CRY Code of Ethics for Virtual Volunteers, 2013-2014 At CRY, we believe that our volunteers are an integral part of our organization. Volunteers/Interns make a commitment and are accountable to the organization. Hence you are expected to abide by the Core values and Principles of CRY. Accountability to the Organization Volunteers are expected to respect the Mission, Vision, Values and goals of CRY. Volunteers/Interns are expected to act with integrity, respect and respond to others with whom they interact during the course of Volunteering. Offer constructive feedback about our organization, in case if you have any in an appropriate manner. Don t engage in charity services in the name of CRY. Do not collect or distribute clothes, stationery or other materials in the community and do not make any promises. Take your commitment to heart and perform your tasks to the best of your ability. Adhere to time schedules and time frame for completion Be open to feedback from the Supervisor and incorporate the same. Certificate of the Acknowledgement will be given to the volunteers only after their assignment has been checked and approved by the supervisor. If you have taken a responsibility, honor it or inform the CRY mentor in advance, in case if you are not able to accomplish it. Copyright/Ownership Concerns The volunteer shall grant non-exclusive permission to CRY for use of any materials produced during online assignment. Content produced by the volunteer including graphics materials, web page designs, narratives, research, compilations, instructional texts, photographs etc., become the property of CRY upon submission. Volunteers will be duly acknowledged for their contributions. Use a Disclaimer: Unless your communication has been officially authorized by CRY team, make it clear that the views you are expressing are yours alone and not necessarily those of CRY. Anti-Virus Software As the nature of online volunteering means a lot of contact between computers -- e-mails, attachments, transfers of files, etc, there is the inherent peril of transmitting computer viruses during online interactions. We strongly advise all our online volunteers to keep and use updated anti-virus software to minimize risk of transmitting /being affected by viruses, at the
least for their own computers safety. Computer Virus protection for your own computer is your own responsibility. Screening/Reference Checks For certain tasks, volunteers may be required to submit samples of work if available and/or professional references as indicated in the task description. CRY would, from our end, like to assure you, our Virtual Volunteer: 1. Your safety is of utmost importance to us. CRY will not release your contact details/ personal information to anyone outside of our organization without your written permission to do so. Upon completion of assignments, CRY lists volunteers, assignments done, along with their city of residence and email address on one page of the CRY website. CRY is happy to oblige volunteers if they wish to remain anonymous if requested for the same. 2. You can be assured of virus proof emails from our end as all our communications are scanned and our anti-virus protections are up-to-date. 3. You will be duly acknowledged for your contributions. Upon completion of assignment, you would be given a certificate of Acknowledgement from your project mentor. Media Policy for CRY Volunteers I: Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the Brand of CRY gives out consistent messages across different media and no person volunteered at any time with CRY will inadvertently or other-wise compromise the integrity and message of the Brand. II: Scope: The scope of this policy is all Media related activity by CRY Volunteers II: Description of the Media Policy: a. Prior Approval Required: A person who is a CRY Volunteer/Intern or previously one, is not permitted to publish any content that mentions CRY or identify a CRY Volunteer/Intern or Ex-Volunteer/Ex- Intern as the author, without prior permission from their supervisor. If they desire to publish a personal opinion in any form of media, they need to ensure insertion of the below-indicated Disclaimer (or an equivalent to that effect). Disclaimer: this is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect that of CRY. Definitions: For this policy Publishing includes Book - fiction or non-fiction Online publishing, such as Weblogs, e-papers and e-journals, e-magazines
Opinion Pieces such as articles, letters, any other editorial con-tent Studies such as white papers, journal articles Social communication networks: online communities and rooms Narrative forms such as poetry, drama, essay Audio formats such as radio features and podcasts Film or any other audio-visual format such as photo essays, slide films Any other form of social / mass communications media or communication platforms such as public forum / television debates The use of CRY properties logo, audio/visual (recordings/ video/ photos) as well as any references to CRY requires prior permission and authorization from the General Manager (GM), Communications. Approval Process and Authority: Volunteer to share the draft piece of your work with the respective CRY mentor/anchor in the location and they will take the approval from the Media Advocacy team, on behalf of the Volunteer. ii. Prior Approval not required: A Volunteer/Intern of CRY can publish (according to above definition of publishing) content that does not the have the name of CRY in it without approval. III. Exceptions: Writing on Social Network sites, blogs or tweets, if the content has nothing to do with CRY and the area of opinion or comment is totally different from the area of knowledge and activity that CRY works in, the publishing can be done without disclaimer or approval. Use Disclaimers Unless your communication has been officially authorized by CRY team, make it clear that the views you are expressing are yours alone and not necessarily those of CRY. For any clarifications volunteers can contact respective CRY mentor CRY Brand Norms The communications are the face of a brand, and different faces each time can confuse the target audience and affect their trust. Therefore, it is important to follow brand guidelines, to create a trust-worthy and a recognizable brand. Hence CRY volunteers are expected to follow the CRY brand guidelines while making any communication materials. CRY encourages volunteers to come up innovative communication materials on the basis of same graphical language and tone that CRY has developed over a period of time. Avoid social development jargon. Use a sensible, sensitive tone that rings true with reason.
