The Power of Women Exchange

Code of Conduct for Membership

POWE is an organization dedicated to providing a safe and inviting environment for women who are entrepreneurs, executives and business professionals to network with other women to grow professionally and personally. Women are encouraged to share ideas and business in order to achieve these goals.

POWE is a company of professional women, dedicated to providing the tools necessary to help other women make the changes in their lives and achieve the success that they desire.

POWE offers its members more then just networking - we offer: Support, Education, Guidance, Friendship, Business Tools, Business Exposure and Growth.

Responsibilities Of POWE Members

Membership in POWE is considered to be a privilege.

POWE Members are required to pre-register and pre-pay for every meeting they plan to attend.

POWE members should strive to provide other members with professional service and respect that demonstrates equality regardless of ethnicity, financial situation, vocation, business and education.

POWE members should not give out personal information collected through POWE to outside sources without permission from member concerned.

POWE members are expected to respect the policies and procedures of POWE.

POWE members are expected to provide excellent service to each other and all referrals that come through fellow POWE members.

POWE members are expected to act in a manner exhibiting the qualities and ethics befitting a respectable, professional business woman.

POWE members are expected to build relationships within the organization so that they may endorse fellow members in their circles of influence and contacts first, before using a business of similar nature that is not a member.

POWE members are expected to keep their memberships in good standing with POWE and to pay their dues on or before their due dates.

If a POWE member has an issue, she is encouraged to seek out her Chapter Director, not another member, for resolution.

POWE members are expected to show respect for the rights, the privacy, and the positions of POWE Executives and Chapter Directors.

POWE members are encouraged to become educated on their benefits and to use them consistently for greatest success. Benefits will not be transferable to another year – they must be used within the membership year or they are forfeited. POWE members are given the opportunity to volunteer for positions at the meetings and on committees. We encourage members to do so in an attempt to promote their businesses even further by becoming recognized by the membership.

Failure to maintain the appropriate code of conduct; cause any harm to another POWE member or POWE itself; slander another POWE member or POWE itself or other undesirable breaches in the appropriate code of conduct and business ethics can result in a removal from the membership and/or refusal of membership renewal by the executive.

***IMPORTANT:POWE members are required to give cancellation notice at least 72 hours before a meeting, or they will be required to pay for that meeting.***

Rights of Membership

Right to be Informed:

Members have the right to access clear information about their membership, meetings, events and benefits.

Members have the right to know who the Directors and Shareholders of POWE are and how it relates to them.

Members have the right to ask questions and the duty to understand that they are the ones responsible for the use of their benefits. Directors and  Shareholders are not responsible if a member does not access, ask questions regarding their membership about their benefits or does not use the benefits.

Benefits cease at the end of each membership year and do not carry forward into the next benefit year.

Members have the right to be made aware of all POWE meetings and will be added to the newsletter list so that they may be informed of this – members have the responsibility to read the newsletter and update themselves about events by visiting the website http://www.powe.ca/.

Directors and Shareholders will not be responsible should a member not keep themselves informed of the meeting times and dates and ensure they themselves must contact the individual Chapter Director and register for the meeting they wish to attend.

Right to Complaint Resolution:

POWE and its agents (Directors and Shareholders) are committed to high standards of customer service for the membership. If a member has a complaint about the service received, she has the right to access the appropriate person and expect a resolution.

Members may enter the complaint resolution process in good faith by providing all the necessary information in a timely manner, and remaining open to recommendations made by the Membership Relations Manager.

POWE and its agents will act according to process and protocol to provide the member with the answers as soon as possible.

Right to Professional Service:

Members have the right to deal with Directors and Shareholders who exhibit high ethical standards, including honesty, integrity, fairness and skill.

Members may expect the Directors and Shareholders to exhibit extensive knowledge of member benefits and responsibilities, as well as the extent and limitations of the benefits.

Right to Privacy:

Members have the right to know that their information will be used only for the purposes set out in the privacy statement made available on the POWE website at www.powe.ca. This information will not be disclosed except as outlined in the Privacy Policy. POWE follows Canada's privacy laws.

July 6, 2010