Non profit organizations have as much to lose when business is interrupted as for profit businesses do and in many cases more to lose. Maintaining business continuity involves having the right knowledge base to understand risks and prepare your team to prevent those items that can be avoided as well as prevail in the event that something negative occurs that impacts the operational flow. A non profit can face losing membership, clientele and support, which can include grant dollars, funding sources, leased space, momentum and core team members in the event that business as usual is no longer feasible due to a disaster event such as water or fire damages.

While no entity can be prepared for everything, even in a non profit or mission based organization it is important to spend some administrative time to think through the potential risk exposure for your organization (read more on risk assessment and creative solutions HERE). A non profit may not have profits at stake which would be a critical concern for a traditional business, because of the nature of the work at the organization there may be even more at risk in these types of operations. Business continuity includes mission momentum, funding, community progress and team cohesion. People and organizations often don't have spare time so disaster preparation becomes an item that can be put off, unfortunately until an event happens that forces the parties involved to retroactively wish that they have made it a priority. 

Prevention is another agenda item that seems too time intensive to be of value in expending limited resources. Often many disasters could have been prevented by simple exploration of basic functions, risk assessments and changes to process improvements. An organization should leverage their resources to assist them in protecting their operational continuity, as noted in a prior article and presentation for property owners (see HERE on insurance claims education), make your insurance agent work for their money in reviewing your policy and assisting with risk management. If you have resources in your leadership, executive boards and even your volunteer base, include time for input as well as assistance in protecting your organization. 

The time and resources spent on education, risk assessment and prevention may not show up on the balance sheet, but when you consider what your organization does on a day to day basis for the benefit of the community, business continuity for your operation means more than just saving dollars. Consider what is at stake if your mission were to lose momentum, especially due to something that may have been preventable, and budget in time to invest in preparation and prevention so that you can continue to prevail. If you would like to discuss further how we can assist, we would love to help boost the knowledge of your team so that we can collaborate in prevention - and should the worst occur, we are here to assist with response. We have had the great privilege of helping churches, non profit organizations, educational facilities and mission based entities protect and restore their businesses following water, fire and other related disasters. 

If you would like to network with local rental property owners and managers while possibly learning something about avoiding insurance claim pitfalls, join me as I discuss this topic for the Lane Rental Owners Association. 

This is a new workshop for this group and the official title is "Avoid Claim Pitfalls - Fire & Water Damage Claims!" Course #2012-17 which is eligible for two continuing education credits, upon request, for Licensed Brokers and Property Managers. There is a cost for the course, which includes lunch, presentation and materials, ROA members $40 and Non-members $60. 

When: Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
Time: 12 - 2pm
Location: Hilton Garden Inn
Address: 3538 Gateway, Springfield, OR 97477

Pre-registration is required the Friday before the class is held with a maximum of 15 attendees. Call the Lane ROA office to register 541.485.7368, hours are 10am - 4pm Monday through Friday. Event registration HERE. 
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Or perhaps more accurately, speaking on insurance claims with various groups is always a learning experience. In nearly 15 years of working with claims response and management there are always new loss dynamics that call upon our teams to rise to the challenge as we meet the needs of our clients. Speaking with groups of insurance agents, restoration professionals or property owners, as we will be doing this month, brings to light new questions and experiences to add to our archives of interesting damages.

Networking with professionals brings opportunities to learn something new. As such, I am excited about the depth of resources available in the Eugene, Oregon community for personal and professional growth. Lane County Rental Owner's Association (ROA), which happens to be the group that I will be speaking with at least twice this year, has built an impressive network of property owners who meet monthly for education. Local Facilities Manager's Connection (LFMC) is a discussion based peer to peer networking group of facilities, maintenance and risk professionals that meet to strengthen their community of professionals. Eugene Young Professionals Summit (YPS) will return this year for their second annual meeting after a successful launch of gathering over 300 participants for their local interactive event. Eugene Active 20-30 is a group of young professionals who volunteer their time and resources to raise money to make a difference in the lives of local youth in need. Are you aware of all the resources available to you in your community? 

Find your voice and get to work doing good things in your community. Whether it's writing, speaking, supporting or acting, put your talents to work. If you want to learn more about claims or are looking to network with property owners, join us for our presentation with Lane Rental Owner's Association and read our article, Three Key Questions When Filing An Insurance Claim, published in the ROA monthly publication. As noted in said article, "In life we don’t always need to know the answer to every question, but knowing what questions to ask and who can help us find answers are critical tools for survival." Regardless of your quest, personal or professional, value added partnerships will assist you to propel you onward towards your dreams.