Risks and opportunities
Risks and opportunities
Every decision we make, every programme we deliver and every partnership we build not only shapes our immediate impact, but also the communities, systems and lives beyond them. Alongside the positive impact we strive to deliver, we are mindful of the risks that can disrupt or dilute that impact if left unmanaged. By understanding the challenges we face and the opportunities before us, we can respond with foresight and responsibility. This balanced approach allows the NSRI to protect trust, strengthen resilience and maximise the lifesaving impact of every donor contribution.
The NSRI’s risk management approach is structured and transparent, in line with best practice, including King IV principles, and is supported by the ARCC to achieve our strategic objectives.
Our top 10 risks
Risk and ranking
Risk movement compared to 2024
Impact on the NSRI
1
Equipment, vehicle and vessel maintenance failure
Unchanged
Reduced operational capacity, inability to fulfil rescue missions and
increased risk of compromised volunteer safety and injuries.
2
Geopolitical instability
Unchanged
Market volatility affecting investment returns, increased competition in
the non-profit sector for limited funding against the volatility of
foreign exchange rates and commodity prices.
3
Volunteer recruitment and retention
Increased
Inability to meet operational requirements in certain locations.
4
Cyberattack and loss
of ICT capacity
Increased
Loss of ICT capacity due to malicious cyberattacks impacting operations
and fundraising activities.
5
Increased maritime
traffic around South
African coastline
Increased
Increase in medevacs and rescue complexity with heightened risk of mass
casualty events.
6
Limited or disrupted operational communications
New
Limited maritime radio coverage and reliance on cellular communication
may affect operational coordination during emergencies and safety.
7
Confidentiality and data breach
Increased
Unauthorised access to donor or volunteer information resulting in
reputational damage and regulatory non-compliance.
8
Volunteer and employee safety and injury
Decreased
Risk of injury or fatality among volunteers and employees.
9
Psychological impact on volunteers and employees
New
Emotional trauma, fatigue and burnout arising from exposure to critical
incidents.
10
Brand reputation
and public perception
Decreased
Reputational damage arising from negative publicity, misinformation or
ineffective crisis response with potential impact on donor confidence
and funding.
Risk treatment
Related material matters
1
- Investing in quality assets and equipment, supported by regular maintenance and pre-launch and post-launch checks.
- Rising operational costs and high continuous capital demands.
- Capacity to meet growing and evolving demand for services nationally.
- Supporting a geographically dispersed and operationally complex footprint.
- Maintaining reliable infrastructure, vessels, vehicles, resources and equipment.
2
- Strengthening financial resilience through diversified investments, local fundraising growth, strong donor relationships and active monitoring of market, currency and commodity risks.
- Financial resilience in an uncertain economic environment.
- Challenges of national policy and infrastructure framework.
3
- Implementing proactive and location-specific recruitment strategies.
- Building structured training pipelines.
- Providing robust volunteer support and engagement initiatives.
- Reinforcing our culture.
- Volunteer and employee recruitment, retention and well-being.
- Accommodating cultural and socio-economic diversity across our volunteer base.
- Skills availability, training and leadership pipeline.
- Expansion of community programme volunteers.
- Capacity to meet growing and evolving demand for services nationally.
- Low swimming ability among South Africans.
- Unemployment and poverty place pressure on our volunteer model.
4
- Implementing multi-layered cybersecurity frameworks.
- Incorporating endpoint protection, identity and access management, network security and monitoring.
- Conducting regular staff awareness training, business continuity and disaster recovery plan testing.
- Enhancing our incident and change management process.
- Managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive information.
- Complexity of fundraising model and dependency on ICT.
5
- Enhancing capacity for Class 1 stations to improve maritime safety coordination and training.
- Implementing our mass casualty preparedness plan.
- Capacity to meet growing and evolving demand for services nationally.
- Supporting a geographically dispersed and operationally complex footprint.
- Maintaining reliable infrastructure, vessels, vehicles, resources and equipment.
- Safety, security and risk exposure of volunteers.
