The real risks of not taking risks—and how to beat the odds

This post originally appeared in Gail Bower's newsletter BowerPower Papers. Get on the list to be among the first to receive important articles just like this one.

When I was 24-years-old, I left a job I loved and a boss I didn't and struck out on my own as a freelance writer and event producer. I remember being somewhat terrified. But, I decided, at 24 with no kids, no mortgage, and low-cost of living, I could afford to take the risk and go for it.

With good reason, most nonprofit leaders manage their organizations much more conservatively. You’re careful, judicious with your spending, oriented towards consensus building, and operate consistently with so-called best practices. After all, you’re managing public dollars, you’ve got a staff and overhead, and rolling the dice gets complicated.

Yet here’s the rub.   

A conservative approach today, paradoxically, may be exposing you to more risk than you may be comfortable with and, worse, you may not be aware of the factors that contribute to that exposure. 

In fact you may be inured to risk all around you.

Why playing it safe is the riskiest bet of all.

Download the report.This special report illuminates the risks that go unnoticed—or unspoken—in the nonprofit sector and how today’s nonprofit leader can make a paradigm shift to mitigate risks and chart stronger paths.

Click here to download the report and uncover top 10 risks.