The Death Knell of my Nonprofit Career

It’s not often that I am completely caught off guard, but this definitely took me by surprise.  It was a normal Thursday, a little chilly compared to the rest of the week, but still good bubble weather.  I stopped at Target on my way in (as I do about once a week) since my friend Bella was in dire need of caffeine, and since I needed snacks for my drawer it was no hardship.  I got my desk in order and promptly dove into the large stack of financial aid applications.  In retrospect there were a few things that should have tipped me off that something was not right.

I suppose I need to provide a little bit of background information.  I worked for a non-profit organization that works in conjunction with other organizations to strengthen and build communities.  Every employee and volunteer needs to pass a criminal background check since our organization works with children and potentially sensitive information.  My last few weeks have been occupied by processing mounds of financial aid application, and hundreds of product request forms.  I had been sending out emails by the hundreds, asking for additional information in order to process the applications, and I began getting responses in the beginning of June.

 

Financial assistance through the organization is granted on a need basis; therefore we request proof of income from all adults living in the household as well as proof of dependency for any children they claim they provide for.  My supervisor would often talk about being a good steward of the donations we receive and in the past we have discovered that an applicant was not truthful.  In preparation for this summer we had a meeting where we laid down a more concrete process that would make the process more uniform and require all applicants for summer programming assistance to submit the same documentation. 

One of the applications that I received additional information on included a letter from the primary applicant’s “significant other”, stating that they would pay for the child to go to a summer program.  This application was the beginning of the end.  I was unsure if this significant other was actually a part of the applicants’ household, so I decided to conduct a quick google search to see if the applicant had other individuals listed in the household.  My first search, using the address only, yielded no results.  In the subsequent search I added in the applicants name and found more than I bargained for.  The first result on the list was a news article regarding the applicant and criminal charges they had against them.  The charges listed in the article were such that I became concerned for the safety of others, so I used my knowledge of the resources available to search for public information to determine if the charges had resulted in convictions.  I then printed the list of convictions and handed the list together with the application to my supervisor Joelle.  I asked her if this is something that we should be concerned with, given the nature of the convictions and the fact that we were currently dealing with another individual with a similar but worse situation.  Joelle stated she would need to talk to the manager of the call center about this issue.

A few days later Joelle sat down with me in the Call Center Manager’s office to tell me this was indeed a serious matter that I should not, under any circumstance, but researching people in this manner.  I explained to her why I had conducted the search in the first place, and then why I had pursued the information further after discovering what I thought was a concerning matter.  I also explained that due to the other, more serious situation, I thought finding out if the charges became convictions was in the best interests of the organization.  It was at this point that I was told that she would need to take my responses back to HR and that this was a very serious matter.  I explained further that I was under the impression that she had heard of the other situation and so I thought it was my duty to report what I had accidentally uncovered.  Apparently I was quite wrong and should have just pretended I didn’t find anything.

When I was asked to step into the manager’s office I anticipated a written warning for this matter, however, I knew it was something infinitely more serious when I saw an HR specialist in the office waiting for me with Joelle.  This particular HR representative had always seemed to be a false person to me, in that their smile was never genuine and any good humor was just a facade.  I was told within minutes of sitting down that I was terminated for creating a liability for the organization based on the information I had located.  It was not explained to me how it was a liability or why this course of action was ultimately chosen, but I was to be ‘escorted’ from the building.  Joelle retrieved my purse and duffel bag from my desk.  She got up to walk me out of the office, but I quickly outpaced her, leaving that drama far behind. 

I do not intend to return to that building for any reason whatsoever.  When I received a text message from Joelle later concerning the rest of the crap from my desk, I was inflexibly courteous in my reply.  I stated that I could come on Saturday or Sunday to retrieve my boxes, to which I received a reply to come in during normal business hours.  I replied that I did not wish to come by the office during normal business hours as I would feel the need to explain my dismissal to my former co-workers, which I believed was a situation that the organization would prefer to avoid.  Joelle responded that they would have my things sent out by courier in the morning.

You know what, fine.  I was planning to look for a new job this year anyhow, and this dismissal has simply forced my hand.  I’m done with the nonprofit scene – I’m aiming for a job with a good corporation.  Show me the money…

Ciao