Definition
Risk management is the coordinated set of people, activities, places, tools, and methods an organization uses to positively influence the risks that affect its ability to achieve its most important objectives.
Why This Definition
The definition is deliberately objective-first: managing risk is part of meeting the mission, and every cost the organization bears should contribute to a positive outcome. That framing is what keeps support for the work durable. Traditional risk management defines itself around preventing negative events — and when the events are rare, as sexual abuse is in any single organization, support for work that produces “nothing happened” fades. Work that visibly serves the organization’s most important objectives holds its budget, its attention, and its people.