For Small Nonprofits, Embezzlement Is a Wound

NPQ has written many times about the fact that embezzlement thrives in informal situations, which is a good description of many small nonprofits. But in such organizations, the damage done to internal culture and external reputation may prove hard to heal. Nonprofits that take the issue on with transparency may avoid some of that damage; in such situations, trust is the coin of the realm.

Aaron Wimmer, until recently the executive director of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Family Visitation Center, has been charged with one count of grand theft. He turned himself into authorities and was released on a personal-recognizance bond pending trial.