While using children s image one need to be sensitive. CRY doesn t encourage the use of sad and gloomy image and it should not violate the integrity and dignity of the child. All communication materials prepared by volunteers need to be approved by CRY communications unit in the location. Volunteers may reach the communication person through their respective CRY mentor. CRY logo cannot be use in any of the campus/corporate events/activities, online spaces and communication materials without the prior approval/verification from the respective CRY mentor and the CRY Communications unit. Volunteer Blogs, social media links or any online activities to be initiated in consultation with the concerned CRY mentor and the approval of the CRY s Communications unit. In terms volunteers holding events that involves multiple partners, it should be discussed and MoU to be signed in terms of basic terms and conditions agreed by both parties. Use of CRY logo along with other partner logo s to be discussed prior to the event and agreed upon. Communication materials include both printed and online ma-terials. If you require a detailed CRY brand guidelines, please contact your respective CRY mentor. CRY Social Media Norms and Guidelines: Social media websites (such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, and many others) that allow users to post personal content have become increasingly popular. The Code of Conduct for CRY Interns and Volunteers applies to all online activities, including social media. CRY s Policy regarding use of office equipment also applies to social networking behavior. CRY has established the following norms and guidelines for the use of social media and social networking sites by CRY Interns and Volunteers: Use of your CRY email address for social net-working (e.g., blogs, Face-book, Twitter, LinkedIn) is not permitted. Do not identify yourself as a member of CRY staff in social media. While engaging in social networking, you must avoid the risk of conflict with official duties and should avoid the appearance of impropriety. Do not discuss, post or leak confidential CRY in-formation. Do not discuss your job responsibilities for CRY on the Internet.
Maintain professionalism, honesty, and respect. Your on-line dialogue is subject to the same bounds of civility required at work. CRY Volunteers must comply with laws covering libel and defamation of character even after the term of your internship is over with CRY. Be Accurate in the information that you post. Even though your posts may be primarily personal opinion, do your research well and check that your facts are accurate. Make sure any news you report has been verified. Check links before you re-tweet or re-post something to make sure the link works. Make sure you have permission to post any copyrighted or confidential information (e.g., images). If you re-tweet, share or otherwise link to someone else s content, give that person credit. Citing, tagging or identifying volunteers and other stakeholders ensure approval is obtained first Avoid negative commentary regarding CRY. Observe security protocol. Volunteers must take care to avoid doing things that would compromise the security of CRY and its personnel. Views expressed are your own and cannot be shown as reflecting CRY s viewpoint. Do not post any content on behalf of CRY without prior consent from CRY. Whenever using materials / data given by CRY or created by you for CRY please give credits to CRY as source of info and tag CRY to it. Avoid using social media as a tool to address grievances with CRY even after the term of your intern-ship is over with CRY. CRY reserves the right to monitor its volunteers use of social media by monitoring its volunteers Internet activities as set forth in the CRY Policy Regarding Use of Office Equipment. If CRY has just cause for believing that any volunteer has acted contrary to this Policy, CRY reserves the right to visit and monitor social media sites to ensure compliance with the CRY s Social Media and Social Networking Policy.