From Financial Statement Fraud to Asset Misappropriation: Fraud in Nonprofit Sports Clubs and Cultural Underpinnings

Nonprofit sports clubs are susceptible to fraud, particularly to asset misappropriation and financial statement fraud. Fraud is often committed due to its perceived convenience. Organizational vulnerabilities can create convenience, allowing fraud to occur. This is known as opportunity convenience. Organizational vulnerabilities that increase opportunity convenience can be structural (e.g. organizational capacity, control) or cultural. Yet, the role of these cultural vulnerabilities in mitigating fraud in nonprofit sports clubs is underexplored. This study investigates how ethical culture in nonprofit sports clubs influences the perceived occurrence of fraud (i.e. asset misappropriation and financial statement fraud) and examines the role of perceptions of fraud severity. To this end, a survey was conducted across nonprofit sports clubs in different sports (n = 376). The regression results show that organizational culture is an important determinant of the occurrence of both asset misappropriation and financial statement fraud. However, these relationships are mediated by the perceptions of fraud severity. This study further provides important insights for fraud prevention in nonprofit sports clubs.