Affiliate Member Responsibilities and Standards of Conduct

Affiliate Membership is provided for the purpose of supporting professional engagement, education, collaboration, and the exchange of information within the association community. Affiliate Membership does not confer any right to market, advertise, promote, solicit business, generate leads, or conduct commercial activities through BAE except as expressly authorized by BAE National in writing.
 

Affiliate Membership is a privilege and not a right. BAE National reserves the sole and absolute discretion to determine Affiliate Membership eligibility, renewal, participation, standing, and compliance with its policies, standards, mission, values, and best interests.
 

Affiliate Membership does not confer any ownership interest, vested right, property right, entitlement, agency relationship, partnership, joint venture, employment relationship, fiduciary relationship, or continued membership status.
 

Affiliate Member Responsibilities

As a condition of membership, Affiliate Members shall:
 

• Conduct themselves in a professional, ethical, respectful, and lawful manner in all interactions with BAE, its members, staff, volunteers, partners, sponsors, vendors, and stakeholders.

• Comply with all applicable BAE policies, procedures, codes of conduct, membership requirements, and standards, as may be adopted or amended from time to time.

• Not engage in any unauthorized solicitation, marketing, advertising, promotional activity, lead generation, fundraising, commercial outreach, mass communication, or other conduct that BAE National determines, in its sole discretion, to be inconsistent with the intended purpose of membership or detrimental to the interests of BAE or its members.

• Respect the privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, and proprietary information of BAE and its members and shall not collect, use, distribute, sell, disclose, share, transmit, or otherwise exploit member information for unauthorized purposes.

• Use BAE membership, events, directories, discussion forums, networking opportunities, communication platforms, and other resources solely in a manner consistent with BAE's mission, values, policies, and the best interests of the organization and its membership.

• Obtain BAE National's prior written consent before using, displaying, reproducing, referencing, publishing, distributing, or otherwise incorporating the BAE name, logo, trademarks, brand assets, membership status, or affiliation with BAE in any marketing, advertising, promotional, commercial, public relations, digital, virtual, social media, or other public-facing communication.

• Not represent, state, suggest, or imply that BAE endorses, sponsors, recommends, certifies, accredits, approves, supports, or is affiliated with any organization, product, service, activity, event, opinion, or business practice unless expressly authorized in writing by BAE National.
   

Violations, Enforcement, and Appeals

Any violation of these Affiliate Membership Terms, BAE policies, codes of conduct, membership standards, or other requirements established by BAE may result in disciplinary action, including but not limited to a written warning, restriction of membership privileges, removal from BAE events, programs, committees, volunteer opportunities, directories, discussion forums, communications platforms, suspension of membership, denial of membership renewal, or termination of membership.
 

BAE reserves the sole and absolute right, in its discretion, to investigate complaints, review Affiliate Member conduct, and determine whether any act, omission, communication, activity, or pattern of conduct violates BAE policies, standards, mission, values, governing documents, or the best interests of the organization.
 

BAE may take any corrective, disciplinary, or protective action it deems appropriate, including but not limited to warnings, restrictions, suspension, non-renewal, or termination of Affiliate Membership.

Grounds for disciplinary action include, but are not limited to:
 

• Violation of these Affiliate Membership Terms or any BAE policy.

• Misuse of member, attendee, organizational, confidential, proprietary, or personal information.

• Unauthorized solicitation, marketing, advertising, fundraising, lead generation, commercial activity, or use of BAE resources for personal, professional, organizational, political, or financial gain.

• Misrepresentation of affiliation with, endorsement by, authorization from, sponsorship by, or representation of BAE.

• Unauthorized use of BAE's name, logo, trademarks, brand assets, membership directories, communications platforms, events, programs, intellectual property, or other resources.

• Conduct that exposes BAE, its members, staff, volunteers, directors, officers, programs, operations, finances, intellectual property, cybersecurity systems, or reputation to legal, financial, operational, cybersecurity, or reputational risk.

• Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or BAE policies.

• Any conduct that BAE determines, in its sole discretion, to be inconsistent with its mission, values, standards, policies, governing documents, or best interests.
   

The examples of prohibited conduct and disciplinary actions set forth herein are illustrative and not exhaustive. BAE reserves the right to address any conduct it determines, in its sole discretion, to be inconsistent with its mission, values, governing documents, policies, standards, or best interests.
 

Appeals Process

An Affiliate Member whose membership has been suspended, restricted, denied renewal, or terminated may submit a written appeal to BAE within fifteen (15) calendar days of receiving notice of the action. The appeal must state the basis for the appeal and include any supporting documentation the Affiliate Member wishes BAE to consider.
 

Upon receipt of a timely appeal, BAE will conduct an internal review through a process determined by BAE in its sole discretion. BAE may uphold, modify, or reverse the action taken.
 

The filing of an appeal shall not stay, suspend, postpone, or otherwise delay the effectiveness of any disciplinary action unless expressly authorized by BAE.
 

The appeal process is an internal administrative review and does not create any contractual, property, constitutional, due process, or other legal rights beyond those expressly provided herein.
 

Except as otherwise required by applicable law, BAE's decisions regarding policy violations, disciplinary actions, Affiliate Membership eligibility, renewal, suspension, restriction, non-renewal, or termination shall be made in BAE's sole discretion and shall be final and binding.
 

Additional Provisions

Affiliate Members agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BAE, its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, agents, contractors, and representatives from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising from the Affiliate Member's conduct, actions, omissions, misuse of membership, violation of BAE policies, or violation of applicable law.
 

In the event of any conflict between these Affiliate Membership Terms and BAE's Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, or other governing documents, the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws shall control.
 

Nothing in these Affiliate Membership Terms shall be construed to limit any authority granted to BAE under its Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, policies, or applicable law.