Government Funding /OTP
The Risk:
Reliance on government funding that is tied to high performance results, and risk that this funding will not be stable or secure in the long term (political realities).
Solutions:
- Refine and deliver a uniform development program such as RunJumpThrow, BlastOff, CanBike, Mini Ball) that can be launched nationally to build participation, member numbers, sponsor interest.
- Actively participate in Sport Matters Group (and if a team sport, in the Canadian Team Sport Coalition).
- Pursue alumni development strategies.
- Pursue fundraising strategies.
- Investigate improved investment strategies for reserve/foundation funds.
- Perform intellectual property audit and consider opportunities for exploiting these assets more effectively.
- Pursue new membership groups and new private partners.
- Hire an expert to help identify possible revenue streams.
- Undergo a brand strategy development process to better align with potential partners / funders.
- Frame strategic plan against Canadian Sport Policy goals.
- Work collectively with PTSO's to secure a "sport" sponsor.
- Re-align business expectations with industry standards, through Imagine Canada standards.
- Have the right staff in place to ensure top recruitment and performance.
- Encourage athletes to pursue individual sponsorships.
- Invest only in programs that further the organization’s mission and vision.
- Explore using crowd-funding programs.
- Seek in-kind donations to complement financial contributions.
- Develop relationship management plans with sponsors as a means to maintain and extend relationships.
- Seek multi-year sponsorship contracts.
- Research options for foundation and private donations or grants.
- Improve quality of project descriptions and reporting as a means to support funding and funding maintenance requests.
- Promote the successes of athletes at high-profile events to attract sponsors.
- Contract a marketing specialist to assist with fundraising efforts.
Risk of not meeting SFAF requirements
The Risk:
Risk of not meeting SFAF requirements, which would affect funding.
Solutions
- Participate in Imagine Canada's accountability standards program.
Sport lacks strong international profile
The Risk:
That the sport lacks a strong profile and reputation within the international community, which inhibits competitive invitations, hosting opportunities, international funding and decision-making influence.
Solutions:
- 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.
- Support international representatives in creating a communications network/web site portal to improve communication and information sharing among them.
- 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.
Sport lacks strong international profile
The Risk:
That the sport lacks a strong profile and reputation within the international community, which inhibits competitive invitations, hosting opportunities, international funding and decision-making influence.
Solutions:
- 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.
- Support international representatives in creating a communications network/web site portal to improve communication and information sharing among them.
- 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.
Weak brand and profile of sport in Canada
The Risk:
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).
Solutions
- Purposefully align events and communications with common interest groups.
- Invite common interest groups on committees or boards.
- Consider collaborating with other sport, recreation, education or health partners with similar goals / issues.
- Undergo a brand strategy development process (with communications plan) to better align with partners.
- Leverage LTAD into branding.
- Create a common logo for NSOs, PTSOs and host communities.
- Ensure brand is reflected 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.
Weak governance and board operations
The Risk:
The risk of a weak governance structure at the board level.
Solutions:
- 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 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).
Weak leadership
The Risk:
Risk of not being seen as a system leader during times of change.
Solutions:
- Share important information showing leadership through a communications plan to members.
- 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.
Weak organizational structure
The Risk:
Organization is not structured to optimize resource use and stakeholder services.
Solutions:
- Review and update policies and procedures with regularity.
- Strike staff or board committee, or sub-committee, to provide guidance and research current structure recommendations.
- Publish current policies to ensure stakeholders have access.
- Procure expertise (e.g., legal) to ensure updated policies are aligned.
- Consider Club Excellence program.
- Establish a set of corporate values and guidance principles.
- Examine the actions of the international federation for successes and challenges.
- Ensure athlete opinions and concerns are considered in decision making and strategic planning.
Weak organizational structure
The Risk:
Organization is not structured to optimize resource use and stakeholder services.
Solutions:
- Review and update policies and procedures with regularity.
- Strike staff or board committee, or sub-committee, to provide guidance and research current structure recommendations.
- Publish current policies to ensure stakeholders have access.
- Procure expertise (e.g., legal) to ensure updated policies are aligned.
- Consider Club Excellence program.
- Establish a set of corporate values and guidance principles.
- Examine the actions of the international federation for successes and challenges.
- Ensure athlete opinions and concerns are considered in decision making and strategic planning.