Whistleblower - Reporting Your Issues & Concerns

We welcome and encourage everyone, members, staff, volunteers or public, to report any issues and concerns about our organization without fear of retaliation. We will respond to your concerns according to our Whistleblower Policy, provided below.

You may choose to remain anonymous by utilizing this service to make your report.

However, if you would like us to follow up with you personally, you will need to provide an e-mail address or phone number. If there is some other way of contacting you, please indicate how in the text.

You may also send an email directly to whistleblower@seattlecascades.org if you do not wish to use this form. Please note that you will not be able to remain anonymous if you send us an email directly, unless you use a throwaway account or anonymous email service.

We value and respect your privacy and take all claims seriously. In order to help with our investigation please try to provide enough detail in your claim to allow an independent investigation to occur. For example, it is helpful to know when the event happened and if you spoke with anyone else regarding your experience. If you choose to remain anonymous, we are unable to ask you any follow up questions, and can only investigate based on the information you provide.

Submit a Report

Seattle Cascades Whistleblower Policy

I. INTRODUCTION

The Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps (Seattle Cascades) requires staff, volunteers, and members to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. Representatives of the Seattle Cascades must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling their responsibilities and comply with all applicable policies, laws, and regulations.

While the Seattle Cascades hope that all those who come in contact with the our organization feel unhindered and unthreatened in raising concerns, we recognize that it is essential to also provide for confidential and anonymous submission of such concerns to ensure our Board of Directors has a full opportunity and visibility to investigate and address any potential violations of policy, law, or regulation in the conduct of the Seattle Cascades activities.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Whistleblower Policy is to establish policies and procedures for:

The submission of concerns regarding questionable accounting practices, questionable business ethics, conflicts of interest, acceptance, provision, or solicitations of bribes or kickbacks, legal and regulatory violations, harassment, any form of abuse or unsafe practices or activities by staff, volunteers, members and other the Seattle Cascades stakeholders on a confidential and anonymous basis.
The receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by the Seattle Cascades regarding accounting, internal controls, conflicts of interest, acceptance, provision, or solicitations of bribes or kickbacks, legal or regulatory violations, harassment, any form of abuse or unsafe practices or activities.
The protection of directors, volunteers, members and their families, and staff reporting concerns from retaliatory actions.

II. REPORTING RESPONSIBILITY

Each staff, volunteer, and member of the Seattle Cascades has an obligation to report, in accordance with this Whistleblower Policy:

(A) questionable accounting matters, questionable business ethics, conflicts of interest, acceptance, provision, or solicitations of bribes or kickbacks, legal or regulatory violations, unsafe practices, any type of harassment or abuse or other inappropriate or prohibited activities by staff, volunteers, members or other Seattle Cascades stakeholders, and

(B) violations and suspected violations of the Seattle Cascades Code of Conduct. Reports shall be made to any member of the Board. The Board will determine the appropriate designee(s), including appointment of appropriate Board members to a specially formed committee, for the conduct of an investigation or other further action.

To ensure that anyone affiliated with the Seattle Cascades has the ability to report concerns, complaints and issues anonymously to the Seattle Cascades, the organization has established on its website a Whistleblower page, an anonymous, Web-based mechanism enabling anyone to report their concerns directly to Designated Representative(s) of President of the Northwest Youth Music Association Board of Directors. Individuals may also choose send an e-mail directly to whistleblower@seattlecascades.org, which is managed by the Seattle Cascades organization, and monitored by the same Designated Representative(s) as the online form. This capability is featured prominently on our website as is this Whistleblower Policy. The President of the Board of the Directors is fully empowered to investigate each reported concern, as described in the section below.

III. INVESTIGATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY

The Northwest Youth Music Association Board of Directors (Board), upon recommendation of the appropriate Board committee or other designee, has the authority to retain such outside investigators and experts as it deems necessary or appropriate to assist with any investigation or any other acts associated with the issues or concerns raised.

All reports of concerns will be promptly investigated and the individual making the report (if not anonymous) will be notified of receipt of the report promptly, but no later than 7 days thereafter. Following conclusion of the investigation, the appropriate committee or designee will render a report to the Board along with conclusions and recommendations for any follow up action. Follow up with the complaining party shall be considered in consultation with appropriate legal counsel. Reports, investigations, reports of investigations, and any follow up will be maintained as confidential as reasonably possible.

IV. RETALIATION

The Seattle Cascades will not retaliate, and prohibits retaliation by its staff, volunteers, and members, against anyone who makes a report in good faith pursuant to this Whistleblower Policy. The Seattle Cascades reserve the right to take action against anyone who makes a report based upon false or misleading information, or without a reasonable basis for believing any wrongdoing has occurred.