 |
 Why we changed our name in 2012! |
|
      |
|
||
|
Colorado Nonprofit Insurance Agency is a wholly owned Subsidiary of Colorado Nonprofit Association |
 |
Tips to Help Your Nonprofit Stage Safer Special Events Compliments of:
Planning the Event Whether the event you are planning is this year's production of an annual affair, or a first-time or one-of-a-kind event, the planning must first begin by designating the person in charge. Since safety concerns should be a substantial part of the planning for an event, a "Safety Czar," should be appointed to work closely with the person in charge to make certain that safety considerations are given adequate attention. This "Safety Czar" need not be a safety professional, but should possess a keen eye for detail and more than the average amount of common sense. The Czar should be familiar with at least basic information and should be consulted in every major decision of the event planning and execution. The Blueprint for the Event An event should be planned keeping in mind the purpose of the event, the needs and characteristics of the participants and the capabilities and resources of your agency. Before leaping into consideration of the obvious question, "Where should we hold the event?" you will need to answer several things about the event in question. These include determining what type of location will be needed for the types of activities and events you plan to offer. You will also need to estimate approximately how many participants you expect, and what special needs they may have. Here are some things to consider: Food Service Nearly all special events involve refreshments. The location you select must have adequate preparation, storage and refrigeration facilities for the type of food you intend to offer. Will your employees or volunteers prepare the food, or will you have a vendor or independent contractor provide it? Are there health tests required for those who will be handling food? Will employees/volunteers be knowledgeable about the potential for food spoilage and contamination? Are any permits required to provide food service? The risk of food poisoning and contamination is real and special precautions should be taken with all food handling and service. Alcohol If you plan to serve alcohol at your event, make certain that the location you choose allows alcohol to be served and inquire about any special conditions. Be aware of the laws in your locale which may govern the sale and consumption of alcohol. If you don't have the Nonprofits Own policy from ANI-RRG, ask your insurance broker to determine whether your insurance covers events where alcohol is served. What controls will be in place to make sure that intoxicated or underage patrons are not served? Should you have a procedure in place to check IDs? What will you do if one of the guests becomes intoxicated? Should you consider having a vendor or independent contractor provide the alcohol? Also consider ending the serving of alcohol an hour or two prior to the close of your event. That will lessen the likelihood of an intoxicated patron getting into a vehicle. Entertainment When having contracted entertainment, keep in mind the need to obtain proper certificates of insurance from those providing the entertainment. Otherwise your organization could be held financially responsible for any damage caused by the entertainers. Transportation and Parking When considering the location of an event, determine what will be the most likely mode of transportation used by those attending your event. Will you have to make any special considerations for parking? If you plan to provide parking aides, make sure they are well-trained and carefully supervised, and that you have provided them with bright yellow or orange vests. If the event will be held in the evening, provide flash- lights for all parking aides. Also, make sure that the lighting in the parking area is adequate for the safety of your parking aides and attendees. If cars are to be parked in any area other than a maintained parking lot, consider possible slip and fall hazards on uneven turf. Consider the safety of the parked cars. Most likely, the standard commercial auto insurance carried by your nonprofit will not cover damage to vehicles that are not owned or operated by your agency, including those parked in the lot. It is a good idea to advise attendees that they park at their own risk, and that you are not responsible for damage to vehicles at the event. If there is a serious vandalism or theft threat in the parking area, you can hire an outside security firm to patrol the area. As with any vendor, make sure that the security firm is adequately insured and names your agency as an additional insured. Security and Crowd Control Security firms may be necessary for large groups. They can be useful for general crowd control, or may be necessary to escort troublemakers, intoxicated attendees, or suspected thieves or vandals off the premises. Security professionals should be hired to handle these types of situations. Do not assign volunteers to this type of sensitive work. You should determine in advance of your event if prudence would dictate engaging an independent contractor adequately trained and insured for this type of security duty. Even in small groups, crowd control is important. Your safety crew should be on the look out for potential problems and know who is responsible for handling them. Special Needs For every event, you should plan for and expect to accommodate individuals with special needs. For example, if your event is primarily designed for children, you will have to look at the location with a special eye toward active, busy, inquisitive kids. You might even need to determine if there are ways to limit access to various parts of the facility. Take care to avoid locations with access to bodies of water and