Kentucky Nonprofit Risk Management Summit 2026

August 27, 2026 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (EDT)

Description

Join nonprofit leaders from across Kentucky for a day focused on practical strategies to navigate risk with confidence. The summit opens with a dynamic keynote led by Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, exploring the top risks facing nonprofits today, common barriers to addressing them, and clear steps for turning concern into proactive planning and action. Afternoon breakout sessions dive deeper into risk considerations for HR, finance, IT, and other aspects of nonprofit management. 

Bring your team (KNN members receive discounts for additional team members!) and walk away with tailored insights to help you strengthen and protect your organization in an uncertain world.

8:30 am: Registration/Continental Networking Breakfast

9:00 am: Keynote - Navigating Risk When Risk is Everywhere - Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director, Nonprofit Risk Management Center
It’s easy to become overwhelmed, distracted, and even disheartened by the concerning possibilities facing many nonprofit organizations. This keynote session explores what it means to be grounded, resolved, and ready for inevitable disruption. This session also covers five risk realms that feel dangerous and daunting for nonprofit organizations. Learn how to create a roadmap to build readiness to face these risks with confidence and insight. 

10:30 am: Break

10:45 am: Plenary Session - Risk Action Planning: A Practical, Hands-On Approach - Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director, Nonprofit Risk Management Center
The discipline of risk management too often veers into the world of ‘jargon monoxide.’ This plenary takes a fresh look at risk and risk management. Join nonprofit colleagues to practice a simple but effective way to identify affordable, mission-grounded action steps in the face of concerning possibilities (risks). Leave this session knowing how to use a simple tool that you will be eager to share and practice with others.

12:00 pm: Lunch

1:15 pm: Breakout Sessions  

Session One: Managing Difficult and Risky HR Situations - Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director, Nonprofit Risk Management Center
As diverse, multigenerational teams become the norm for many employers, the rewards—and the risks—come into sharp focus. Add to that conflict between functional teams and disruptive departures. The world of HR is full of wonderful people and thorny situations. Attend this session to unpack highly challenging HR situations and learn a simple but effective framework to navigate HR risks this year.

Session Two: Governance in the AI Age: What Nonprofit Boards & Executives Need to Know - Mike Fine, Partner, and Tad Myre, Partner, Bricker Graydon Wyatt, LLP
Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for nonprofits, and it is also raising important questions around risk, accountability, privacy, ethics, and oversight. This session will help nonprofit leaders and board members understand the governance responsibilities that come with adopting AI tools, from establishing clear policies and guardrails to asking the right questions about how AI is being used across the organization. Attendees will explore practical considerations for balancing innovation with responsible decision-making and learn what boards should have on their radar as AI continues to evolve.

Session Three: Crisis Communications - Chad Carlton, Founder and CEO, and Carolyn Callahan, Vice President, C2 Strategic Communications
Crisis-tested professionals from C2 Strategic Communications will help you prepare to communicate effectively during difficult challenges that can seriously impact your reputation — from financial challenges and employee allegations to natural disasters and loss of life. Learn the basics of creating a crisis communications plan and the important steps to take before, during and after crises to protect your mission.

Session Four: Grant Compliance Risk Failure Points - Jodi Renn, Associate Director, and Cullen O’Connor, Assurance Associate III, Dean Dorton
Grant funding can provide critical support for nonprofit programs, but it also comes with compliance responsibilities that can create risk when processes, documentation, or oversight fall short. In this session, Dean Dorton will highlight common grant compliance failure points, from tracking restricted funds and maintaining appropriate documentation to meeting reporting requirements and establishing strong internal controls. Attendees will learn where organizations are most likely to encounter problems and practical steps they can take to strengthen their grant management practices, reduce risk, and be better prepared for audits or funder review.

2:30 pm: Break

2:45 pm: Breakout Sessions

Session One: How to Engage with Your Board on Risk - Kara Legg, Associate Attorney, McBrayer PLLC
Effective risk management is a shared responsibility - and finding the right balance between board engagement and unnecessary involvement in day-to-day operations can be tricky. In this session, nonprofit leaders will explore how to engage their boards in productive, strategic conversations about risk, including what information boards need, which questions they should be asking, and where appropriate oversight ends and operational management begins. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for building stronger board-staff partnership around identifying, discussing, and responding to organizational risk.

Session Two: Data Privacy and Retention - Charlie Bowen, vCIO Supervisor, C-Forward
Managing nonprofit data involves more than deciding where files are stored. In this session, C-Forward’s technology and security experts will break down practical considerations for controlling access to sensitive records, setting appropriate retention timelines, and securely disposing of information that is no longer needed. Attendees will also explore today’s increasingly sophisticated phishing attempts and other cybersecurity risks, including practical ways to help staff recognize what is legitimate and what is not. The session will also touch on the other side of the equation: how nonprofits can build trust around their own communications so important emails are more likely to reach and engage their intended audiences. Attendees will leave with helpful policies, safeguards, and emerging issues to keep on their radar

Session Three: Workplace Violence Prevention, Preparedness, and Response for Kentucky Nonprofits - Matt Higdon, Senior Risk Consultant, HUB International 
Nonprofits work in the highest-incidence sector in private industry for workplace violence, usually without security staff or dedicated HR. We'll cover the four types of workplace violence and the controls each requires, how to build a prevention program at nonprofit scale, and what to do during and after an incident — built around Kentucky requirements, including OSHA obligations, training documentation standards, and the federal security grant funding available to Kentucky nonprofits. Covers de-escalation principles and curriculum selection.

Session Four: Maintaining Tax-Exempt Status in a Changing Environment - Bryan Pautsch, Tax Director - Nonprofit Tax Services, and Jacob McDonald, Senior Manager, Nonprofit Tax, Dean Dorton
Maintaining tax-exempt status requires more than filing an annual Form 990. In this session, Dean Dorton will explore key compliance responsibilities nonprofit organizations should keep on their radar, including activities that can put exemption at risk, governance and reporting considerations, and areas receiving increased scrutiny. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of common compliance pitfalls and practical steps their organizations can take to protect their tax-exempt status as regulations, expectations, and operating environments continue to evolve, including recent and possible upcoming changes.

4:00 pm: Farewell

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