RRCA Board Policy Agreements

RRCA Board, Staff and Volunteers must:

• Be honest and ethical in their conduct, including ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships that may benefit an individual at the expense of the RRCA – The RRCA has a board approved Conflict of Interest Policy that all Board Members and staff are required to sign and comply with.  Any new conflicts should be reported.
• Comply with applicable laws, rule and regulations governing the organization
• Deal fairly with RRCA staff, members, sponsors, and volunteers – expectations should be clearly outlined and communicated
• Address conflicts that arise proactively and professionally and adhere to the Board approved Whistleblower Policy.
• Provide Information that is accurate, objective, relevant, timely, and understandable.  Proactively promote ethical behavior as a responsible partner among peers in the work environment.
• Protect and ensure the proper use of company assets.
• Prohibit improper or fraudulent influence over the external auditor
• Matters discussed in an executive session of the Board shall not be disclosed to others.

Matters discussed in open session that are determined by the Board to be confidential, proprietary, sensitive, or valuable may only be disclosed to others when authorized by the RRCA President. Documents marked confidential and/or “for internal use only” shall not be given to unauthorized persons.

 A Board or office staff member may not agree with the outcome of every decision made by the Board as a whole.  In such cases, the member may express his or   her personal views on the issue.  This should be balanced with acknowledgment that the outcome is the decision of the Board and is accepted by the member.

This policy applies to the members of the RRCA’s Board of Directors and its elected officers.

In order to communicate freely and openly with RRCA members and members of the public, the RRCA maintains a social media presence, including through its website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkdIn, YouTube, RSS feeds, and a share feature on the RRCA website.  RRCA seeks out new and improved methods of communication and will add different forms of social media as it deems appropriate.  Accordingly, the RRCA has given authority to certain RRCA personnel to maintain its social media presence and may invite others to submit postings. 

All social media is trackable, traceable, and discoverable.  Social media can support marketing and professional efforts and help to advance RRCA’s mission.  RRCA is also aware of, and sensitive to, how social media can affect relationships with our employees, members, sponsors, colleagues, media, and other audiences.  We also understand that social media is often used personally and not exclusively for business.  RRCA’s Social Media Policy provides realistic guidelines for online behavior by directors, officers, and volunteers of RRCA.  As new technology develops, RRCA’s Policy will evolve to reflect those changes.

You are personally responsible for any online activity you conduct using an RRCA email address, and/or which can be traced back to an RRCA domain, and/or which uses RRCA assets (e.g., computers, mobile devices, etc).  Any of the RRCA domains attached to your name imply that you are acting on behalf of RRCA.  When using an RRCA email address or RRCA assets to engage in any social media or professional networking activity, all actions are public. Individuals will be held fully responsible for any and all such activities.

RRCA will not tolerate discriminatory comments or actions, including but not limited to those related to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship, disability, veteran status, familial status, marital status or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local laws.  Any social media activity which is in violation of RRCA’s nondiscrimination policy may lead to removal or dismissal from the board of directors and any affiliated committees.

You are personally responsible for your commentary and posts through Social Media.  You can be held personally liable for commentary that is considered defamatory, threatening, intimidating, harassing, obscene, proprietary or libelous.

Personal Use of Social Media – What is Prohibited?

The RRCA respects the right of its board members and officers to write blogs and use social media and social networking sites with your personal email address. Social Media includes, but is not limited to, personal blogs; sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter; video or wiki postings; chat rooms; personal websites; or other similar forms of online journals, diaries, or personal newsletters not affiliated with the RRCA.

The RRCA does not want to discourage its directors and officers from self-publishing and self-expression, and the RRCA takes a neutral position toward board members and officers who use Social Media in connection with personal interests and affiliations, or for other lawful purposes.  Board members and officers are free to express their own opinions about social justice, racial equality, human rights, politics, civic concerns, or other areas of interest or concern on their own Social Media accounts and following the Guidelines for Personal Social Media Use by RRCA Board Members outlined below.

Guidelines for Personal Social Media Use by RRCA Board Members:

