Click Here for NJCA Social Media Policy – June 2018.
SOCIAL MEDIA and COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
FOR NJCA VOLUNTEERS and STAFF
The New Jersey Counseling Association uses social media in its work and recognizes that
those who are involved in its work may also use social media either as part of their role or
in their private lives. A written policy is therefore required for all staff, volunteers and
stakeholders on the acceptable use of social networking at work.
The New Jersey Counseling Association encourages the responsible use of social media.
The purpose of this policy is to set out what NJCA expects from our volunteers and staff
when using social media. It is important to remember that we are all ambassadors for the
NJCA and that social media is never private.
This policy is for volunteers and staff and aims to:
• give clear guidelines on what volunteers and staff can say about the organization;
• comply with relevant legislation and protect volunteers;
• help volunteer officers and committee chairs manage performance effectively;
• help volunteers draw a line between their private lives and their volunteering;
• protect The New Jersey Counseling Association against liability for the actions of
volunteers;
• be clear about sensitive issues such as monitoring and explain how problems with
1. Policy statement
1.1 The New Jersey Counseling Association recognizes that the internet
provides unique opportunities to participate in interactive discussions and
share information on particular topics relevant to our work using a wide
variety of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and wikis etc.1
.
This policy aims to protect individuals volunteering with us in any role
and to encourage you to take responsibility for what you write, exercise
good judgment and common sense. (See 2.1)
1.2 Inappropriate use of social media can pose risks to our confidential and
proprietary information and reputation and can jeopardize our compliance
with legal obligations. To minimize these risks, to avoid loss of work time
and to ensure that our IT resources and communications systems are used
only for appropriate business purposes, we expect volunteers to adhere to this
policy.
2. Who is covered by the Policy?
2.1 This policy covers volunteers, paid staff, consultants, and contractors.
Volunteers are defined as NJCA members who volunteer a service or skill on
behalf of the NJCA, its Divisions, Interest Groups and Committees to assist
the association. These volunteers may serve as officers, committee chairs,
committee members, ad hoc committee members, members of the conference
committee and any other NJCA member who undertakes volunteer work on
behalf of and in the interest of the NJCA.
3. Scope and purpose of the Policy
3.1 This policy deals with the use of all forms of social media, including
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and all other social networking sites, and all
other internet postings, including blogs.
3.2 It applies to the use of social media both for volunteering and personal
purposes, whether while volunteering or otherwise. The policy applies
regardless of whether the social media is accessed using our IT facilities and
equipment or equipment belonging to volunteers or staff members.
3.3 If a volunteer/staff member is found to be in breach of this policy the
Executive Committee will address this using the Procedures for Problem
Solving in Volunteering.
3.4 Volunteers/staff may be required to remove internet postings which are
deemed to constitute a breach of this policy.
3.5 This policy links to all other policies therefore social media should never
be used in a way that breaches any of our other policies such as equal
opportunities, data protection etc.
4. Personnel responsible for implementing the Policy
4.1 All volunteer supervisors have a specific responsibility for operating
within the boundaries of this policy, ensuring that all volunteers/staff
understand the standards of behavior expected of them and taking action
when behavior falls below this.
4.2 All volunteers/staff are responsible for the success of this policy and
should ensure that they take the time to read and understand it. Any misuse of
social media or questions regarding the content or application of this policy
should be reported to the Executive Committee and the Executive Director.
4.3 Any content which raises a safeguarding concern must be reported to the
President, Past President and Executive Director.
5. Guidelines for responsible use of social media
The following sections of the policy provide volunteers/staff with common-sense
guidelines and recommendations for using social media responsibly and safely.
5.1 We want you to help protect our business reputation. Volunteers must not
post disparaging or defamatory statements about:
a The New Jersey Counseling Association
b New Jersey Counseling Association staff, our clients, volunteers or
members past or present;
c suppliers and vendors; and d other affiliates and stakeholders.
