1 November 2017
Whistleblowing is one of the most effective ways to detect and uncover instances of fraud, since people within the charity are often the first to discover any such problems. Of course charities need to develop systems and internal controls to prevent and detect fraudulent activity, but these are never foolproof. They may simply fail, or processes can be overridden if there is collusion between two or more individuals.
Quite often it will be your organisation's people that are most likely to know the most - they may hear rumours or whispers. Your charity's culture needs to be such that all relevant people are encouraged to speak up and not be afraid to raise their concerns. It can help to have a clear whistleblowing policy that everyone is aware of.
An effective whistleblowing policy should:
- encourage employees to raise concerns without fear of repercussion;
- make the process of raising concerns clear and easy; and
- ensure that anyone raising a concern receives a prompt response and that the concern will be dealt with.
Do remember to ensure that all of your charity's staff and volunteers are aware of the existence of your whistleblowing policy.
If you have any questions about whistleblowing our charity specialists can help. Feel free to contact your nearest specialist or complete the contact form here.