6
- Strengthening connectivity through fibre links to stations, with a limited number of satellite phones in place and satellite communication options under evaluation.
- Leveraging technology, including AI, to enhance rescue capability, organisational efficiency and stakeholder engagement.
- Ensuring reliable communication across remote and offshore operations.
- Supporting a geographically dispersed and operationally complex footprint.
- Maintaining reliable infrastructure, vessels, vehicles, resources and equipment.
- Increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, together with environmental degradation, impacts water safety and operational conditions and requires adaptive and resilient operations.
7
- Implementing Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards with regular staff training.
- Strengthening access controls and data segregation.
- Conducting regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments using breach detection, escalation and response protocols.
- Improving our reporting and oversight through ICT governance structures.
- Managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive information.
- Strengthening stakeholder relationships and partnerships through transparency and accountability to maintain public trust.
- Maintaining robust governance, compliance and ethical standards.
- Effective risk identification, management and oversight.
- Complexity of fundraising model and dependency on ICT.
8
- Upholding our safety culture and strict adherence to safety protocols.
- Conducting debriefs after critical or near-miss incidents.
- Publishing safety bulletins.
- Providing training and comprehensive personal accident insurance.
- Safety, security and risk exposure of volunteers.
- Increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, together with environmental degradation, impacts water safety and operational conditions and requires adaptive and resilient operations.
9
- Providing volunteer training, trauma debriefing and psychological support (including employee assistance programme) and emphasising mental well-being in operational readiness plans.
- Volunteer and employee recruitment, retention and well-being.
- Increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, together with environmental degradation, impacts water safety and operational conditions and requires adaptive and resilient operations.
10
- Providing brand and reputation management training for employees and volunteers.
- Implementing clear crisis communication and escalation protocols.
- Conducting proactive stakeholder engagement.
- Monitoring our social media presence and aligning messaging with NSRI values and public expectations.
- Enhancing brand relevance and visibility.
- Strengthening stakeholder relationships and partnerships through transparency and accountability to maintain public trust.
- Maintaining robust governance, compliance and ethical standards.
Value creation opportunities
Opportunities
Related strategic pillars
Developing sustainable funding solutions
- Deepening partnerships with government and public sector stakeholders to strengthen legitimacy, support joint public safety initiatives and unlock sustainable funding opportunities.
- Leveraging offshore philanthropies, expatriate networks and global maritime safety organisations to access new international donor markets and diversify revenue streams.
Preparing for the future
- Expanding our national footprint into underserved coastal, inland and flood-prone areas,strengthening South Africa’s disaster response capability and resilience.
- Extending lifeguarding by building on and extending our existing services to more municipalities, promoting public safety and deepening engagement with youth and vulnerable people.
Building trust, collaboration and community resilience
- Scaling public safety education by expanding drowning prevention, water safety and survivalswimming programmes into schools, youth camps, industries operating near water and vulnerable communities.
- Growing volunteer involvement in drowning prevention by recruiting and training volunteers forcommunity-based education and support roles, strengthening local resilience.
We continuously identify and evaluate opportunities against our strategic pillars to ensure we create value and extend our stakeholder impact.
Opportunities
Related strategic pillars
Strengthening our organisational capability and sustainability
- Leveraging data, digital platforms and emerging technologies to enhance operational effectiveness, enable informed decision-making and improve stakeholder engagement.
- Advancing transformation, diversity and inclusion to strengthen organisational relevance, capability and long-term sustainability.
Reinforcing national leadership and stakeholder engagement
- Positioning the NSRI as a national leader in water safety, through strategic partnerships, advocacy and thought leadership.
- Communicating the NSRI’s reputation as a trusted brand by leading national conversations on water safety through rescue and survivor stories with meaningful impact.
Promoting environmental stewardship and resilience
- Strengthening operational readiness and resilience in response to increasing climate-related risks, including extreme weather and changing coastal and inland water conditions.
- Embedding environmental sustainability across operations and leveraging the NSRI’s platform as a trusted national advocate to promote responsible water use and environmental awareness.
