Committee Application

Below is the policy you are required to follow for being an ACAR committee member. Please read and acknowledge when you reach the bottom of this form. Adopted October 31, 2024

The Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS® (“ACAR” or the “Association”) is a not-for-profit trade association formed to promote, develop, educate, and otherwise further the real estate industry. ACAR’s principal membership class consists of individuals engaged in the real estate industry. The business and affairs of the association are managed under the direction of the ACAR Board of Directors (the “Board”). The Member Volunteer Leadership Code of Conduct (the “Code”) serves as a code of conduct for members of the Association when in the capacity of volunteers, such as committee members, forum and task force members, council members, chairs and vice-chairs, and workgroup members.

Violations of the Code may result in removal from any of the groups mentioned above. The Board of Directors will make the final decision regarding any sanctions. Member volunteers at ACAR affirm their endorsement of the Code and acknowledge their commitment to uphold its principles and obligations by accepting and retaining any volunteer member position.

Volunteer Leadership Communications Policy

1. As a volunteer leader of ACAR, it is imperative that you receive and engage in discourse regarding ACAR business. You are expected to communicate with your committee regularly via phone, text, and email. Therefore, we ask that you provide and maintain with NAR your current email address and cell phone number.
2. You are expected to participate in ACAR surveys seeking feedback from ACAR leadership.
3. You are encouraged to review ACAR’s electronic newsletters and publications, as these sources provide up-to-date information on topics of interest.
4. As an ACAR leader, you are charged with establishing and supporting ACAR public and governing policies in furtherance of ACAR’s mission. Therefore, you agree to communicate consistent with that charge and to avoid making any public statements – on social media or otherwise – that are contrary to achieving ACAR objectives or that may reflect badly upon ACAR’s reputation.

This ACAR Code of Conduct applies to all ACAR-related meetings or events, whether held in public or private facilities, including meetings or events sponsored by organizations other than ACAR and held in conjunction with ACAR meetings or events, and any ACAR member communications related to ACAR business or with ACAR staff.

Members will refrain from the harassment of ACAR members, ACAR employees, Officers or Directors. Harassment means any verbal or physical conduct or electronic communications involving threatening or obscene language, unwelcome sexual advances, stalking, actions including strikes, shoves, kicks, or other similar physical contact, or threats to do the same, or any other conduct with the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance by creating a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment. Harassment shall also include repetitive electronic contact with the intent to annoy an individual or to interrupt, or disable normal personal or business operations. Details of ACAR’s Harassment policy and reporting procedures are outlined in the ACAR Rules and Regulations.

Member Volunteer Leadership Code of Conduct

Volunteers at ACAR (including ex officio members of workgroups) shall at all times abide by and conform to the following code of conduct in their capacity as member volunteers:

1. Each volunteer member at ACAR will abide in all respects by the ACAR Member Volunteer Code of Conduct and all other rules and regulations of the Association (including but not limited to the Association’s Rules and Regulations, Bylaws and Anti-Trust policy) and will ensure that their membership (or the membership of the entity for which they serve as officer, director, employee, or owner, as the case may be) in the Association remains in good standing at all times. Furthermore, each member volunteer will always obey all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
2. Member volunteers at ACAR will conduct the business of the Association in good faith and with honesty, integrity, due diligence, and reasonable competence.
3. Except as the Board of Directors may otherwise require or as otherwise required by law, no member volunteer shall share, copy, reproduce, transmit, divulge, or otherwise disclose any confidential information related to the affairs of the Association and each member volunteer will uphold the strict confidentiality of all meetings and other deliberations and privileged communications of ACAR.
4. Member volunteers at ACAR will exercise proper authority and good judgment in their dealings with Association staff, suppliers, and the general public and will respond to the needs of the Association’s members in a responsible, respectful, and professional manner.
5. No member volunteer will use any information provided by the Association or acquired as a consequence of the volunteer member’s service to the Association in any manner other than in furtherance of his or her volunteer duties. Further, no member volunteer will misuse Association property or resources and will always keep the Association’s property secure and not allow any person not authorized by the Board of Directors to have or use such property.
6. Each member volunteer at ACAR will perform his or her assigned duties in a professional and timely manner.
7. Upon termination of service, a “retiring” member volunteer acknowledges continuing obligations of confidentiality concerning information acquired as a consequence of his or her volunteer service at ACAR.
8. No member volunteer at ACAR shall persuade or attempt to persuade any employee of the Association to leave the employ of the Association or to become employed by any person or entity other than the Association. Furthermore, no member of the Board of Directors shall persuade or attempt to persuade any member, exhibitor, advertiser, sponsor, subscriber, supplier, contractor, or any other person or entity with an actual or potential relationship to or with the Association to terminate, curtail or not enter into its relationship to or with the Association, or to in any way reduce the monetary or other benefits to the Association of such relationship.
9. Member volunteers at ACAR must act at all times in the Association's best interests and not for personal or third-party gain or financial enrichment. When encountering potential conflicts of interest, member volunteers will identify the conflict and, as required, remove themselves from all discussion and voting on the matter. Specifically, member volunteers shall:
   • Avoid placing (and avoid the appearance of placing) one's self-interest or any third-party interest above that of the Association; while the receipt of incidental personal or third-party benefit may necessarily flow from certain Association activities, such benefit must be merely incidental to the primary benefit to the Association and its purposes;
   • Not abuse their service to ACAR by improperly using their position or the Association's staff, services, equipment, resources, or property for their personal or third-party gain or pleasure, and shall not represent to third parties that their authority as a member volunteer extends any further than that which it extends;
   • Not engage in or facilitate any discriminatory or harassing behavior directed toward Association staff, members, officers, directors, meeting attendees, exhibitors, advertisers, sponsors, suppliers, contractors, or others in the context of activities relating to the Association;
   • Not solicit or accept gifts, gratuities, free trips, honoraria, personal property, or any other item of value from any person or entity as a direct or indirect inducement to provide special treatment to such donor concerning matters about the Association without fully disclosing such items to the Board of Directors.

