Manual of Procedure

Appendix C: Conflict of Interest Policy

All Baltimore Yearly Meeting members, or attenders of BYM monthly meetings (“Friends”) are expected to avoid actual or potential conflicts of interest in dealings with BYM. Further, all Friends are expected to act in the best interest of Baltimore Yearly Meeting when fulfilling their duties as staff members or as volunteers.

An actual or potential conflict of interest occurs when a Friend is in a position to influence a decision that may result in a personal gain for that Friend, an entity associated with that Friend, or for a relative as a result of BYM’s business dealings. For the purposes of this policy, a relative is any person who is related by blood, adoption, marriage or committed partnership, or whose relationship with the employee is similar to that of persons who are related by blood, adoption, marriage or committed partnership.

Any Friend who has any influence on transactions involving purchases, contracts, or leases that might result in personal gain for the Friend, associated entity, or a relative must disclose, as soon as possible, to the General Secretary or the Clerk of Trustees the existence of any actual or potential conflict of interest so that safeguards can be established to protect all parties.

Any Friend serving on a BYM Committee that contracts for goods or services on behalf of BYM must not take part in any committee decision involving a contract with a business in which the Friend or a relative of the Friend holds any significant beneficial interest. The nature and extent of such a beneficial interest must be disclosed to the members of the committee making the decision.

Personal gain may result not only in cases in which a Friend, associated entity, or relative has a significant ownership in a firm with which BYM does business, but also when a Friend, associated business, or relative receives any kickback, bribe, substantial gift, or special consideration as a result of any transaction or business dealings involving BYM.

The intent of this policy is to uphold the high standards of transparency and integrity that BYM always has expected of Friends. Nevertheless, the policy should be interpreted with a standard of reasonableness. Thus, failure to disclose conflicts involving very small amounts of money or failure to make formal disclosure of relationships that are well know to all parties involved will not be deemed to be violations of this policy.