Organisational values

As a member of the Board of Directors of An Taisce I promise to abide by the fundamental values that underpin all the activity of this organisation by:

• Presenting a professional image to visitors, clients and service users
• Creating open, honest and supportive working relations
• Promoting collective working to support and promote the work of An Taisce
• Respecting office procedures and policies
• Supporting and promoting principles of equality and diversity
• Respecting confidentiality of information and procedures
• Giving volunteers the same respect and support as staff members

Additionally, I agree to the following points:

Law, mission, policies

• I will not break the law or go against charity regulations in any aspect of my role of trustee.
• I will support the mission of An Taisce and consider myself its guardian.
• I will abide by An Taisce policies.

Conflicts of interest

• I will always strive to act in the best interests of the organisation.
• I will declare any conflict of interest, or any circumstance that might be viewed by others as a conflict of interest, as soon as it arises.
• I will submit to the judgment of the board and do as it requires regarding potential conflicts of interest.

Person to person

• I will not break the law, go against charity regulations or act in disregard of An Taisce policies in my relationships with fellow directors, staff, volunteers, members, service recipients, contractors or anyone I come into contact with in my role as a member of the board.
• I will strive to establish respectful, collegial and courteous relationships with all I come into contact with in my role as a director.

Protecting the organisation's reputation

• I will not speak as a director of this organisation to the media or in a public forum without the prior knowledge and approval of the Chair.
• When I am speaking as a director of this organisation, my comments will reflect current organisational policy even when these do not agree with my personal views.
• When speaking as a private citizen I will strive to uphold the reputation of the organisation and those who work in it.
• I will respect organisational, board and individual confidentiality.
• I will take an active interest in the organisation's public image, noting news articles, books, television programmes and the like about the organisation, about similar organisations or about important issues for the organisation.

Personal gain

• I will not personally gain materially or financially from my role as a director, nor will I permit others to do so as a result of my actions or negligence.
• I will document expenses and seek reimbursement according to procedure.
• I will not accept substantial gifts or hospitality without prior consent of the Chair.
• I will use organisational resources responsibly, when authorised, in accordance with procedure.

In the boardroom

• I will strive to embody the principles of leadership in all my actions and live up to the trust placed in me by the Council of An Taisce
• I will abide by board governance procedures and practices.
• I will strive to attend all board meetings, giving apologies ahead of time to the Chair if unable to attend.
• I will honour the authority of the Chair and respect his or her role as meeting leader.
• I will engage in debate and voting in meetings according to procedure, maintaining a respectful attitude toward the opinions of others while making my voice heard.
• I will accept a majority board vote on an issue as decisive and final.
• I will maintain confidentiality about what goes on in the boardroom unless authorised by the Chair or board to speak of it.

Enhancing governance

• I will participate in induction, training and development activities for directors.
• I will continually seek ways to improve board governance practice.
• I will strive to identify good candidates for membership of the board and appoint new board members on the basis of merit.
• I will support the Administration Officer in his/her executive role.

Leaving the board

• I understand that substantial breach of any part of this code may result in my removal from the board of An Taisce.
• Should I resign from the board I will inform the Chair in advance in writing, stating my reasons for resigning.

Approved by the Board of Directors of An Taisce on 24th March 2015.