Resources / Charity risk register starter, with examples
Charity risk register starter, with examples
CC26 expects trustees to manage risk proportionately. For most small charities that means one page: the handful of things that could really hurt, who owns each, and what you're doing about them. Not a 60-row heat map.
The columns that matter
Ref · risk (what actually goes wrong) · likelihood 1–5 · impact 1–5 · score (L×I) · controls already in place · further mitigation planned · owner · next review date.
Scoring that works
Don't agonise. Likelihood: 1 = would surprise everyone, 5 = expect it this year. Impact: 1 = absorbed without noticing, 5 = threatens the charity's survival or people's safety. Anything scoring 15+ is a standing agenda item until it isn't.
Six starter risks (adapt, don't adopt blindly)
| Risk | L | I | Typical controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income concentrated in one funder/event — loss would force cuts within months | 3 | 5 | Reserves policy; funding pipeline reviewed quarterly; early renewal conversations |
| Key-person dependency — one volunteer holds the passwords, payroll and history | 4 | 4 | Documented procedures; shared password vault; deputy trained |
| Fraud or payment error — single signatory paths | 2 | 5 | Dual authorisation; monthly bank reconciliation seen by a second person (CC8) |
| Safeguarding incident involving beneficiaries or volunteers | 2 | 5 | Adopted policy; named lead; DBS checks where eligible; incident route known |
| Cyber incident — email takeover, ransomware, supplier-invoice scam | 3 | 4 | MFA everywhere; software updates; staff/volunteer awareness; backups tested |
| Reputation — public complaint or press story handled badly | 2 | 4 | Complaints policy; single spokesperson agreed; incident log |
Keeping it alive
The register is only evidence of risk management if it moves: review the top risks at every board meeting and every entry at least twice a year. Minute the review — "risk register reviewed; R-02 likelihood reduced to 2 following second funder confirmed" is gold in an independent examination.