Committee Attendance Policy

Committee chairs, vice chairs, and members accept the responsibility for carrying out the goals of their committee when appointed, and meeting attendance is part of that responsibility. If a committee chair, vice chair or member will be absent from a meeting, a written notice should be submitted to the staff liaison before the meeting date (email suffices as a written notice). If a committee chair, vice chair or member is absent from two consecutive regularly scheduled committee meetings, he or she automatically forfeits the committee appointment subject to review by the Leadership Team.

Ownership Disclosure Policy

Members of any ACAR decision-making body must disclose the existence of any of the following: (1) an ownership interest in, (2) a financial interest in, or (3) service in a decision-making capacity for any entity prior to speaking to an ACAR decision-making body on any matter involving that entity.

After making the required disclosure, such member may participate in the discussion and vote on the matter unless that member has a conflict of interest as defined below.

Conflict of Interest Policy

A member of any ACAR decision-making body has a conflict of interest whenever that member:

1. is a principal, partner, or corporate officer of a business providing, or being considered as a provider of, products or services to NAR (“Business”); or
2. serves on the board of directors of the Business unless the individual’s only relationship to the Business is service as NAR’s representative on such board; or
3. holds an ownership interest* of more than one percent of the Business.

Members with a conflict of interest must immediately disclose such conflict of interest prior to participating in any discussions or vote of an NAR decision-making body that pertains to the Business. Such members may not participate in any discussions related to that Business other than to respond to questions asked of them by other members of the body. A member may not vote on any matter in which the member has a conflict of interest.

Chair and Vice Chair Qualifications and Performance Expectations

If you are accepting a Committee Chair or Vice Chair position, you agree to meet the following Qualifications and Performance Expectations during your term:

• Complete all committee leadership training.
• All Chairs and Vice Chairs are encouraged to complete the At Home with Diversity, Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing classes, and Fairhaven prior to the end of their term.
• Demonstrate leadership and communication skills as well as proficient use of technology and social media.
• Review all materials prior to each meeting and fully participate in each meeting from beginning to end.
• Forfeit the position when you miss two consecutive committee meetings unless ACAR, upon receipt of a written explanation for such absence satisfactory to it, waives this provision.
• Resign or be removed from the committee in the event of a violation of fiduciary obligation to ACAR or a violation of the ACAR conflict of interest or harassment policies.
• Work with the Committee Liaison and Staff Executive to establish measurable and quantifiable goals, advance the committee’s work, create synergies where appropriate, and ensure a smooth transition to the following term.
• Know how the committee purpose supports the ACAR Strategic Plan.
• Be well prepared to lead engaging committee meetings and create an environment that encourages meaningful discussion of the issues.
• Follow ACAR Rules and Regulations and know the ACAR annual budget process and funds available to the committee.
• Support ACAR leadership in identifying future committee leaders.

By clicking “AGREE” below, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to these terms. The committee policies are available to you on ACAR’s website for reference at any time. If you do not accept these policies, please contact mvalerino@akronclevelandrealtors.com regarding your committee appointment.