Stemming from its Global Summit on Social Responsibility in April, ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership has developed Guiding Principles for Socially Responsible Associations . The draft proposal is open for comment until October 16, when a follow-up summit will be held online.

At the Global Summit in April, nearly two dozen social responsibility initiatives were developed. Since then, teams have been hammering out the details for each project. One of the initiatives was to create a set of guiding principles around social responsibility for associations.

The team came up with seven guidelines, which align with the UN Global Compact, a set of principles designed for corporations by the United Nations. The guidelines touch on the following areas: advocacy; leadership; ethics and human rights; diversity; self-regulation; philanthropy and community service; and environmental and economic sustainability, including how they relate to association meetings.

To read a full description of the draft principles and to submit your comments, go to www.asaecenter.org/srprinciples. The final document will be presented for approval and discussion by ASAE & The Center’s boards of directors in November. If passed, associations will be invited to sign on to the final principles as part of embracing social responsibility.

This initiative, as well as the others that grew out of the Global Summit, will be discussed at the follow-up summit, scheduled for October 14-16. Attendance at the online forum is open to all members and their guests and is free of charge. To register or for more information, go to the online summit registration page.