Digital Grail Code of Conduct

Terms

Convention Heads: The leaders of a Digital Grail convention. 

Department Heads: The specific people in charge of a department or have direct access to the email for that department.

Digital Grail Organization Mission

Digital Grail is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization, striving to provide a safe and inviting environment for all to be their authentic selves while experiencing exciting events to connect, enhance, and support our diverse community. We inspire each other through empathy, inclusion, and service.

Digital Grail Organization Values

To educate while providing an escape from reality while treating everyone with respect, dignity, and love.

Digital Grail Board Values

We strive for each convention to be self-sustainable and self-sufficient. The board of directors typically would be involved with matters that affect all conventions under us (such as bans across all conventions, policies that all conventions should share, etc). We let the staff members of each convention let us know what they need from the board, and let them run the conventions as they want.

General Code of Conduct

Digital Grail members, including staff members of any Digital Grail convention, are expected to follow this code of conduct.**

  • First and foremost remember that our conventions are run by fans for the fans, so be respectful to everybody. Keep the Digital Grail mission and values in mind.
  • When speaking to a non-staff member, be kind and respectful.
  • When referring to or talking to those not attending a convention, please use a respectful tone and language. For example, use terms like “other hotel guests”, or “non-attendees” instead of terms like “normies” or “muggles”.
  • Use your best judgment, and strive to be kind and inclusive with language.

** When dealing with a security/safety matter, the security/safety team’s SOPs take precedent over the above listed rules.

Convention Head Code of Conduct

  • Any non-private matter decisions and relevant information should be discussed in an appropriate place to keep staff members informed and engaged. Before you post to a private convention Head discord chat, ask yourself if what you’re about to say should be kept private.
    • Some examples
      • Budget approval discussions: make sense to be kept private
      • If you’re about to talk about a department for example; unless you’re going to discuss the performance of a staff member, the discussion should be done in that staff’s channel (or an appropriate channel)
      • This does not include random conversations that happen naturally. This specifically applies to decisions or relevant information discussions.

Board Member Code of Conduct

  • Board Members are required to attend quarterly meetings, or to notify the board if unable to attend.
    • If you accept an officer position, you are expected to fulfill those requirements; if you cannot then you are advised to step down from that position.
  • Board membership does not automatically convey special privilege or extra decision-making power for any Digital Grail convention.
    • Board member positions should never be wielded as a tool of power when not in Digital Grail meetings or discussing matters not pertaining to Digital Grail.This includes, but is not limited to: extra votes or ungranted decision making power.
    • Examples of someone trying to obtain special privileges: “As a board member” or “As POSITION of Digital Grail” when not speaking about Digital Grail level content.
      • OK usage: I happen to know that this topic is going to be discussed at the next Digital Grail meeting. You may not want to discuss that yet as a whole staff for <convention name>, however you can if you want to.
      • Not OK Usage: As a board member, <convention name> should wait on discussing that topic.
    • It is appropriate to offer to bring things up in a Digital Grail board meeting for others, or to offer advice on subjects you have knowledge in (i.e. departments that you know how to run, processes to take for various needs, etc).

Violations of Code of Conduct

Minor violations of the code of conduct should be managed using the best judgment of the department heads, convention leads, or board members overseeing the area or Digital Grail member(s) who violated the code of conduct. 

Major violations of the code of conduct shall be formally managed at the level directly above where the violation occurred according to the rules of the overseeing body. For instance, convention heads should handle code of conduct violations for their convention staff. The Digital Grail board may handle code of conduct violations for convention heads.

Should a violation occur at the level and context of the Digital Grail board, the board shall handle that violation in accordance with policies and processes defined in the board bylaws.


To restate this: The Digital Grail Board will generally get involved in running a specific convention only in scenarios where conventions request assistance, or if things get out of hand in running said convention.