Are the Organizations in Your Life Protecting You?
The school. The clinic. The church. The nonprofit. Ask the question.
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You entrust organizations with your time, your money, and the people you love. Most of them believe they're protecting you. The law, the data, and the consequences of being wrong say otherwise.
Federal law has required every organization to have an effective reporting mechanism since 2004 — not a policy, not a handbook paragraph, but a mechanism people can actually use, anonymously, without fear. This applies to every nonpublic organization, regardless of size, sector, or tax status, including faith-based and nonprofit organizations, as well as federal, state, county, and local government.
No organization is exempt — not the school, the clinic, the church, the nonprofit, or the government office down the street.
You have the right to ask whether they have one. You have the right to expect a real answer.
Why fewer incidents are making the news
Not because they're not happening. Because they're being settled privately, outside of court.
A law firm calls to schedule an appointment. There are no negotiations. Organizations invariably agree to the terms to avoid public scandal and personal liability. The victims and the lawyers are compensated. At most, there are rumors. Protection doesn't change.
The research is direct on this
The U.S. Department of Justice's own research arm has found that the certainty of being caught is what actually deters wrongdoing (National Institute of Justice, *Five Things About Deterrence*, June 6, 2016).
People don't report wrongdoing because they're told to. They report it because they believe it's safe to, and because they believe someone will actually listen. An effective reporting mechanism creates that belief. It protects your time, your money, and the people who matter to you.
"It couldn't happen here."
That's what leaders say — right up until before it does. It can happen in the organizations that are important to you too.
You are exactly who they're talking about when they say constituents already expect it. Consumers. Parents. Donors. Staff. You don't have to wait for them to catch up. You can ask now.
It's a matter of trust. Do they have it?
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Know an organization that should be asked this? Send them this Special Invitation to add their Protection Profile at no cost, or try our Protect apps at no cost.
Know someone else who should be asking? Encourage them to subscribe.
Federal law has required every organization to have an effective reporting mechanism since 2004 — not a policy, not a handbook paragraph, but a mechanism people can actually use, anonymously, without fear. This applies to every nonpublic organization, regardless of size, sector, or tax status, including faith-based and nonprofit organizations, as well as federal, state, county, and local government.
No organization is exempt — not the school, the clinic, the church, the nonprofit, or the government office down the street.
You have the right to ask whether they have one. You have the right to expect a real answer.
Why fewer incidents are making the news
Not because they're not happening. Because they're being settled privately, outside of court.
A law firm calls to schedule an appointment. There are no negotiations. Organizations invariably agree to the terms to avoid public scandal and personal liability. The victims and the lawyers are compensated. At most, there are rumors. Protection doesn't change.
The research is direct on this
The U.S. Department of Justice's own research arm has found that the certainty of being caught is what actually deters wrongdoing (National Institute of Justice, *Five Things About Deterrence*, June 6, 2016).
People don't report wrongdoing because they're told to. They report it because they believe it's safe to, and because they believe someone will actually listen. An effective reporting mechanism creates that belief. It protects your time, your money, and the people who matter to you.
"It couldn't happen here."
That's what leaders say — right up until before it does. It can happen in the organizations that are important to you too.
You are exactly who they're talking about when they say constituents already expect it. Consumers. Parents. Donors. Staff. You don't have to wait for them to catch up. You can ask now.
It's a matter of trust. Do they have it?
---
Know an organization that should be asked this? Send them this Special Invitation to add their Protection Profile at no cost, or try our Protect apps at no cost.
Know someone else who should be asking? Encourage them to subscribe.