rugged territory, unless you have adequate supervisory staff available and means to limit access to these areas. Many nonprofits make the mistake of only planning to meet the needs of known attendees with disabilities. While it is appropriate to ask people signing-up for your event if they have any special needs, it is not appropriate to ignore the importance of holding an event at an accessible facility. Before you decide on a location, take care to determine what features of the facility may make it inaccessible to someone with special needs. If you need some guidance on these issues, we suggest you contact an organization in your community that specializes in addressing the needs of the disabled. Following is an example of what could happen if you do not plan appropriately: A nonprofit planned a special outing at a park for the local community. They did not notice that the only entrance to the park was a path that crossed a narrow gauge railroad. An individual in a wheelchair was unable to cross the railroad tracks and filed a lawsuit alleging that the nonprofit discriminated against persons with disabilities. Staffing Needs Even before selecting the site of the planned event, you should make an estimate of the type and expertise of staff and volunteers who will be available to help. Review the activities and services you plan to offer including food, entertainment, parking, security, maintenance and monitoring of the premises, clean-up, and safety and first-aid. The number of staff and their duties will be determined by the event and the participants. If you are providing a sit-down event, it is typically recommended that two staff or volunteers be assigned per eight to ten attendees. If your event is something similar to an outdoor fair, seven staff members per 100 attendees may be sufficient. But remember, these are not hard and fast numbers. It is the responsibility of the "Safety Czar" to evaluate the risk of the activities, and the needs and characteristics of the attendees. Always consider the special needs of your participants. Honestly assess whether you will be able to marshal the help you will need for the event. If not, reconsider the scope of the event. As you plan for the event, you will need to assign individuals to specific tasks. Assess the skills of your workforce and try to fit the person to the task as much as possible. Typically, many of the working hands will be those of volunteers. It is important to get a firm commitment from those who have volunteered their time and energy. Important jobs should be filled from those committed to the project. Don't rely on last minute volunteers to fill critical positions. It is always a good idea to have alternates in mind, in case the volunteers you have scheduled do not arrive. Lost and Found It is a good idea to plan ahead for the safety of participants' belongings as well as for the safety of the guests themselves. Signs should be posted reminding guests to keep track of their valuables. This is especially important in bathrooms and other rest areas. If the agency is providing a coat check area, someone should be there at all times. A sign advising guests that they leave their belongings at their own risk should be conspicuously placed. Despite all the reminders, guests will inevitably lose things, so plan for a secure lost and found area to store items until they are claimed. Selecting the Location You have thought through the key criteria you require in a location. You know what special features you will need to have, and what concerns you must address for those with special needs. It is time to evaluate the suitability of potential sites. Outdoor Events If you are planning an outdoor event you will have some special considerations. Will there be ample places for people to get out of the hot sun? Is inclement weather a consideration? Is the terrain of the event location you are considering appropriate for all anticipated participants? Are there any special hazards at the location or on the adjoining lots? What time of day are you planning to have the event? Is there adequate lighting for an evening event? Are there ample sanitary toilet facilities, including facilities accessible to the disabled? Are any permits required? To illustrate some of the unanticipated problems you may encounter with outdoor events, consider the following example: An outdoor fund-raiser was planned that included dinner and dancing. The tables were set up on the lawn which surrounded the portable wooden dance floor. During the night prior to the event, the automatic sprinklers turned on and watered the lawns. The day of the event was warm, but not hot, and the lawn did not dry thoroughly. One of the attendees strolled across the damp lawn with her partner, stepped onto the dance floor and fell and broke her ankle. The fall was caused by the water that had been tracked off the grass and onto the wooden dance floor. The nonprofit holding the event was found negligent for not turning off the automatic sprinkler, failing to keep the dance floor dry, and failing to warn guests that the grass was wet. Indoor Events If the event will be held indoors, you need to visit the proposed facility, taking special note of the overall condition of the building and its appropriateness for the planned activities. Is it the right size? Take a look at the lighting. If you are visiting during the day, are you convinced the lighting in the evening will be adequate? Is the floor surface suitable for the planned activities? Are there ample, well-marked exits? Are fire extinguishers up to date and easily accessible? Are there smoke detectors with active batteries? If there are stairs, are they well lit, with stable railings and non-slip surfaces? Are any permits required for this location? What are the lease requirements regarding hold harmless agreements and insurance?
