Code of Ethics
A. Personal and Professional Integrity
All staff, board members and volunteers of Kids Beating Cancer act with honesty, integrity and openness in all their dealings as representatives of the organization. Kids Beating Cancer promotes a working environment that values respect, fairness and integrity.
B. Mission
Kids Beating Cancer has been providing resources and support for children with cancer, leukemia and related life threatening diseases for 23 years. By providing the pre-transplant testing and donor identification, costs never covered by Medicaid and only partially covered by insurance, any child can have access to marrow or stem cell transplantation, the best – and only hope for a cure. This testing is provided at no cost at the Kids Beating Cancer Pediatric Transplant Center.
Our mission, as approved by the board of directors, is in pursuit of the public good. All of our programs support that mission and all who work for or on behalf of Kids Beating Cancer understand and are loyal to that mission and purpose. The mission is responsive to the constituency and communities served by Kids Beating Cancer and of value to the society at large.
C. Governance
KBC has an active governing body that is responsible for setting the mission and strategic direction of the organization and oversight of the finances, operations, and policies of the organization. The governing body:
- Ensures that its board members or trustees have the requisite skills and experience to carry out their duties and that all members understand and fulfill their governance duties acting for the benefit of KBC and its public purpose;
- Has a conflict of interest policy that ensures that any conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof are avoided or appropriately managed through disclosure, refusal or other means; and
- Is responsible for the hiring, firing, and regular review of the performance of the chief executive officer, and ensures that the compensation of the chief executive officer is reasonable and appropriate;
- Ensures that the CEO, Executive Director, and appropriate staff provide the governing body with timely and comprehensive information so that the governing body can effectively carry out its duties;
- Ensures that KBC conducts all transactions and dealings with integrity and honesty;
- Ensures that KBC promotes working relationships with board members, staff, volunteers, and program beneficiaries that are based on mutual respect, fairness and openness;
- Ensures that KBC is fair and inclusive in its hiring and promotion policies and practices for all board, staff and volunteer positions;
- Ensures that policies of KBC are in writing, clearly articulated and officially adopted;
- Ensures that the resources of KBC are responsibly and prudently managed; and,
- Ensures that KBC has the capacity to carry out its programs effectively.
D. Legal Compliance
KBC is knowledgeable of and complies with all laws, regulations and applicable international conventions.
E. Responsible Stewardship
KBC manages its funds responsibly and prudently. Kids Beating Cancer has adopted the voluntary standards of the Better Business Bureau as guidelines for determining responsible stewardship.
- It spends a reasonable percentage of its annual budget on programs in pursuance of its mission;
- It spends an adequate amount on administrative expenses to ensure effective accounting systems, internal controls, competent staff, and other expenditures critical to professional management;
- KBC compensates staff, and any others who may receive compensation, reasonably and appropriately;
- KBC has reasonable fundraising costs,
- Organizations ensure that all spending practices and policies are fair, reasonable and appropriate to fulfill the mission of KBC; and,
- All financial reports are factually accurate and complete in all material respects.
- The CFO and the President of Kids Beating Cancer publicly attest to the accuracy, completeness, and fairness of our financial statements and IRS 990 filings.
F. Openness and Disclosure
KBC provides comprehensive and timely information to the public, the media, and all stakeholders and is responsive in a timely manner to reasonable requests for information. All information about KBC will fully and honestly reflect the policies and practices of the organization. Basic informational data about KBC as disclosed on the IRS 990 and it is posted on the Kids Beating Cancer’s website. All solicitation materials accurately represent KBC’s policies and practices and will reflect the dignity of program beneficiaries. All financial, organizational, and program reports will be complete and accurate in all material respects.
G. Program Evaluation
KBC regularly reviews program effectiveness no less than every two years and has mechanisms to incorporate lessons learned into future programs. Kids Beating Cancer is committed to improving program and organizational effectiveness and develops mechanisms to promote learning from its activities and the field. KBC is responsive to changes in its field of activity and is responsive to the needs of its constituencies.
H. Inclusiveness and Diversity
KBC has a policy of promoting inclusiveness and its staff, board and volunteers reflect diversity in order to enrich its programmatic effectiveness. KBC takes meaningful steps to promote inclusiveness in its hiring, retention, promotion, board recruitment and constituencies served.
I. Fundraising
KBC is committed to transparency and full disclosure in its solicitation materials. Kids Beating Cancer respects the privacy concerns of individual donors and expends funds consistent with donor intent.
In raising funds from the public, KBC believes that every potential donor has the right:
- To be informed of the mission of KBC, the way the resources will be used and our capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes;
- To be informed of the identity of those serving on KBC’s governing board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities;
- To have access to KBC’s most recent financial reports;
- To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given;
- To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition;
- To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by the law;
- To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature;
- To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of KBC or hired solicitors;
- To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from any communication lists; (KBC does not share the names of our donors or KBC Families with any other organization);
- To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.
J. Code Implementation
- KBC management will actively encourage an internal dialogue on ethics, provide guidance for staff and ensure that internal systems, policies and procedures are consistent with this Code
- Copies of the Code will be provided to each staff and board member and posted on our web site
- The Code will be annexed to all contracts of employment and signed along with it
- Raising an Issue/ Whistleblower Protection
1) Any concerns about an interpretation, application or suspected violation of the Code of Ethics that staff or other stakeholders are not comfortable raising directly with staff concerned should be brought to the attention of a member (acting as an Advisor) of the Board of Directors. See attached current listing of Board Members.
2) If the complainant or the Advisor is not satisfied with the outcome of their consultation, then the matter may be brought to the attention of the full Board of Directors.
3) No one shall be discriminated against, disciplined, or reprimanded for reporting concerns or requesting guidance concerning the Kids Beating Cancer Code of Ethics whether or not the concerns are established as valid or substantiated.