Whistleblower Policy

Purpose

It is the policy of LALOP Association that its operations are conducted according to the highest standard of integrity and that its officers, directors, employees, consultants, volunteers, interns, vendors, and other agents observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. As representatives of the organization, all applicable laws and regulations must be followed, honesty and integrity must be practiced in fulfilling all responsibilities and all situations must be avoided that might conflict with responsibilities undertaken on behalf of the organization. It is a federal crime for any organization â€“ nonprofit or for-profit- to retaliate against a “whistleblower” who reports illegal, unacceptable, or suspicious activity (“Concerns”). The following is intended to encourage and enable the reporting of Concerns within Activate Good to prevent, detect and correct improper activities.

Scope

All officers, directors, employees, temporary employees, consultants, volunteers, interns, vendors, and other agents are covered by the scope of this policy and its guidelines.

Policy

The objectives of the Whistleblower and Fraud Reporting Policy (“Policy”) are to establish policies and procedures for:

Reporting Concerns on a confidential, anonymous basis regarding
– questionable accounting,
– violation or noncompliance with a state or federal statute, rule, or regulation,
– violation of Activate Good policies and procedures, or
– unsafe working conditions or work practices in the exercise of Activate Good business, either at the offices of Activate Good or elsewhere by employees, officers, directors, volunteers, or other agents of Activate Good;
Receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by the organization regarding such Concerns; and
Protection of anyone reporting Concerns in good faith from retaliatory actions.

A. Reporting Responsibility

All those noted in the Scope of the Policy are responsible for reporting questionable matters or other Concerns as described above.

B. No Retaliation

No officer, director, or employee, including a temporary employee, consultant, volunteer, intern, vendor, or another agent who reports a Concern in good faith shall be subject to retaliation or adverse consequences in the case of an employee. Any individual who retaliates against someone who has reported a Concern in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including dismissal from the volunteer position or termination of employment. Such conduct may also give rise to other actions, including civil lawsuits.

C. Procedures for Reporting Concerns

Employees and Consultants. Whenever possible, an individual should seek to resolve Concerns by reporting issues directly to his or her supervisor. If, for any reason, the individual is uncomfortable speaking to his supervisor or does not believe the Concern is being properly addressed, the individual should report the Concern directly to the President of LALOP ASSOCIATION. If the individual does not believe that these communication channels can or should be used to express his or her Concern, the individual should report the Concern directly to LALOP ASSOCIATON’s Vice-President, Treasurer, or Secretary. Concerns may also be submitted anonymously in writing by mail, email, or voice mail to Activate Good’s President or Vice-President. Contact information may be obtained from Activate Good’s website.
Officers, Directors, Interns, Volunteers, Vendors, and Other Agents. Officers, directors, interns, volunteers, vendors, and other agents may report Concerns to the President. If the officer, director, intern, volunteer, vendor, or other agent is uncomfortable reporting to any of these individuals, or is he does not believe the Concern is being properly addressed, the report should be escalated directly to the Chairman of Activate Good’s Board of Directors, the Vice President, the Treasurer, or the Secretary.

D. Handling of Reported Concerns

All reported Concerns filed in accordance with this policy will be investigated by LALOP Association with due care and promptness. Matters reported internally without initial resolution will be investigated by the President of LALOP Association to determine if the allegations are true, whether the issue is material and what actions, if any, are necessary to correct the problem. Activate Good’s Board of Directors will review all matters raised under this to ensure appropriate resolution.

For matters reported directly to the President, the Vice President, or Chairman of the Board if one is acting, shall promptly acknowledge receipt of the complaint to the complainant if the complainant is known. An investigation will be held to determine if the allegations are true, whether the issue is material, and what corrective action, if any, is necessary. Upon the conclusion of this investigation, the Vice President/Chairman shall promptly report its findings to the Board.

The President, or in the case of the above paragraph, the VP or Chairman, shall have full authority to investigate Concerns raised in accordance with this policy and may retain outside legal counsel, accountant, private investigators, or any other resource that the committee reasonably believes is necessary to conduct a full and complete investigation of the allegations.

E. Acting in Good Faith

Anyone reporting a Concern must act in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates an improper accounting, a violation of state or federal law, a violation of LALOP Association policies and procedures, or another Concern described above. The act of making allegations that prove to be unsubstantiated, and that prove to have been made maliciously, recklessly, or with the foreknowledge that the allegations are false, will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense and may result in discipline, up to and including dismissal from the volunteer position, dismissal from the Board, or termination of employment. Such conduct may also give rise to other actions, including civil lawsuits.

F. Confidentiality

Reports of Concern, and investigations pertaining thereto, shall be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation. Disclosure of reports of Concern to individuals not involved in the investigation will be considered a serious disciplinary offense. It may result in discipline, including dismissal from a volunteer position, dismissal from the Board, or termination of employment. Such conduct may also give rise to other actions, including civil lawsuits.

G. Policy Distribution

This policy will be distributed to all officers, directors, employees, contractors, and volunteers (where possible) of LALOP Association and posted on LALOP Assocation’s website so that external parties may report Concerns may be reported by external parties.