“TheCircleofSafety”NonprofitAwarenessAdvisor
NewsandTipstoMakeYourLifeEasier,SaferandHappier! For Friends and Clients of NonProfit InsuranceServices
October2014
WhyareSafetyInspectionsImportantForNonprofits
Whyarenonprofitsafetyinspectionsimportant?Safetyshouldbetheprimaryconcernofany organization. The safety officer should take every precaution to ensure a safe workplacefor employees and volunteers. Non profits are as vulnerable to being sued by a member ofstaff or public, as a business concern, and should take similarprecautions.
Brian BarrickAuthor,ConsultantNonprofitInsuranceServices
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Regular safetychecks
The safety officer makes regular inspections and holds regular safety meetingswith staff and volunteers. If all precautions are taken, it will limit the possibility ofany claims against the nonprofit for negligence. It is also very important also to ensureall liability insurances are inplace.
Cooperation ofstaff
Safety in the work place is a matter of common sense. Nonprofit safetyinspectionsshouldhavethecooperationofeverystaffmembertomakethisentityasafeplacein which to work. All unsafe conditions should be immediately reported to a memberof the safetycommittee.
Accidentreporting
Any injuries no matter how small should be reported immediately to thesupervisor and receive first-aid attention. Ideally such incidences should be recorded inan injuries book for the purpose. It is up to the Nonprofit safety inspections to ensurea book is available in the first aidcenter.
Tip:Purchaseanotebookforrecordingtheseincidents.
Safety rules andguidelines
It is the nonprofit safety inspections duties to ensure the safety of workersand volunteers. All rules and guidelines should be followed and made available tothe general populaces. Keep areas clean. Nonprofit safety inspection dutiesshould include keeping work areas clean andtidy.
Safetycheck-list
Nonprofitsafetyinspectorsdutiesaretoensuresafetydevicesareoperatingproperly, warning signs are in place, repair roof leaks, unblocked fire doors, inspectfire extinguishers, inspect hose sprinkler heads, unlock doors and gates, removalof dangerously piled supplies or equipment, inspect for slippery floors andwalkways, inspect for missing (or inoperative) entrance and exit signs and lighting, andinspect for loose handrails or guard rails and open, loose or broken windows All volunteerand paid members of staff must use safety belts when they operate a vehicleon organization business. The driver is responsible for ensuring that all passengersin front and back have their seat beltson.
Regularsafetyinspectionswilllimitedanyorganization'svulnerabilitytolegalclaimsand ensure all who work for them are in a safe and happyenvironment.
Discovering the Stressful Situation in the WorkPlace
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NIS BusinessDecoratingContest!
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HalloweenPaperBag PuppetsforKidsCrafts
Let’sdosomethingcreativewiththekids!Paperbagpuppetshavebeenaclassicfuncraftformanyyears.
How about doing asimpleHalloweenpaper
bagpuppets.
Findoutmoreonhowtomake yourHalloweenPaper BagPuppets
/halloween-paper-bag-puppets
Stressintheworkplacecanleadtounproductiveness.Relievingstressisnecessaryfora businesstorunproperlyandeffectively.Understandingwhatiscausingtheworkplacetobe anuncomfortableenvironmentcanalsohelp.Learningmethodstohelprelievethestress uponandbetweenyouremployeescanmakeyourcompanyamorepleasantonetoworkat.
Discovering the Stressful Situation in the WorkPlace
As mentioned, discovering the stressful situation in the working environmentcan greatly reduce stressful matters between co-workers. Some of the situations thatmight be making your business an unpleasant one to work atare:
Employees arguing amongst eachother Team members not showing up ontime Being under paid
Lack ofteamwork Gossiping
Lack ofstructure PoorManagement PoorCommunication
Unsanitary conditions
Lackofbreakstohelpemployeesrefreshthemselves Overworkingemployees
Poorscheduling
Creating a Stress FreeWorkplace
Creating a stress free work place begins by doing non-profit stressmanagement activities together in the workplace that includes the management team andthe working employees. Some of the activities you can do togetherare:
Planning and having company cookouts, sportingevents, casual dinners, or movienights
Takinglunchanddinnerbreaksforanhourasateaminsteadof individualbreaks
Have scheduled team meetings where everyone canshare theiropinions
Create a schedule each week as a team that helps create working hoursthat are pleasant foreveryone
Createacleaninghourattheendofeachweekwhereemployeeshavetocleanthe workplacetogethertokeepitatidyhappyworkingenvironment
Play games that help employees learn to work together so businesscan beproductive
Usingnon-profitactivitiessuchastheonesmentionedabovecanhelpcreateahappier environment for employees at your company. You do not just want a company that isabout makingmoneyandcaringonforthemselves. You wantacompanythatisfamilyorientedand supports the employees so they will be happy working foryou.
