Ethics for Volunteers
Ethical standards for Otter Tail County Historical Society volunteers are consistent with standards of conduct for Otter Tail County Historical Society employees and reflect those standards unanimously endorsed by the American Association of Museums for member institutions.
The Otter Tail County Historical Society acknowledges the valuable contribution it receives through the, interest, time, and experience given by volunteers. Because of the nature and extent of involvement of volunteers in Otter Tail County Historical Society programs and activities, standards of conduct are set forth for the protection of volunteers and of the institution.
Volunteer service shall be undertaken for the betterment of the Otter Tail County Historical Society and not for personal gain, other than the inherent reward and personal satisfaction derived for such participation. An Otter Tail County Historical Society volunteer may not accept compensation for performance of tasks as a volunteer. Personal compensation includes gifts, fees, gratuities, or other dispensations to the volunteer or to members of the volunteer’s immediate family or household.
Volunteers who have access to museum collections, research, staff activities, and privileged information must respect the confidentiality of their positions, as well as the significance and integrity of the collections.
To eliminate the possibility of a conflict of interest, each volunteer who is working in an activity area that is related to an outside activity in which the volunteers or a member of his or her family or household is personally involved, or who is active in a related employment or other commercial context, must disclose the nature and extent of such involvement to his/her staff supervisor and whether it is carried out personally or by the volunteer’s immediate family or household. Failure to make a timely disclosure is grounds for dismissal of a volunteer.
Examples of possible conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest that require disclosure include:
a. A volunteer working directly with Otter Tail County Historical Society collections if either the volunteer or member of the immediate family or household is involved with collecting or dealing in those same types of objects or materials.
b. A volunteer holding a paid position or accepting pay for work which is similar or related to the volunteer’s duties at the Otter Tail County Historical Society.
c. A volunteer who gives work done for the Otter Tail County Historical Society, whether paid or not, to another institution, organization, or website.
In many situations it will be sufficient for the volunteer to disclose the outside activity that might be a conflict of interest. In certain cases, the volunteer may be asked to serve in other Otter Tail County Historical Society activities where there is not an actual or apparent conflict of interest. In an extreme case, the volunteer may be asked to terminate service so that his or her other activities might be pursued without any conflict of interest.
Otter Tail County Historical Society staff supervisors must make a written record of disclosures by volunteers assigned to them and if there might appear to be a conflict of interest, consult with the Executive Director or the Board of Directors.
These standards represent basic principles for ethical conduct by Otter Tail County Historical Society volunteers.