AFFIRMATIVE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

The Sierra Club has established the following standards of conduct that it expects of all volunteers in dealings with each other, with staff, with members of the public, and with public officials. Serving in a position of leadership is a privilege that can be lost either by ignoring the duty of loyalty expected of all Club leaders or by violating the following standards of conduct. Sierra Club leaders have an obligation to meet these standards, and to hold other leaders accountable to them as well, in all interactions with others, including in person, in writing, on email, or on the phone.

1. Communicate and work together with common courtesy and collegial respect; disagree without being disagreeable.
2. Create a welcoming environment for new members and volunteers; avoid cliquishness, and language or behavior that offends others.
3. Always represent the Club and its mission in a positive and professional manner in all entities and at all levels; keep disagreements within the Club.
4. Accurately present the Sierra Club's policies and positions when speaking on behalf of the Club; don't use a Club leadership role or title to advance personal views that are not the Club's position.
5. Respect your obligation to the Club's members; use member lists and information about members for Club purposes only.
6. Use Club resources wisely and in keeping with the fiduciary responsibility of all leaders.
7. Foster an open democratic decision-making process; respect decisions once they are made.
8. Within the Club praise publicly, criticize privately and tactfully.
9. Respect the policies and procedures that have been established by and for volunteer participants engaged in specific Sierra Club activities; when in doubt, ask.

II. HANDLING CONFLICT - STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

From time to time, Sierra Club volunteers get into conflict with one another regarding actions that someone believes violate these Standards of Conduct.

There are at least three kinds of conflicts: (A) policy interpretation disputes; (B) internal decision-making disputes; (C) disruptive personal behavior. The appropriate process for handling each of these is discussed below.

A. POLICY INTERPRETATION DISPUTES

Conflicts may arise when there is controversy involving the interpretation, application or disregard for Sierra Club bylaws, policies, guidelines or other governing procedures, including those of chapters and groups.

National staff, higher levels of the Club, or Governance Committees provide guidance on the interpretation of Club policies, both conservation and administrative. Governance Committees or the Board can resolve appeals or disputes over these interpretations. Conservation staff are the first check point for conservation matters, with appeals to the Conservation Governance Committee; Advancement staff are the check point of issues related to fundraising for major gifts or from outside foundations and corporations, with appeals to the Advancement Committee; Office of Development and Finance staff are charged with ensuring compliance with fundraising, financial and risk-management policies, with appeals to the Finance Committee; the Office of Volunteer and Activist Services is charged with overseeing interpretation of organizational policies, with appeals to the Organizational Effectiveness Governance Committee; the Outings Department interprets policy on outdoor activities, with appeals to the Outdoor Activities Governance Committee; Training issues go to the Training Academy with appeals to the Training Governance Committee; and concerns about publication or communications strategy should be directed to senior communications staff, with appeals to the Communications Governance Committee. Issues or guidance involving Club employment policies are determined by the Human Resources Department staff.

When there is a dispute regarding interpretation, volunteer leaders should seek clarification from the relevant staff entity, for referral or appeal if necessary to a Governance Committee or its designee. Club policies and guidelines are established by volunteer entities. No volunteer leader should act in violation of a policy interpretation that has been provided by the appropriate national staff or a higher volunteer level of the Club. If the leader believes the interpretation is incorrect, he or she should appeal or seek clarification from a GovCom, and not undertake on their own to act in violation of the interpretation they have received.

All Club leaders involved in a contentious dispute regarding interpretation of Sierra Club policy are nevertheless expected to conduct themselves according to the Standards of Conduct.

For assistance contacting staff or volunteer leaders, contact the Office of Volunteer and Activist Services.

B. INTERNAL DECISION-MAKING DISPUTES

Strong disagreements can arise between various Club interests over priorities for action, strategies and tactics, and the allocation of resources. All disputes between grassroots entities and volunteers at the chapter and group level should be resolved at the most local level possible. Here are some steps you can take to improve your ability to achieve consensus among your leadership and prevent conflict:

• Establish a clear, open decision-making process in advance of final deliberations and voting.
• Get agreement in advance on the process and modify the process if needed to ensure participation.
• Let everyone know when the decision will be made and who will participate in the final decision-making.
• Allow everyone to be heard and all points of view to be articulated.

All Club leaders involved in a contentious decision-making process are nevertheless expected to behave at a personal level according to the Standards of Conduct. For serious problems that cannot be resolved through this process, contact the Office of Volunteer and Activist Services for assistance.

Mediation Option

Attempt to resolve all disputes at the most local possible level before seeking mediation. Mediation is often useful in resolving conflicts that arise over decision-making disputes. The Organizational Effectiveness Governance Committee (OEGC) has established a Mediation Team trained to assist with disputes of this nature. The mediator's role is to help the parties come together, hear different points of view, and reach mutually agreeable solutions. The mediator will serve as a neutral third party, and will not offer solutions nor propose settlements. Whether a settlement is crafted, and what form it takes, will ultimately be determined by the participants. For assistance with mediation, contact the Office of Volunteer and Activist Services.

C. DISRUPTIVE PERSONAL BEHAVIOR

Chapter, group, section and committee chairs and executive committees have an obligation to deal quickly and decisively with disruptive personal behavior that is disrespectful of others personally, disrespectful of agreed-upon decisions or disrespectful of Club policies. All disputes over personal behavior that may violate standards of conduct should be resolved at the most local level, and informally, whenever possible.

Volunteers are encouraged to express regrets, accept apologies, and move on. Even the best of us can get angry from time to time and say something unnecessarily rude; we can make genuine mistakes from time to time in ways that may end up violating Club policy. Disruptive personal behavior is repeatedly doing so, without compunction or apology.

