Have you had this call before? Someone feels they have been wronged by one of your members—or worse, that the member allegedly committed a felony against that individual, who may or may not also be a member of yours. Now they expect you to either call out the member publicly or make it your responsibility to right the wrong.

While we must respect and uphold the law, associations and chambers are not enforcement agencies. However, we do have an obligation to our organization and its members to behave ethically in our dealings internally with staff, the board, and committees, as well as outward-facing with members in all that we do—using an equity lens as we do it. It goes without saying that associations and chambers must act ethically and fairly in their general dealings with the communities they serve.

If you have a member who allegedly does something illegal, an association or chamber's role may be to provide the affected party (whether they are a member or not) with resources for them to follow up on. It's often not just the police. It could be a licensing body or the state's attorney. But “may” is the operative word—if they aren’t a member of yours, do you owe them anything? Technically, no; but ethically and humanly, yes. Showing compassion is always appropriate.

We also must remember that our rule of law says innocent until proven guilty. Once found guilty, you would easily be within your rights to cancel the offender’s membership; but more than likely, they won’t renew. However, publicly calling out a crime someone may not have committed or has yet to be convicted of? It’s not only outside the role of a chamber or association, but it would also violate the ethics policies and confidentiality guidelines your organization should have in place. Leave that to licensing agencies, the state’s attorney, and local law enforcement.

What if the person alleged to commit the infraction or crime is your employee? Again, confidentiality is vital but so is maintaining an ethical culture in your organization. In that instance, it is your role to conduct a fair investigation—including and up to reporting or cooperating with law enforcement.

Lastly, many people believe that chambers of commerce and even some associations are somehow governmental organizations, so clarifying that (including how membership is voluntary) may help in your discussions with individuals who have a complaint. But most likely, they will still want you to solve their issue.