# The Potential for "Positive Risk" - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/08/22/potential-quotpositive-riskquot/ - Published: 2007-08-22T11:31:00+01:00 - Author: Howard Lake **Risk Management Seminar Programme announced for Charity Trustees** A risk management practitioner is calling on charities to embrace risk as a potential for opportunity and not just problems. The Charity Bank’s Simon Thorrington, who has worked in banking and charity for a combination of 32 years, says that risk, when it’s well managed, can be turned to advantage, and questions whether charities are actually taking enough risk, as part of their duty of care. ## Advertisement Says Thorrington: Charities need to learn not to fear risk – in fact by engaging with the process of identifying and managing potential issues, they can sometimes turn risks into opportunities to better deliver their mission. In my experience when things do go wrong, it’s usually because of poor governance and a head-in-the- sand approach that makes difficult issues even more likely to arise.” Thorrington and his colleagues will be exploring these issues in a series of risk management seminars across the country this autumn, which he will be hosting alongside Oliver Boyle from Thomas Miller Investment, a member of the Thomas Miller Group Boyle, who is also chairman of the Institute of Risk Management’s charities’ special interest group, recently suggested charities should employ risk managers to coordinate risk strategies at all levels of operation. The autumn seminars, entitled ‘Understanding Risk Management’, and which are free of charge, aim to give charity trustees and management an in-depth look into financial planning, risk management and asset management. The seminar leaders will explore how a user-friendly programme of risk management is crucial and underpins the principles of good governance, and will provide a guide to risk components and the steps required to identify, assess, and manage them. They will also look at the implications of risk and risk management for financial and business planning, as well as demonstrating the importance of understanding and managing the inherent risk contained with any investment decision. The autumn schedule, following on from the success of the first programme in the spring is: Edinburgh: 27 September, The Royal Scots Club, 29-30 Abercromby Place Exeter: 18 October, Southgate Hotel, Southernhay East Oxford: 25 October, venue tba Bristol: 8 November, venue tba Leeds: 15 November, venue tba To book, or for further information, go to [www.charitybank.org ](http://www.charitybank.org) or contact Emma Ivory on 01732 774043 or by emailing em*******@*********nk.org Ends Media contact: Sarah Graham on 07787 575023 / 020 8674 5402 / sg*****@*********nk. org or Mark Howland on 01732 774040 / mh******@*********nk.org * **[New Conference to Take the Fear out of Securing Major Gifts](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/08/22/new-conference-take-fear-out-securing-major-gifts/)**( 22 August 2007) * **[Submit Your National Convention Presentation Proposal Today](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/08/28/submit-your-national-convention-presentation-proposal-today/)**( 28 August 2007) * **[New online charity card retailer will open up internet fundraising for small and local charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/08/28/new-online-charity-card-retailer-will-open-internet-fundraising-small-and-local-charities/)**( 28 August 2007)