Whistleblower Policy

How to Report Suspicions of Misuse of Funds and Property

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The parishes, schools, agencies and other entities of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are committed to being good stewards of our resources.  We are all responsible for ensuring that funds we receive are used for the benefit of people we serve and for protecting our financial and physical assets from theft or misuse.  We ask for your help in reporting any situations where Church funds or property are lost or put at risk, as described in the following policy.

Application

This policy applies to all clergy, employees, and volunteers of our parishes, schools, agencies, and other entities.  In addition, we encourage parishioners, parents of school students, clients of our programs, and others to report any suspicions of misuse of funds or property.  By working together, we can promote greater stewardship and accountability.

Definition

We define the following behavior as inappropriate:

Situations involving the loss of Church funds or property, such as falsifying expense reports, using work time to run a personal business, or taking money from a Sunday collection or petty cash fund, even with the intent to re-pay it
Situations that create potential future losses of funds due to poor accounting procedures, such as not keeping cash in a secure place or having a lack of “checks and balances” in managing money

Examples

Additional examples of inappropriate conduct are listed below:

Working together with an employee, volunteer, vendor or client of a program to get around internal controls, take funds and conceal actions from detection
Taking goods that have been donated to the Church or purchased with Church funds
Signing another person’s name on a check or other document to take funds 
Issuing paychecks to people who are not employees
Making payments to false vendors or overpaying invoices to receive a “kickback”
Using the Church tax exemption for personal purposes
Receiving payment for hours that were not worked
Violations of the internal control policy

Reporting

We highly encourage and would be very grateful for any information regarding the misuse or the potential for future loss of funds or property.  You can make a confidential report on your own by using the third party hotline or website described below.  Or, if you wish, you can talk with your pastor, parish life coordinator, principal, or agency director and the two of you can make a report together.  Another option is to contact the Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Senior Director of Finance, or Human Resources Director, who can also assist you with making a report.  The contact information for these individuals is at the end of this policy.

If you suspect misuse of funds or property, but do not have complete proof, we would still appreciate any information you could share. If you are unsure of whether a situation is a violation of the policy, you can use the reporting system to ask a question. 

To make reporting as convenient and confidential as possible, we contracted with EthicsPoint to establish a third-party, independent Hotline (phone 1-888-393-6810 to be provided after available) and website (archdioceseofindianapolis.ethicspoint.com)

The hotline and website are accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
You do not have to give your name.
If you give your name, it will only be shared with people who have a “need to know” during an investigation.
Every report is taken seriously.
The Chief Financial Officer or his/her designee will be informed of every report.
There will be an investigation of every report.
A response will be given to every individual who makes a report and provides contact information.

Non-Retaliation

The parishes, schools, agencies, and other entities of the Archdiocese sincerely appreciate reports that are made and will not retaliate or take action against any person who makes a report.  For employees, they will not suffer a loss of employment, a decrease in wages, or other adverse consequences due to making a report.  For other individuals (volunteers, parishioners, parents, clients of programs, etc.) who make reports, the Archdiocese will make every effort to protect their identities and their interests.

Further Information

The Archdiocese has another policy that relates to this topic:

Internal Control Policy – Provides guidelines on practical steps to reduce the risk of funds being lost or misused. This policy can be located at www.archindy.org/finance/parish/forms.html.

An Appeal

For the Church to practice good stewardship and demonstrate accountability, every person needs to be committed to these goals and willing to report suspicions of wrongdoing or situations where poor procedures make wrongdoing possible.  We appeal to you to be vigilant in these areas and report any and all information that would help us live up to these standards.  We are very grateful for your assistance, and thank you for working with us to ensure the highest ethical and professional standards in all of our ministries.

If you have any questions about this policy or would like assistance in making a report, please contact any of the following people:

Brian Burkert, Chief Financial Officer, 317-592-4000, bburkert@archindy.org
Jenny Zelik, Controller, 317-592-4099, jzelik@ @archindy.org
Stacy Harris, Senior Director of Finance, 317-236-1535, sharris@archindy.org
Andrea Wunnenberg, Human Resources Director, 317-236-1533, awunnenberg@archindy.org