Risk management usually stirs up thoughts of insurance policies, accounting controls, and maybe, these days, policies governing employee use of social media. But there's one area of risk management that many nonprofits don't consider adequately: the question of safety during fundraising events.

Blogger Rick Winquest of Event 360 mentions last summer's stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair (and Canadians will recall the tornado that struck Guelph, Ontario) as he reminds nonprofits to have, not just a Plan A, but a Plan B and Plan C as well. Here's what he advises for safety in extreme weather:

• Any infrastructure that can move in substantial wind should be ballasted. To determine the amount of ballast needed, determine the wind resistance of the equipment. This should always be done by an experienced professional.
• Tents and items with canopies don't just tip over. They can also rise up off the ground and turn into a sail. A 10' x 10' tent or pop-up can be just as dangerous as a larger tent because it is lighter. The hardware can be lethal when traveling at 20 or 30 miles an hour. Over-ballast!
• Inflatables can not only take off in wind, but they tend to float further and pick up speed.
• When wind is imminent, all walls should be cut loose at sides, either at the top or bottom.
• Large banners should have wind slits and a "quick cut" feature so that they can be cut loose when threatened.
• Any truss structure with a top on it (and/or sides) should have guy-wires with heavy ballast and specific diagonal bracing, depending on the size. Use hydraulic mechanisms that can bring the top down relatively quickly.

Take the weather seriously, Winquest urges. High winds can occur in a matter of minutes, sending your tents, canopies and signs tumbling and exposing your guests to injury or even death. Put yourself in your participants' shoes, and take action even before they may perceive a safety problem.

You won't lose points - in fact you may even gain credibility - by moving people to a relocation site at the first sign of wind or rain. As Winquest says, "We'd rather have participants frustrated with us because we were too serious about safety than devastated because we weren't."

Read the full post at http://www.event360.com/blog/fundraising-event-safety