A group of students at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, one of Canada’s premier small post-secondary institutions, started a music project in 2001 they called “Conduct Becoming” to raise money for cancer research. The students decided their project should recognize exemplary behaviour, not the opposite, with which they were so often labelled .
The Mt A students started recruiting, recording and promoting budding musicians at the University. Conduct Becoming has grown in its ability to reach out to emerging performers as a platform for local artist development. Indeed, the project has helped launch the careers of many local East Coast musical talents while continuing to raise monies for a worthwhile cause.
As the Mt.A students realized we do not hear much about good behaviour, about better defining the desired path. Worries about bad behaviour in non-profit organizations, unfortunately, have not waned at all. Increasingly there is pressure to adopt rules that address the ethical concerns of funders, donors, staff and other stakeholders. Most of the attention is around financial and fundraising practices, and of course, conflicts of interest – the rules and procedures that address the potential for behaviour that, in the broadest sense, results from divided loyalties.
An idea that has not received much attention in the area of good conduct, is how board members treat each other and the staff of the organization. I have heard many stories of conduct “unbecoming” to a strong and dynamic board and therefore created a sample Board Members Code of Conduct policy (it is on the Sample Policies page). It contains a list of items, not all of which have been issues for every board. It may be useful for generating discussion around the board table about what people expect of each other.
I have revised this sample policies a number of times, often in response to appeals that the items be framed more positively, in effect making it all about “conduct becoming”. I am not there yet. If readers have any suggestions for improving it, or examples, especially positive ones of board member behaviour, I would welcome them.
Image is one from a series on the Table Lands, part of the dramatic landscapes in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s eastern most Province. © Magi Nams. Used with permission.
Sounds like Mount A students have the right idea! There are a number of corporations who have taken steps to implement programs to promote respect in the workplace, but as for non-profits, they lack the resources necessary to implement such programs. The Canadian Red Cross is one example of an organization that is succeeding in this area. As an employee this summer, I was lucky to experience first hand how the Canadian Red Cross not only promoted their “Respect in the Workplace” course, but also encouraged people within organizations to participate, free of charge. By starting at the employee level, respect can eventually radiate upwards through all levels of the organization.
Thanks for sharing the Board Members Code of Conduct. It is succinct and defines
becoming conduct both in the personal and organizational.
As a relatively new Board Chair of a Cooperative/Charity, a mutual aquaintance introduced me to your website … and all I can say is thank you, such a great resource. I have emailed your home page to other board members. I tried the links on this article because I want to consider what is appropriate for a Board Members’ Code of Conduct. The link did not work. Could you please provide these to me some other way?
Cheers,
W. Lee Shane (she/her)
Chair, Board of Directors
Healthy Minds Cooperative
Dartmouth, N.S. Canada
Lee
Thanks for your interest and inquiry into an older post of mine. I will send you the sample board member code of conduct policy directly and will repair the link on the post.