Charity Fraud Awareness week between 21 - 25 October 2019 is an opportunity to empower not-for profit sectors and charities to raise awareness and good practice tackling Fraud.

This Charity Fraud Awareness week our Fiduciary Risk team at MannionDaniels have put together five top tips for good counter-fraud practices.

The best defence is a good offense

Avoid having a passive attitude. Adopt a proactive approach wherein trustees and senior managers promote an ethical culture by establishing a code of ethics and implementing strong internal controls.

Know your staff/volunteers

Establish comprehensive due diligence processes when hiring staff or volunteers. Conduct pre-employment checks and ensure that the level of screenings is tailored to specific roles.

Harvest an ethical culture

Develop effective and continuous internal communication and training on anti-fraud practices. Regularly planting seeds of fraud-prevention techniques among your staff members will contribute in harvesting an ethical culture.

Transparency

Fraud often occurs at the higher levels. Encouraging a culture of transparency and dialogue from the top-down creates an environment that’s difficult for fraudsters to operate in. Create committees, have regular reviews, and communicate often.

Whistleblowing and protection

Having a transparent and ethical culture is important in creating an environment to deter fraudsters. However, offering robust avenues to report fraudulent behaviour and communicating equally robust protection for whistleblowers is crucial.

Learn more about Fraud Awareness Week by following #CharityFraudAwarenessWeek and #CharityFraudOut on Twitter, or visiting fraud advisory panel.