Volunteers should also avoid social communications that might be
misconstrued in a way that could damage our business reputation, even
indirectly.
5.2 Volunteers are personally responsible for what they communicate in social
media (as part of their role or on personal sites). Remember that what you
publish might be
available to be read by the masses (including the NJCA), colleagues,
volunteers, future employers and social acquaintances for a long time. Keep
this in mind before you post content.
5.3 A publicity consent form must be obtained prior to posting images or text
which may be used on social media.
5.4 The New Jersey Counseling Association does not permit tagging of
vulnerable adults or anyone under the age of 18.
5.5 There is no obligation for volunteers to link their personal social media to any
NJCA social media.
5.6 Volunteers are not permitted to set up social media accounts for work
purposes without prior consultation with the NJCA Executive Committee and
the NJCA Executive Director.
5.7 If you choose to disclose your affiliation as a volunteer of the NJCA in social
media postings you must also state that your views do not represent the views
of NJCA. For example, you could state, “the views in this posting do not
represent the views of the NJCA”, or “these are my personal views, not the
views of any other organizations I am affiliated with”. You should also ensure
that your profile and any content you post are consistent with the image you
present to those you work with as part of your volunteering role.
5.8 You can only use The NJCA email address if your volunteering role involves
using social media on behalf of the organization.
5.9 You are responsible for the security settings of any social media sites you use
and should ensure they are set to the appropriate level if you wish to limit
who can see your information.
5.10 Remember that you must respect confidentiality at all times and protect
confidential information. You should be mindful of Data Protection issues, if
in doubt speak to the Executive Director or Membership Manager).
Confidential information includes things such as unpublished details about
our work, details of current projects, future projects, financial information or
information held on our supporters, staff or volunteers.
5.11 Avoid posting comments about sensitive NJCA related topics, such as our
performance.
5.12 If you see content in social media that disparages or reflects poorly on NJCA
or our stakeholders, you should report it to the Executive Committee and
NJCA Executive Director. All volunteers/staff are responsible for protecting
our reputation.
5.13 The contact details of business contacts made during the course of your
volunteering are regarded as our confidential information, and as such you
will be required to delete all such details from your personal social
networking accounts, should you finish volunteering with The New Jersey
Counseling Association.
5.14 Contact details of volunteers are subject to data protection. Staff are not
permitted to access or store information on volunteers that would breach data
protection.
6. Personal use of social media in the office environment
If using social media while volunteering, circulating chain letters or other spam is
never permitted. Circulating or posting commercial, personal, religious or political
solicitations, or promotion of outside organizations unrelated to the New Jersey
Counseling Association work is also prohibited.
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
• External Communications
All communication materials (email, mail, social media, website) must be
reviewed and approved by (at minimum) the NJCA President and Executive
Director. Additional approvals for financial/program/conference obligations
must be reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee (NJCA Officers).
The entire NJCA Executive Council ratifies actions taken by the Executive
Committee.
• Internal Communications
In order to facilitate inclusive and organizationally and fiscally responsible
communications within NJCA, all written and emailed communications within
NJCA between the Executive Committee, Executive Council members and
Executive Director will always include the NJCA President, NJCA Executive
Director (NJCA email address) as copied entities.
The NJCA President and the NJCA Executive Director are charged with the
overall responsibility for the policy direction, implementation and operations of
NJCA, all correspondence (written, email, text) by NJCA Council members
relating to NJCA business and communications must be directed and/or copied
to the NJCA President and NJCA Executive Director.
These communications policies serve to enhance the fiduciary and operational
effectiveness of the NJCA in serving our membership and following our
mission.
Disclaimer
Reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure information in this publication is
accurate. However, it is not intended to be legally comprehensive; it is designed to
provide guidance in good faith, without accepting liability. If relevant, we therefore recommend you take appropriate professional advice before taking any action on the matters covered herein. NJCA 501C6
Revised: 6/2018