Whether sick, deprived, or suffering violence or abuse, children at risk are one of society’s greatest responsibilities. The charities that support them are rightly held to the highest standards and may experience acute loss of trust – and income – if their reputations are damaged.
High profile cases that have hit the headlines have shown how quickly the support of the public, stakeholders and corporate sponsors can fall away, along with funding and donations – and how long it can take a charity to fully recover its former standing.
At a time when government funding is being cut and donors are facing a cost-of-living squeeze, any reputational damage can be very costly.
So what can children’s charities and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) do to reduce their risks? A good place to start is to assess where reputational threats are most likely to come from. We’ve identified some key scenarios and steps you can take to prevent risks developing and recover if an incident does happen.
It’s an unpleasant reality that wherever you get concentrations of vulnerable groups, you will also find people who want to prey on them. Previous scandals have also heightened public sensitivity to any indication of abuse or exploitation by staff or celebrities. As well as detailed background checks for staff and volunteers, charities need to assess their risks and develop plans for how to manage them.
As well as protecting children from abuse, charities have a responsibility to keep children safe from physical and bodily harm. Risks can range from diseases spread by volunteers, to harm caused by temporary accommodation and accidents during group outings.
Working with a well-known personality can help raise awareness of a cause, reach new audiences and lift donor income. But if the celebrity is disgraced, it can damage your reputation by association and potentially scare off corporate donors and sponsors – especially if the misconduct involves children or young people.
All charities face dilemmas around fundraising. They need the money generated by volunteers, supporters and professional fundraisers. But in making it easy for large numbers of people to collect on their behalf, there's always a risk that some will commit fraud or abuse.
We have developed a holistic reputational risk management solution, including Polecat risk monitoring that tracks live sentiment and offers insights into public opinion through analysis of social media, to help prevent negative publicity.
Our Reputational Risk Quantification measures likely damage if an incident does occur. Our crisis communications specialists will help you manage the media during and after an event, with Reputational Crisis insurance to cover you for any loss of gross profit you suffer as a result.
To find out more, please get in touch.
WTW hopes you found the general information provided here informative and helpful. The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon in lieu of consultation with your own legal advisors. In the event you would like more information regarding your insurance coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In North America, WTW offers insurance products through licensed entities, including Willis Towers Watson Northeast, Inc. (in the United States) and Willis Canada Inc. (in Canada).
