Member code of conduct and confidentiality
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Member code of conduct and confidentiality
A code of conduct and confidentiality agreement for masterminds, peer advisory groups and private communities where members share sensitive business details. It explains in plain language what stays in the room and the narrow exceptions, sets the rules on selling and soliciting, covers conflicts of interest, attendance and respect, and describes how concerns are raised and decided. Members read it before their first meeting. Adapt the rules to your own groups, add how members confirm they agree, and have it reviewed by an adviser before you rely on it.
Member code of conduct and confidentiality
Our groups work because owners can say things in the room they can't say anywhere else: that cash is tight, that a partner is struggling, that they're thinking of selling. This code protects that trust. Every member agrees to it before their first meeting and again each year at renewal.
1. What stays in the room
Everything a member shares in a group meeting, a hot seat, a 1:1 with a chair or a private community thread is confidential. That includes financial figures, names of employees, customers and suppliers, plans, and personal matters.
You may
- Use an idea or approach you heard in your own business
- Tell people in general terms what you learned ("a member found raising prices in January worked well")
- Talk about your own situation with anyone you like
You may not
- Say who said what, or share details that would identify a member or their business
- Record, photograph or screenshot a meeting or private thread
- Share a member's figures, documents or plans with anyone, including your own staff
Confidentiality continues after you leave Summit Founders Circle, for as long as the information remains private.
Confidentiality does not cover information that is already public, or anything we are required by law to report. If a member shares something suggesting a serious risk of harm to themselves or others, a chair may seek help, telling the member first wherever possible.
2. No selling, no soliciting
Summit Founders Circle is a peer group, not a networking club. Members do business with each other only when they choose to, never because someone pitched them.
- Don't pitch your products or services in meetings, at events or in the community.
- Don't use the member directory for marketing, mailing lists or recruiting a member's staff.
- If another member asks for your help, you may offer it. Tell the group if you then do paid work together.
3. Conflicts of interest
We never knowingly place competitors in the same group. If your business changes and you find yourself competing with, buying from, or negotiating with another member of your group, tell your chair straight away. We will talk it through with both of you, and may suggest a move to another group.
4. Showing up
A group is only as good as the people in the room. We ask members to:
- Attend at least 10 of the 12 monthly meetings each year
- Arrive on time, prepared with your monthly update
- Keep phones away during meetings, except in an emergency
- Tell your chair 48 hours ahead if you have to miss a meeting
Members who miss three meetings in a row will be contacted by their chair to talk about whether the timing still works for them.
5. Respect and conduct
Hard questions are welcome. Personal attacks are not. Challenge ideas, not people, and assume good intentions. We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination or abusive language of any kind, toward members, guests, speakers or staff, whether at meetings, events or the retreat. Alcohol is served at some events; members are responsible for their own conduct.
6. The online community
The same rules apply online. Keep sensitive details in your private group thread, not the open community. Don't share screenshots of member posts outside Summit Founders Circle. Posts that break this code may be removed without notice.
7. Raising a concern
- Talk to your chair. Most concerns can be settled with a quiet conversation. If your chair is involved, go straight to step two.
- Write to the founder. Email Jordan Ellis at hello@example.com. Concerns are kept private and you will hear back within five business days.
- Review and decision. We will listen to everyone involved before deciding on any action, which may range from a reminder of this code to a warning, a move to another group, or ending a membership.
A membership ended for a serious breach of confidentiality is not refunded, and the member may not rejoin.
Questions about this code? Ask your group chair, or write to hello@example.com.
This sample code is a template. Before you adopt it, review it with a qualified adviser, and consider whether your members should also sign a separate, legally binding confidentiality agreement.
Use this page
Make it yours in a few minutes
- Find it in your Control Panel. Go to Content > Page Library and search for "Member code of conduct and confidentiality".
- Add it to your site. Choose a title and a department. The page arrives as a draft, with its pictures copied to your site and your site's name already in place.
- Change the words and pictures. Open it in the Membergate editor, replace the sample text and images with your own, and make it live when you are ready.