The staff at Colorado Nonprofit Insurance Agency has many years of experience helping organizations to determine the appropriate coverage. Give us a call if you would like to talk with us about our insurance programs. Let us address one of your questions!
Are you making the most of the 2011 Webinar Series sponsored by Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group? These 60-90 minute, live sessions are both inexpensive and convenient. The discounted session cost is just $25 per login for member-insureds, which makes them ideal for in-service training on risk-management skills, or for polishing and orienting senior management and board members to individual aspects of managing risks in nonprofit organizations. The interactive format permits questions from the participants and responses from the expert(s). All sessions are scheduled for a Tuesday and start at 11:00am Pacific Time (2:00pm Eastern Time). Registration links for each session will be posted on ANI's website approximately 30 days in advance of the webinar date. If you have any questions or need additional information on these webinar series, send an email to losscontrol@insurancefornonprofits.org Social Networking May 10, 2011 To Blog or Not To Blog: Limit employer risk by understanding the privacy, discrimination and harassment issues that come with social networking. Should employers view the Facebook of job applicants? Can employers limit what employees can post on their personal blogs about their employers? This webinar will delve into best practices for social networking policies and procedures. ANI/NIAC Member Services [FREE SESSION] May 11, 2011 Are you taking advantage of all the FREE RESOURCES available to you as a member of ANI? With budgets being cut and funding down, we want to help you. Spend one-hour attending this webinar and find ways to save your organization money. Learn about all of the great trainings and services that are available to you as a member-insured. (This session is repeated on May 11, August 10 and November 2.) Risk Management for Volunteer Programs May 17, 2011 Your volunteers provide valuable assistance to your organization. Every nonprofit can and should take steps to managing the risks associated with its use of volunteers. This webinar will help demystify risk management and give you practical strategies you can implement to use your volunteers safely.
Nonprofit Spotlight: WOLF Sanctuary WOLF began after Frank and Patricia Wendland began receiving phone calls about wolf-dogs that needed homes; within a year, they had 12 animals sharing their home. Their attempts to place and rescue the wolves made them realize the gravity of the wolf problem. One day a misguided friend was going to euthanize a three-month old wolf-dog because it did not act like the house pet they thought they were buying. Pat and Frank could not allow the wolf to be destroyed and knew the animal was only practicing very typical wolf behavior. This is when the Wendlands adopted their first wolf-dog; that was in April of 1994, and" WOLF"was born shortly after. WOLF was established "to improve the quality of life for all wolves and wolf dogs." WOLF operates with very strategic objectives to help these endangered animals. WOLF will rescue and save captive bred wolves and wolf-dogs whose caretakers are no longer able to provide for them. To date they have rescued over 7,500 animals. The Sanctuary provides lifelong homes that take into account not only the animal's physical requirements but also its emotional needs. The sanctuary has provided a home to over 100 animals. WOLF has been very involved in teaching the general public about wolves in order to foster a greater understanding concerning their value in the wild and the compromises required of their sprit due to captivity. It is estimated that there are up to 600,000 wolves in the U.S. and that many are kept chained or in deplorable conditions. There are approximately 150,000 wolves that are born every year in the U.S. and 80% to 90% are killed before they reach two years of age. Most Individual's purchasing wolf dogs do not understand them and few breeders educate the new owners. General pet rescues and shelters classify wolf-dogs as not adoptable and end up killing those that are either surrendered by or unclaimed by owners. The Wendlands made a conscious decision to dedicate their lives to saving these misunderstood animals. They became incorporated as a nonprofit organiztion in June 1995. "If all the beast were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth". - Chief Seattle To learn more about WOLF, please visit their website at www.wolfsanctuary.net
Join us at the Northern Colorado Resource Fair! When: June 3, 2011 from 10am until 4pm Colorado Nonprofit Insurance Agency and Colorado Nonprofit Association are proud to be title sponsors of the 2011 Annual Northern Colorado Resource Fair in Loveland, Colorado. Organized and hosted by CAN and My New Wings, the event is designed to connect businesses and organizations that offer a service, product, program or fund raising opportunity to the northern Colorado nonprofit community. For more information or to register for the event, visit www.nocoresourcefair.com.
|
iNews Articles 2011 
Tips to Help Your Nonprofit Stage Safer Special Events