It
is hoped that a useful set of guidelines which reunion committees may
adopt can be formulated. If you have additional concepts you would like
to be considered for inclusion in this Reunion Committee Code
of Ethics, or if you think something in it needs modification, please
e-mail editor@EastHigh.org.
Offered for adoption, compliance, and public declaration of acceptance by Reunion Committees or other reunion organizational entities.
1. The Reunion Committee shall endeavor to locate all classmates and to invite every located member of the Class to all reunion activities and encourage them to attend. Invitations and encouragements from the Committee and/or its members should be issued to all located classmates equally, though subsequent invitations and encouragements after the initial ones need not be issued to invitees who commit to attend the Reunion prior to the issuance of any such subsequent invitations and encouragements.
2. The Reunion Committee, if it collects fees or donations of money for the reunion, shall make a strict accounting of all funds received and spent, such accounting to be made available to all Committee members on a regular basis, monthly or at each Committee meeting during the reunion planning process. A final accounting shall be made available within 30 days of the end of each reunion to each Committee member. The Committee shall serve notice to all members of the Class with whom it is in contact that such accountings will be made available for inspection and all such accountings shall then be made available to any Class member who requests it. The accountings may be published publicly, if desired. Any such accounting made available outside the Reunion Committee can exclude the individual names of those paying fees or making donations if the Committee deems it appropriate to exclude those names. The name of any individual, company, or other entity to which the Committee makes a payment from reunion funds shall not be excluded from such accounting reports.
3. The Reunion Committee will take care to preserve all funds received for reunions so that they are available and are only used for purposes approved by the Reunion Committee to advance the cause of the Reunion. Any funds remaining after a reunion shall either be returned to those who donated funds or paid fees in proportion to their fees and/or donations; or the funds shall be preserved for use at the next reunion of the Class. It is strongly recommended that all funds be deposited in an established United States banking institution both during the fee/donation collection season, the reunion, and between reunions, and that all payments be made by check drawn on that banking institution.
4. All voting members of a Reunion Committee shall be members of the Class, with each member of the Committee having one vote on each matter being decided. Decisions of the Reunion Committee shall be by vote of all Committee members in attendance. A Committee may adopt, by majority vote, rules for adoption of other matters before the Committee (i.e., do all issues decided require only a simple majority vote or do some require a larger majority; is a quorum required for binding votes and if so what is defined as a quorum). All expenditures must be approved in advance by the Committee.
5. The members of the Reunion Committee shall act as trustees, entrusted to organize the reunion in a manner consistent with the welfare of the Class and its members and to act conservatively in financial matters. The Committee shall make decisions which benefit the Class as a whole in regards to the organization and conduct of the reunion and shall endeavor to do so at the lowest cost necessary to meet the criteria it establishes for the reunion.
The Committee should bear in mind it is likely that not every member of a graduating class may have the economic wherewithal of some in the Class and all reunion activities should be designed to provide access to all classmates who wish to attend to the extent possible while maintaining the criteria for the Reunion established by the Committee. The Committee is encouraged to adopt the philosophy that reunions are not primarily about the place, the food, the entertainment, or the the party, but about the people who constitute the Class.
6. The Reunion Committee shall make its best effort to balance expected revenues from fees and/or donations and expenditures, and the fees/donation amounts requested be appropriate to expenditure forecasts. A Reunion Committee may provide a budget (a financial plan developed in advance) for received funds to exceed the estimated cost of the forthcoming reunion by no greater than 10% for which fees/donations are anticipated/accepted if such overage is preserved and applied to the next reunion of that Class or returned to the individuals paying the fees or making the donations in proportion to their monetary contribution. There is no penalty or action to be taken if the proceeds exceed the 10% above budget figure, however that the proceeds did exceed the 10% limit shall be specifically noted in the accountings made available to Committee and Class members. The excess funds shall be handled as otherwise described in this Code.
7. The Committee shall not spend any fees/donations received for its own benefit or the personal benefit of its members; no such fees/donations shall be utilized for Committee meeting locations, food or refreshments for Committee members or anyone else except as provided for all Class members at the Class Reunion itself.
8. The Reunion Committee may vote to invite guests of the Class to attend the reunion without requiring such guests to pay a fee or donation, i.e., inviting members of the faculty who served during the tenure of the Class at the school.
9. All Class members attending a reunion by paying a fee or making a donation accepted by the Reunion Committee shall be afforded equal benefits of the Reunion. The Reunion Committee may, however, designate certain memorabilia items, whether authentic or reproduced, as separately purchasable items that are not included in the attendance fee/donation. The Reunion Committee may also divide events of the Reunion and likewise divide the donation or fees so that separate donations or fees provide for the attendance at individual events of the reunion. Such division of events and donations or fees shall be done only for the purpose of allowing individuals to reduce their cost of attending the reunion by participating only in selected events. In all such cases where the events are divided, all Class members with which the Reunion Committee is in contact shall be invited and equally afforded the opportunity to attend.
10. No Reunion Committee member may vote on any matter before the Committee from which he/she, her/his business, or their family benefits monetarily. Any such Committee member with this conflict shall make it known to the Committee prior to any vote on such matter and recuse himself/herself from the vote.
