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.
Lack of inclusion
The Risk:
Risk that all who want to participate in a sport activity do not feel safe or welcome.
Solutions:
- Develop and implement policies for gender (e.g., girls on boys’ teams), transgender, and LGBTQ2S inclusion.
- Connect with CAAWS to see what resources could be used to educate coaches and athletes on this issue.
- Explore a campaign to sensitize coaches about the power of language and acceptable conduct.
- Have effective code of conduct in place, and ability to implement disciplinary measures in a professional manner.
- Be clear that the organization does not discriminate and welcomes of diversity.
- Explore funding opportunities for athletes with financial challenges.
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 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
Risk of athlete injury
The Risk:
Risk that an athlete injury will end their career or have long-lasting effects.
Solutions:
- Educate athletes and coaches about preventative measures to reduce likelihood of injury.
- Be a champion for research and safety developments for injuries predominant in your sport.
- Consult with other sports who deal with similar types of injuries.
Risks to sport membership
The Risk:
Risk that current membership model is not appropriate.
Solutions:
- Use a committee or poll current members on various membership structures and options.
- For membership fees, develop a formula that is customized to member needs.
- Where low membership is a threat to funding, consider a national database or other membership tracking system.
- Communicate the consequences of low registration to membership.
- Provide education on the benefits of registration, such as club support, access to coaching, insurance, and event planning.
- Consider recruitment strategies.
- Explore possible explanations for declining membership. May need to work with PTSOs or regions to find solutions.
- Identify problematic regions and develop a strategy to invigorate sport participation.
- Develop an outreach program that PTSOs can use to attract members.
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.