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Managing Risk

Manchester Community Central Factsheets

Factsheet 4: Insurance – This factsheet is a short guide to insurance for voluntary and community groups in Greater Manchester. It should be seen alongside the guidance set out by the Charity Commission and professional, independent advice where appropriate (including advice from professional insurance bodies)

Factsheet 19: Charities and VAT – This factsheet gives a brief general overview about how VAT operates and how it may affect voluntary and community organisations

Factsheet 20: Health and safety – This factsheet will help you to understand your health and safety duties of care as an organisation

Factsheet 26: Quality assurance – Quality assurance is a way for your organisation to make sure that it is always striving to do the best it can for its service users, members, volunteers and funders

Factsheet: 10 top tips to improving cyber security – Cyber security is mentioned everywhere, it’s important we all know we should probably dosomething about it but aren’t sure what to do, where to start, whether it will sap ourtime and energy, detracting from delivering important activities and services

What to think about if your organisation is considering taking on a lease or tenancy of a property

Risk Assessment – It is good practice to carry out regular comprehensive assessments of all the risks faced by your organisation and to maintain a register of them

Risk Assessment Chart – A common approach to prioritising risks is to score them relative to each other

Charities and risk management – This guidance form the Charity Commission outlines the basic principles and strategies that can be applied to help charities manage their risks

Hitting the Iceberg: How to manage a funding crisis – This guidance is designed for organisations which find themselves confronted by a major reduction in income

Bates Wells Managing in a crisis: a guide for charities – Bates Wells have produced this crisis management guide for charities drawing on the expertise of colleagues from different areas of the firm, and fellow B Corp Forster Communications, to look at some of the varied issues that might prompt a crisis, how you might pre-empt a crisis, and how to plan for the worst, should it happen

Business Continuity resources – Business continuity is about understanding and managing risks to the everyday running of an organisation. It helps you to prepare for an emergency or disruptions by planning different ways of working so that you can continue to deliver your key functions. The Manchester Business Continuity Forum (MBCF) have produced this series of guidance documents and templates based on good practice and experience.

Trustees trading and tax: how charities may lawfully trade – Some charities engage in trading as a way to raise funds or to further their objects. This guidance from the Charity Commission explains how a charity can trade itself, and when a trading subsidiary should be established. The guidance also contains some basic information on the application of income and corporation tax on trading profits.

Ethical Property Foundation – The Ethical Property Foundation offers independent, ethical advice and training to help charities and voluntary groups rent, buy, let or manage their property

Five Steps to Risk Assessment – This leaflet by the Health and Safety Executive aims to help you assess health and safety risks in the workplace

Guide to insuring your charity – CaSE Insurance created this guide to help charities and voluntary organisations with their risk management and to demystify charity insurance

Cyber Security: Small Charity Guide – The National Cyber Security Centre have provided guidance about how to defend against possible risks and outline easy and low-cost steps to protect from attacks. They have produced a Small Charity Guide which includes expert advice that is particularly useful for small organisations on backing-up data, using strong passwords, protecting against malware, keeping devices safe and avoiding phishing attacks.

Free legal support for community groups
Law Works - Legal advice for not-for-profits – The Not-For-Profits Programme brokers legal advice to small not-for-profit organisations on a wide range of legal issues, to support the continuation and expansion of their services to people in need. The advice is given for free (pro bono).

Law Works helps charities, voluntary organisations, social enterprises, and other not-for-profits in England and Wales in the following ways:
Free legal assistance – The Not-For-Profits Programme brokers legal advice to small not-for-profit organisations on a wide range of legal issues. These can include drafting a contract, reviewing a lease, updating a constitution/articles, or clarifying rights in a commercial dispute.
Initial advice and health checks – The Honorary Counsel scheme matches small not-for-profit organisations with volunteer lawyers on a longer-term basis, to carry out Health Checks and to give initial advice when needed. 
Free videos – Free Talks are short online videos about common legal issues faced by small not-for-profit organisations. The videos are all free to watch and aim to help you when making important decisions. 

Insurance companies that specialise in providing Insurance Cover for the Voluntary Sector
Zurich Insurance – This company is recommended by the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
Keegan & Pennykid Insurance Brokers Ltd – This company is endorsed by London Voluntary Service Council
aQmen Limited is part-owned by National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and only provides specialist charity insurance
Ansvar – This company is recommended by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO)
Abbeystone – Provide specialist advice for the third sector
Please note: Manchester Community Central does not endorse nor recommend these companies. For further information please refer to Terms of Use