If a chair at the group, chapter, section or committee level (or their designee) does not take action regarding disruptive personal behavior, group or chapter volunteers can request that OEGC step in and take action. Individuals can always contact the Office of Volunteer and Activist Services for assistance. Mediation can also be a good option to resolve these situations.

1. STEP ONE: The first step is to assess the situation fairly: Complaints or reports about someone's conduct should not be taken at face value without contacting them first or confirming what happened with others who were there. Every individual "accused" of acting inappropriately deserves a phone call before any other action is taken; even if what they've been accused of is undisputed, like a flaming email.
2. STEP TWO: Informal "action" is the next step: Discuss what happened. Make sure that all parties recognize that neither provocation nor passion for protecting the environment justifies disruptive conduct. If more than one person has acted badly (often the case) ask each to assure you that they will conduct themselves in the future with basic professionalism and courtesy and according to decision-making structures that are established. Make sure that the individuals involved understand that continued or repetitive disruptive behavior can lead to volunteers being removed from leadership positions or from participating in certain Club activities.
3. STEP THREE: Formal action to remove, suspend or bar volunteers from leadership positions or from certain activities: This step should only be undertaken when an individual's personal behavior is clearly disruptive, repeatedly violating standards of conduct, or impairing the work of the Club.
1. Chairs can remove individuals from a meeting for disruptive personal behavior. The chair always has the authority, and obligation to others, to keep control of a meeting. Sierra Club meetings are open to all members, but a chair has discretionary authority to assess the situation, issue warnings about behavior and remove individuals from a meeting if needed.
2. Outings leaders have the authority to remove a participant from an outing or refuse to allow an individual to participate in a specific outing, in accordance with the policies and guidelines established in the Outings Leader Handbook.
3. ExComs can remove appointed leaders. Executive committees at the group and chapter level have the authority to remove appointed leaders from their positions by a majority vote of the ExCom, with the exception of members of the Nominating Committee or Election Committee once they have been appointed This includes removing an ExCom officer from a specific position, but not from the ExCom itself. Those who appoint volunteer leaders within the Club have an obligation to remove them if continuing in their role damages the Club.
4. ExComs can bar individuals from participating in specific Club activities, with cause. To do so, ExComs must inform the individual of the reasons why this action is being considered; must schedule a meeting at which the individual can participate, either in person or by phone; must allow the individual a reasonable time to refute the claims made against them either personally, or by others, or both; and by a majority, vote to bar the person from participating in specific activities. A member cannot be barred from participating in all Sierra Club activities, only specific ones.

   Note: Certain Sierra Club activities have specific requirements, such as training or outdoor skills, that have the effect of barring members from participating who do not meet the requirements. The process described above does not apply to specific activities or programs with specific requirements for participation that apply to everyone.

5. The Breach of Leadership Trust (BoLT) process must be followed to remove elected leaders from a group or chapter ExCom completely. (Group and chapter members can also petition to remove ExCom members through an election recall process.)The BoLT process must be followed to bar an individual from holding leadership positions in the future. Because BoLT is a time- and resource-intensive process, individual leaders or ExComs requesting a BoLT action are encouraged to define, if possible, actions that the individual could voluntarily agree to that would end the BoLT process.
6. Some violations of standards of conduct have been identified by the Board as constituting serious misconduct (see below).

Together, the Board President, Vice President, and Chair of the OEGC, or their acting designee, have authority to immediately suspend a volunteer from participation in specific Club activities or from an elected or appointed leadership position (except for members of the Board of Directors) for serious misconduct.

Any action to suspend a volunteer for serious misconduct must be based on a fair assessment (clear documentation, multiple reports, direct contact with the individual) that creates strong reason to believe that serious misconduct occurred.

In cases of suspension, the Breach of Leadership Trust (BoLT) process or the Board process for Removal of Member for Cause or the process for resolving conflicts between volunteers and staff must be used to determine whether the suspension should be reversed, extended for a specific period of time, or made permanent. One of these processes must be initiated within three weeks of a suspension.

Chapter, group or committee chairs, or any Club member who believes that an individual has engaged in serious misconduct as defined below can request an immediate suspension of a volunteer from an elected or appointed leadership position. Contact the Office of Volunteer and Activist Services for assistance.

Note: If an individual's misconduct is so serious that it is referred to the police or legal counsel for action, these processes are not relevant and will not be followed.

SERIOUS MISCONDUCT

1. Physical or sexual assault or violent threats toward others, including bringing firearms to Club offices, meetings or events.
2. Embezzling funds or misdirecting Club funds, membership lists or other assets for activities not authorized by the responsible entity.
3. Use of racial slurs or other derogatory language regarding gender, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, or disability.
4. Fraud, libel, defamation or illegal activity of any kind in the conduct of Sierra Club business.
5. Illegal or unethical professional conduct outside the Sierra Club if that misconduct could significantly damage the Club, its staff, its members or its assets.
6. Harassment, threats or any action directed toward Sierra Club employees that violate Club employment policies or are covered by law.

III. CONDUCT OF SIERRA CLUB STAFF

Resolving conflicts that may arise between volunteers and Sierra Club staff is covered under the Volunteer/Staff Relationship Policy. The conduct of Sierra Club employees is governed by the Sierra Club's employment policies and handbooks, which are administered and interpreted by the Human Resources staff. Staff are held to high standards of conduct, and face disciplinary action -- up to and including termination of employment -- for violations as governed by the Club's employment policies and handbooks, union contracts and legal requirements within employment law.