Should a Reunion Committee commit to adhering to the principles in this code of ethics and wish to publicize that fact, it may use the following image to do so:
Offered for adoption, compliance, and public declaration of acceptance by Reunion Committees or other reunion organizational entities.
1. The Reunion Committee shall endeavor to locate all classmates and to invite every located member of the Class to all reunion activities and encourage them to attend. Invitations and encouragements from the Committee and/or its members should be issued to all located classmates equally, though subsequent invitations and encouragements after the initial ones need not be issued to invitees who commit to attend the Reunion prior to the issuance of any such subsequent invitations and encouragements.
2. The Reunion Committee, if it collects fees or donations of money for the reunion, shall make a strict accounting of all funds received and spent, such accounting to be made available to all Committee members on a regular basis, monthly or at each Committee meeting during the reunion planning process. A final accounting shall be made available within 30 days of the end of each reunion to each Committee member. The Committee shall serve notice to all members of the Class with whom it is in contact that such accountings will be made available for inspection and all such accountings shall then be made available to any Class member who requests it. The accountings may be published publicly, if desired. Any such accounting made available outside the Reunion Committee can exclude the individual names of those paying fees or making donations if the Committee deems it appropriate to exclude those names. The name of any individual, company, or other entity to which the Committee makes a payment from reunion funds shall not be excluded from such accounting reports.
3. The Reunion Committee will take care to preserve all funds received for reunions so that they are available and are only used for purposes approved by the Reunion Committee to advance the cause of the Reunion. Any funds remaining after a reunion shall either be returned to those who donated funds or paid fees in proportion to their fees and/or donations; or the funds shall be preserved for use at the next reunion of the Class. It is strongly recommended that all funds be deposited in an established United States banking institution both during the fee/donation collection season, the reunion, and between reunions, and that all payments be made by check drawn on that banking institution.
4. All voting members of a Reunion Committee shall be members of the Class, with each member of the Committee having one vote on each matter being decided. Decisions of the Reunion Committee shall be by vote of all Committee members in attendance. A Committee may adopt, by majority vote, rules for adoption of other matters before the Committee (i.e., do all issues decided require only a simple majority vote or do some require a larger majority; is a quorum required for binding votes and if so what is defined as a quorum). All expenditures must be approved in advance by the Committee.
5. The members of the Reunion Committee shall act as trustees, entrusted to organize the reunion in a manner consistent with the welfare of the Class and its members and to act conservatively in financial matters. The Committee shall make decisions which benefit the Class as a whole in regards to the organization and conduct of the reunion and shall endeavor to do so at the lowest cost necessary to meet the criteria it establishes for the reunion.
The Committee should bear in mind it is likely that not every member of a graduating class may have the economic wherewithal of some in the Class and all reunion activities should be designed to provide access to all classmates who wish to attend to the extent possible while maintaining the criteria for the Reunion established by the Committee. The Committee is encouraged to adopt the philosophy that reunions are not primarily about the place, the food, the entertainment, or the the party, but about the people who constitute the Class.
6. The Reunion Committee shall make its best effort to balance expected revenues from fees and/or donations and expenditures, and the fees/donation amounts requested be appropriate to expenditure forecasts. A Reunion Committee may provide a budget (a financial plan developed in advance) for received funds to exceed the estimated cost of the forthcoming reunion by no greater than 10% for which fees/donations are anticipated/accepted if such overage is preserved and applied to the next reunion of that Class or returned to the individuals paying the fees or making the donations in proportion to their monetary contribution. There is no penalty or action to be taken if the proceeds exceed the 10% above budget figure, however that the proceeds did exceed the 10% limit shall be specifically noted in the accountings made available to Committee and Class members. The excess funds shall be handled as otherwise described in this Code.
7. The Committee shall not spend any fees/donations received for its own benefit or the personal benefit of its members; no such fees/donations shall be utilized for Committee meeting locations, food or refreshments for Committee members or anyone else except as provided for all Class members at the Class Reunion itself.
8. The Reunion Committee may vote to invite guests of the Class to attend the reunion without requiring such guests to pay a fee or donation, i.e., inviting members of the faculty who served during the tenure of the Class at the school.
9. All Class members attending a reunion by paying a fee or making a donation accepted by the Reunion Committee shall be afforded equal benefits of the Reunion. The Reunion Committee may, however, designate certain memorabilia items, whether authentic or reproduced, as separately purchasable items that are not included in the attendance fee/donation. The Reunion Committee may also divide events of the Reunion and likewise divide the donation or fees so that separate donations or fees provide for the attendance at individual events of the reunion. Such division of events and donations or fees shall be done only for the purpose of allowing individuals to reduce their cost of attending the reunion by participating only in selected events. In all such cases where the events are divided, all Class members with which the Reunion Committee is in contact shall be invited and equally afforded the opportunity to attend.
10. No Reunion Committee member may vote on any matter before the Committee from which he/she, her/his business, or their family benefits monetarily. Any such Committee member with this conflict shall make it known to the Committee prior to any vote on such matter and recuse himself/herself from the vote.
Revised 5/16/2009
Should a Reunion Committee commit to adhering to the principles in this code of ethics and wish to publicize that fact, it may use the following image to do so:
Return to The East High
Alumni Home Page