Risk Management for Humanitarian & Development Projects
Identify, assess, and manage risks to protect humanitarian operations and beneficiaries. Practical frameworks for field work. Online certificate course.
Enroll NowSelf-Study Certificate Course
Start: Immediate Access
Time Commitment: Around 15 hours
Investment: $150 (or $95 for limited budgets)
When Uncertainty Becomes Crisis
In humanitarian and development work, unmanaged risks don't just threaten project success—they can devastate the communities you serve. This can lead to:
- Implementation delays that leave communities waiting
- Failure to deliver promised results to communities
- Budget crises that force you to scale back services
- Reduced impact due to constant crisis management
- Potential failure or even project abandonment
This practical training equips you with systematic approaches to identify, assess, and manage risks before they derail your work. Learn practical frameworks used by leading humanitarian organizations, develop risk management plans tailored to your context, and benefit from real-world scenarios. Through effective risk management, you can:
- Make informed decisions based on early warning indicators, adapting to emerging crises
- Protect staff and beneficiaries from preventable harm
- Secure continued donor support through transparent risk communication
- Build more resilient programs that survive disruptions
Who This Is For
This training is for individuals in relief, development, or humanitarian contexts aiming to manage risks effectively. It's ideal for:
- Project managers and officers tasked with operational oversight
- Field staff responsible for implementing programs in challenging environments
- Program development and support teams strengthening organizational resilience
- M&E professionals integrating risk tracking into monitoring systems
- Anyone preparing for or currently working in volatile contexts
No prior experience needed—the course delivers clear, practical guidance for newcomers while providing strategic insights and advanced applications for seasoned practitioners.
How You'll Learn
This course offers a self-paced, practical learning experience, combining study materials, reflections, exercises, and end-of-module assessments. Designed around the real-world challenges faced by humanitarian and development professionals, the course encourages you to pause, reflect, and actively develop skills you can confidently apply to your own context as you learn.
Flexible self-study
Access practical downloadable video presentations, transcripts, handouts, exercises, templates and tasks, allowing you to learn and apply skills at your own pace.
Knowledge checks
Assessments at the end of each module test your understanding, reinforce learning, and help you reflect on key concepts.
Course Discussion Forum
Share questions, insights, and challenges with peers. Instructor Neil Kendrick monitors and responds regularly to support your progress.
Certificate of completion
Successfully complete all modules and assessments to receive your certificate.
Impact Stories
9.2/10 Rating (based on 29 reviews)
"As an M&E officer this course is absolutely essential. We do some risk management already. But now I see how we can integrate this into M&E to keep our projects on track." — Chuda Mani Adhikary, M&E Officer
"I learned how to identify and manage risk within and beyond my area of work. A big learning for me was the difference between a contingency plan and a back-up plan. We plan to include much more focus on the risks and assumptions in our projects from here on." — Rashmi Bhetwal, Non-profit Professional
"Risk is not a field that I work on directly but indirectly I work with it as a M&E officer. This course taught me processes with practical examples on how risks emanate and are mitigated. Risk monitoring as a process is critical for project completion." — Mduduzi Nkosi, M&E Officer
Course Details
Start: Immediate access upon enrollment
Duration: Self-paced (around 15 hours total)
Investment: $150 (or $95 for limited budgets)
Includes:
- Lifetime access to comprehensive modules with downloadable videos, handouts, and transcripts
- Practical templates and planning tools for immediate application
- End-of-module assessments and certificate of completion
- Course discussion forum to share insights and questions with peers
Course developed and presented by Neil Kendrick, founder of ELD Impact, with 25+ years of experience training humanitarian professionals across 20+ countries.
Program Overview
Click any module to see content
- Getting Started
- Pre-Course Self-Assessment: Rate Your Current Skills
- Assessing Likelihood
- Assessing Impact
- Application to Projects
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Monetary Values and Percentage Scales
- Scoring Systems & Time-based Metrics
- Beneficiary Metrics & Hybrid Approaches
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Avoidance, Mitigation, Transfer & Acceptance
- Contingency & Fallback Plans
- Application to Projects
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Purpose of Risk Monitoring
- Components of Risk Monitoring
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis & Application to Projects
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Stakeholder Mapping
- Reporting Structures
- Transparency
- Application to Projects
- Promoting a Culture of Risk Awareness
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- The Risk Register
- Assessment Logs
- Response Plans
- Maintaining Records & Documenting Changes
- Revisiting & Updating the Risk Management Plan
- Progress Assessment
- Reflection & Application
- Review of Key Concepts
- Final Self-Assessment: Reflect on Your Progress
- Your Risk Management Action Plan
- Course Discussion Forum
- Your Next Steps
Get Started
Payment Options: Pay by credit card or contact us for group rates (2+ participants) or alternative payment arrangements.
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