• If you choose to list your RRCA affiliation on a social network, then you should regard all communication on that network as you would in a professional network and must follow the Guidelines below.
• If you choose to identify yourself as an RRCA board member and/or officer through Social Media, please understand that someone may view you as a spokesperson for the RRCA.
• You may not use the RRCA logo or other RRCA trademarks without permission.
• You may not share any RRCA copyrighted information, RRCA-issued documents, photographs or other information about RRCA employees, vendors, volunteers, officers, directors, or members without permission.
• You may not use any RRCA email address as your means of identification and communication. (i.e. do not use your rrca.org email address as your primary contact on personal social media accounts)
• You must contact the Executive Director if contacted by the media or press about any Social Media activity that relates to RRCA business on your personal accounts before responding
• You should include a note on your personal information/profile that it is your personal account, especially if members of the RRCA are allowed to be friends or followers of your personal account.  If you are conveying information that has already been shared by RRCA or agreed upon by the board and disclosed in the minutes of the organization, you may share the in your personal account.  If you post any comment about the RRCA that has not previous been shared or disclosed by the RRCA, you must clearly and conspicuously state that you are posting in your individual capacity and that the views posted are yours alone and do not represent the views of RRCA.
• You may not disclose proprietary, privileged, or confidential information about RRCA, its employees, officers, directors, volunteers or members. If you are unsure about the confidential nature of information you are considering posting, consult with the Executive Director.
• You must follow the terms and conditions of use established by each social media platform on which you engage in social media activities.
• You may not make/post materials or comments which are defamatory*, offensive, threatening, harassing, demeaning, pornographic, or abusive. (*The public has a right to criticize the people elected to govern them.)
• In your capacity as an RRCA board member and/or office, you may not make any comments, post materials, or engage in any discussion regarding elections, candidates, political parties, or any other subject which is campaign intervention or otherwise prohibited by a § 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code. If you have questions about whether a comment or material is campaign intervention, please contact the Executive Director. (Making “go vote” or “register to vote” comments are permissible, so long as there is no candidate endorsement associated with the post.)
• You may not post any information or conduct any social media activity that violates applicable federal, state, and local laws.
• Your online profiles may not be false or misleading if you outline your RRCA affiliation on said profile.
• If posting in an RRCA maintained account, acknowledge differences in opinion and withdraw from discussions that become offensive or hostile. Report the exchange to the Executive Director for review.
• When participating in any online community on behalf of the RRCA, and when appropriate, disclose your identity and affiliation with the RRCA. Do not create an alias or post anonymously on behalf of, or regarding the RRCA.
• Do not commit plagiarism and ensure that you have appropriate permission or license to use any copyrighted or trademarked material or other intellectual property if posting in an RRCA maintained account.
• Seek permission from the Executive Director before posting any comment or picture involving an employee, officer, director, volunteer or member of RRCA on personal accounts (note:  personal social media accounts may focus on sharing of RRCA related images that are provided by members, staff, board, volunteers, etc.  RRCA generally accepts that receipt of these images from a sender to a board member conveys permission to use. If a photo is taken by a board member and includes a staff member or other RRCA volunteer or member, allowing inclusion in the photo conveys permission to use the photo on personal social media.  If in doubt, review with the Executive Director before posting an item).
• Utilize tools on Social Media accounts that shield your personal posts from certain users, as needed, under these guidelines.
• Board members, officers and volunteers are cautioned that you should have no expectation of privacy while using Social Media.  Your postings can be reviewed by anyone, including the RRCA.  The RRCA will monitor comments, posts, blogs, forums, and discussions about RRCA, its personnel, directors, officers, members, volunteers and sponsors that are posted on the Internet or otherwise publicly available.

Reporting Violations

The RRCA requests and strongly urges Board members and/or officers to report violations to the Board Chair or the Executive Director.  In particular, the RRCA requests that you provide a snapshot and/or printout of the page(s) that you believe contains the violation so that the RRCA may examine the entire context of the alleged violation.

Discipline for Violations

The RRCA reserves the right to take legal action against personnel who engage in prohibited or unlawful conduct.  Violations by members of the board may lead to dismissal from the board, and committees on which the board member serves following the RRCA Bylaw requirements for removal of a board member.

The Officers, Directors, and employees of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) owe a duty of loyalty to the RRCA, which requires that in serving RRCA they act, not in their personal interests or in the interests of others, but rather solely in the interests of the RRCA. Officers, Directors, and employees must have undivided allegiance to RRCA’s mission and may not use their positions, information they have about RRCA, or RRCA’s property, in a manner that allows them to secure a pecuniary benefit for themselves or their relatives.

The conduct of personal business between any Officer, Director, and employee and RRCA is prohibited. Business transactions of the RRCA in which an Officer, Director, or employee has an interest shall not be prohibited, but they shall be subject to close scrutiny. Such proposed transactions shall be reviewed carefully to determine that they are in the best interests of RRCA and that they will not lead to conflict of interest. For the purposes of this policy, an Officer, Director, or employee has an interest in a proposed transaction if he/she has a substantial financial interest in it, or has a substantial financial interest in any organization involved in the proposed transaction, or holds a position as trustee, director, general manager, principal officer, or employee in any such organization. Prior to the start of any negotiations, or consideration of a grant request by the RRCA, Officers, Directors, and employees are expected to make full disclosure to the best of their knowledge of any dual interest in a proposed transaction by submitting a report to the President or other officer designated by the Board to handle such matters, supplying any reasons why the transaction might not be in the best interest of RRCA. In matters requiring prior approval of the Board of Directors, the President or other officer shall forward copies of this disclosure report to the Board before its approval.

An Officer, Director, or employee with a dual interest in a proposed transaction shall not vote on the matter and, depending upon the circumstances, may be excluded from any discussion of the matter.

An Officer, Director, or employee shall not use inside information of the RRCA for his/her personal benefit, or use such inside information or his/her position as Officer, Director, or employee to the detriment of RRCA. Inside information is information obtained through the Officer’s, Director’s, or employee’s position that has not become public information.

Each Officer, Director, and employee has a duty to place the interests of RRCA foremost in any dealings involving the RRCA and has a continuing responsibility to comply with the requirements of this Policy. On an annual basis, each Officer and Director is required to complete a Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure Statement.