Meet theTeam!
Dawn WeyandtInsuranceAdvisor
Dawn Weyandt brings 30 years experience in the insurance industry. She holds her Associatein Underwriting (AU), Certified InsuranceService Representative(CISR),CertifiedProfessionalInsuranceAgent(CPIA),andCertificateinInsurancedesignations. Dawnalsofindstimetoattendevents,suchas zumbathons,andCharitywalks/runstobenefitlocal charities. She enjoys spending time with familyand friends, and likes to travel.
How to Protect Your Nonprofits Information
IncidencesofNonprofitIdentityThefthasbeenontheriseallovertheworldinrecent times.Identitytheft,justasthetermsuggestsreferstothemalicioususeofanother person’s identity with the view of accessing sensitive data about them or the peoplethat they communicate with. This problem has been very persistent especially in the worldof onlinecommunications.Apparently,manyinternetuserstodayarenotverytech-savvyto understandthatidentitytheftactuallyhappensorevenhowitdoessufficeinthefirstcase. Ifyouarehandlinganyformofdata,youhavetomakesureitisassecureaspossible.
Fun Facts aboutOctober
Fact 1- October is NationalDessert Month and National CookieMonth!
Be proactive- When dealingwith information, whether it’s sensitive ornot, it’s always advisable to be proactiverather than reactive. It’s important tounderstand that Nonprofit Identity Theft is a realityand as such you ought to live with it.The manner in which you share data ona network or send it through the internetwill determine whether you will be a victimof identity theft or not. Make sure your datais protected at alltimes.
If sending data through a networkmake sure it’s encrypted- if you want tosend data via an unsecure network youought to ensure that it’s protected. Thisis perhaps the most effective way tobeat Nonprofit Identity Theft in themodern day. Encryption sends data in acoded manner such that the person who hasthe private key can know what informationis contained in there. Even if a thirdparty happens to tap into the channel,they’ll not make any use of theinformation.
Fact 2 - October ends onthe same day of the weekas February everyyear
Fact 3- The first JackO’Lanterns were actually made fromturnips.
5MarketingTipsForYourNonprofit
Nonprofitcompaniestodayarefacingatoughreality-anincreasinglycrowdedmarket fightingforscarceinvestment.Nonprofitcompaniesacrossthecountryarehavingto learn to do more with less to survive, including with theirmarketing.
Sowithatoughmarketandasmallbudgethowcanyoueffectivelyreachouttopeople about your cause, increase your number of passionate followers and keep yourdonationsrisingwitharestrictivemarketingbudget?Haveareadofthefollowing5marketingtips for some good ideas to achieve much withlittle:
5MarketingTipsForYourNonprofit:
Content Is King - The content on your website can be one of your mostpowerful marketingtools.Continuouslyproducinghigh-qualitycontentonyourfocusareawillnot only bring in traffic from search engines and increase your presence online but willalso giveyourcurrentregularsupportersmorereasonstokeepcomingbacktoyourwebsite.
Capture Emails & Communicate - The simple email can be an incredibly powerfuland cheapmarketingtool.Encouragevisitorstosignuptoyournewslettersothatyoucan send them more information about what you aredoing.
Don't Be Afraid To Ask - A big mistake many nonprofits make is to not ask formoney often enough. Supporters do expect it and many will not give as much if notregularly askedtoandshowntheneedfortheirdonations.Encourageregularsupporterstosign up to give money every month so they don'tforget.
Sometimes You Have To Spend Money - It really is true that sometimes you haveto spendmoneytomakemoney.Byinputtingmoremoneyintoyourmarketingbudgetyou can reach more people, increase your donations and ultimately get a great returnon yourinvestment.
But Spend It Wisely - Before you start investing your entire marketing budget ina country-widecampaignyou'dbewelladvisedtorunatrial.Avoidexpensivemistakesby trailing campaigns cheaply in chosen areas. Track the responses and the donationsyou receive to find out if it has been a success or you have lost money. Once you've founda successfulstrategyyoucanbegintorollitoutacrossawidergeographicarea.
Halloween SafetyTipsforPets
Halloween is a very festivetimeof the year and at times itcan be loud, scary and unsafefor animals. If you do takeyour
pet out trick or tricking withthe family or eventstaying
home please takepercussion.
1.Don't leave pets out inthe yard on Halloween.Pranksters have been known tomess,
hurt, steal, and even killpets on Halloweennight.
2.To minimize chances ofan accident, add reflectivetape
to your pets costume ifthey will be out afterdark.
3.If you haven't doneso already, visit yourveterinarian for a microchip priorto Halloween. Also makesure your pet is wearing acollar with proper IDtags.