ACEVO has recently redrafted its code of conduct and complaints procedure to ensure that everyone within our network knows how the process for making a complaint works, and what to expect from everyone they come into contact within the ACEVO network. In this blog, Lucy Caldicott from ChangeOut, who supported us on this work, and ACEVO’s policy officer Maisie Hulbert explain the new processes and what we want to achieve.
Part of ACEVO’s role as an infrastructure body is working to improve the sector for everyone, so that our members can make the biggest possible difference for the communities and causes they serve. We believe this means leaders need to be open-minded, tactful, professional and respectful; that they live the values of their organisations; and that they are willing to listen and reflect on their own actions. Our leadership competencies outline the kind of leadership we hope being part of the ACEVO network encourages.
In 2021, alongside our strategy development process, we decided to review some of our policies and procedures to ensure that these values are embedded in our operation, and that all ACEVO stakeholders understand how to use these processes if they feel their expectations of a safe and respectful network in which to learn and be supported have not been met.
Culture and learning
Organisations sometimes shy away from facing up to what they may perceive as difficult conversations, where there might be differences of opinion. Without the sharing of different views and mutual challenge, gaps in policy-making can be left open to being filled by grey areas and misinterpretation. Having to decide how to act in a crisis if there’s a lack of clear policy steps to guide you can be very time-consuming and damaging.
It was good, therefore, that ACEVO decided to face up to some potentially difficult conversations recently. The team wanted to strengthen ACEVO’s membership and events policies – specifically regarding whether organisations with missions antithetical to ACEVO’s values should be allowed to join as members and to manage member behaviour at ACEVO events. Lucy was brought in to help ACEVO board members and staff look at these issues.
Lucy was pleased to lead a series of one-to-one and small group conversations around these topics, share the insights with the board and support the ACEVO team to create new policies and internal guidance for staff members.
The key findings from the interviews underlined ACEVO’s remit to drive a membership culture that encourages all leaders to listen and learn, to encourage exchanges of views rather than silencing them. We may not always hold the same views, but hopefully we can listen to and learn from each other. Discussions also explored where ACEVO’s role begins and ends, and it was clear that member behaviour while at ACEVO events falls within its responsibility. It is therefore vital that members feel safe and supported to come forward to report any issues and help shape the membership culture.
Past behaviour or behaviour elsewhere cannot be within ACEVO’s remit but it is important to acknowledge that it is in their own organisations that CEOs, ACEVO’s core membership, have capacity to cause harm because of the power they wield there. We can all do harm and we can all experience harm. Behaviour can be policed, thoughts and beliefs cannot. Another action is for ACEVO to be very clear about its values and expectations, and make sure that these are understood as a condition of membership. Having a membership body that holds itself and its membership to account to uphold these values will play a role in improving the sector more broadly.
What has changed
We’ve updated ACEVO’s code of conduct and complaints procedures to encompass all the different roles within the ACEVO network and be more robust, ensuring that everyone understands the standards of behaviour expected and what to do if something goes wrong. We hope these documents reflect our desire to take an approach which is not unduly punitive, and hope that they set the scene for the type of network our members, partners, staff, trustees and volunteers uphold and create between them.
You can find our new code of conduct and complaints procedure on the website. Key changes to how we will communicate this include:
- We will remind all ACEVO stakeholders of the code of conduct annually, and additionally in events registration and contracts with partners and suppliers.
- The code of conduct now outlines a clear process if a complaint is made. If you have any questions about this, please contact a member of the team.
- We are currently exploring facilitation or mediation options for referral should this be necessary as part of your complaint, as well as tools and training for anyone who wishes to understand how they can reflect on and change their behaviours. If you have suggestions for how this kind of work can be most helpful to leaders, please get in touch.
Our new organisational value of being inclusive means that we want to promote a culture that celebrates our differences and where everyone is heard, respected and valued. We aim to create a space that is safe and welcoming. The changes listed here are part of our commitment to this value.
