Code of Ethics

The following is CBI’s Code of Ethics and Conduct:

1. Client Interests
To best serve CBI clients, CBI mentors shall:
a. Always conduct their counseling and other CBI activities in a manner that unequivocally places the interests of their clients first.
b. Ensure that all available resources are offered to clients, including assistance by other counselors or by outside organizations where appropriate.
c. Initiate follow-up contacts to ensure the potential success of their clients.
d. Continue counseling a client as long as the counseling is of value to the client. If a volunteer is unable to continue counseling for personal reasons, the client will be reassigned to another volunteer.
e. At all times protect the confidentiality of business information provided by the clients.
f. Not accept or participate in CBI activities that create a conflict of interest between the volunteers or their families’ outside business or financial activities or interests.

2. Compensation
As unpaid volunteers, CBI volunteers shall:
a. Neither charge nor accept fees, honoraria or things of value as payment for individual mentoring services or for their participation in training activities on behalf of CBI.
b. Not accept payment from a client for travel or other expenses incident to counseling or training or any other activity.
c. A CBI volunteer assigned to counsel a client may not become a paid consultant for or accept other employment from a client being counseled. In the event that a volunteer does accept employment from his/her client, he or she must immediately resign from the CBI volunteer staff by notifying the Director of the CBI in writing.

3. Third Parties
The following guidelines apply to interactions between CBI volunteers and third parties:
a. CBI volunteers shall not accept fees, commissions, kickbacks or things of value from third parties as a result of recommending any services, equipment or supplies, nor shall they recommend the purchase of goods or services in which they have a direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise.
b. When volunteers perform CBI services for another organization or agency, that organization or agency may reimburse the CBI for the expenses of the volunteers by providing an honorarium to CBI, which can then reimburse the volunteers for their expenses as may be applicable.
c. CBI volunteers shall neither charge nor accept fees or things of value for assistance in the preparation of loan applications nor directly accept so-called finder’s fees for the location of lending sources.
d. CBI volunteers, when advising clients about obtaining professional or other services or goods, shall identify, whenever feasible, several sources from which the client may select.

4. Personal Interests
To safeguard the integrity of the CBI mission, it is vital to avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest. To that end, CBI volunteers or their families shall not:

a. Seek, in any way, business from CBI clients except that a CBI volunteer who is actively employed or in private practice may, when giving a workshop or seminar, leave business cards or their equivalent in a place where attendees have access to them. In the event an attendee wishes to engage the speaker for assistance or advice, the speaker must advise this prospective client in writing that this is not a CBI relationship and that CBI is in no way involved. The attendee must also state in writing that they have not been counseled as a CBI client by the speaker, that this is not a CBI relationship and that CBI is in no way involved.
b. Directly or indirectly become officers, directors or shareholders, or provide funding (by way of investing, loans or otherwise) for a for-profit business organization that is seeking counseling assistance from CBI or has received it within the past three years.
c. Refer CBI Volunteers to Clients. Where a CBI client requests that CBI refer the client to an adviser who is privately employed or in private practice and a CBI volunteer is also a person privately employed or in private practice, the CBI may include such counselor on a list of no fewer than three persons where none of the others on the list are CBI counselors. The chapter or other CBI volunteers may not recommend anyone on the list other than to indicate that all are deemed to be highly qualified. Nor may it be noted in any way that a CBI counselor’s name is on the list. If a CBI counselor is selected from the list provided, that selected counselor must provide notice, in writing, to the client that the services are provided independently of CBI and CBI is no longer involved. A copy of this notification must be given to the Director of the CBI. The CBI volunteer named on the list may not be someone who has previously counseled the client requesting the referral.

5. Personal Conduct
As long as they are part of the CBI, volunteers shall:

a. Participate in CBI activities, such as workshops, and periodically attend administrative meetings for the volunteers.
b. Not discriminate in any of their CBI-related activities against any person because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, handicap or sexual preference.
c. Not make public statements that appear to associate CBI with personal opinions of the volunteers or which are critical of CBI or any of its sponsors.
d. Not make statements that appear to identify CBI with a political party or a candidate for federal, state or local office.
e. At all times during the performance of their services, conduct themselves in such a manner as not to discredit themselves or the CBI.
f. Not engage in any form of sexual harassment or sexual discrimination. Sexual harassment includes the making of deliberate or repeated unsolicited verbal comments, gestures or physical contact of a sexual nature in circumstances where such conduct reasonably is or would be unwelcome to the offended person or persons. Further, when such unwelcome conduct reasonably interferes with or creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile counseling or other work environment, it is considered sexual harassment.

6. Unwarranted Commitments
CBI volunteers should refrain from the following commitments:
a. Guaranteeing a client that the CBI can arrange any type of business financing.
b. Ensure the client of business success with their idea or product.
c. Encourage a client to invest their personal funds, mortgage their assets or take out a business loan.
d. Offer legal or tax advice.

THE CBI VOLUNTEER SERVICE AGREEMENT
CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY and CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

The Cumberland Business incubator (CBI) provides management counseling services, technical assistance, and management training to small business owners and entrepreneurs in Cumberland County, Tennessee. With the exception of certain CBI training/educational programs, the services provided by the CBI will be furnished at no cost to the CBI program participants (clients). A client is one who is applying to the CBI for business assistance and has agreed in a "request for service contract" to participate in program services offered by CBI.
In the performance of their duties, employees and sub-contractors of the CBI will have access to or knowledge of financial, statistical, personnel, technical, or other similar information relating to a CBI's client's business operation or personal affairs. CBI employees, volunteers, private or faculty consultants, or other individuals that provide counseling or other forms of assistance to a client on the behalf of the CBI must avoid all possible appearances of conflict of interest in which there is personal gain or benefit while representing the CBI; or in which there is the appearance that the individual representing the CBI is soliciting influence, favoritism, or leverage of any kind.
CBI VOLUNTEER AGREEMENT
As a condition of my VOLUNTEER SERVICE with the CBI, I agree that within my relationship with any CBI client I shall not:
1. Solicit or accept, or appear to solicit or accept any gift, loan, reward, equity in a business, compensation or other monetary compensation, promise of future employment, favor, or service in return for services performed by me during the term of my VOLUNTEER SERVICE with the CBI from any first or third parties, and
2. Recommend the purchase of goods and (or) services from a firm in which I have family, business, or other relationships, and
3. Violate the right to privacy of any CBI client by releasing information about the client's relationship with the CBI, or any information about the business or personal matters to anyone or any agency outside the CBI during and after my involvement with the CBI. A pre-approved contractual waiver of the right to privacy may be signed by the CBI client.
4. Use my position for a purpose that is, or gives the appearance of being, motivated by a desire for personal gain for myself or persons with whom I have family, business, or other personal relationships, and
5. Solicit or accept, or appear to solicit or accept private engagement of my services at any time during, or for one year after, the term of my engagement as a volunteer with the CBI. I understand that this particular requirement may be waived by the client(s) for whom I have provided assistance, in a written request(s) to the CBI State Director.
I have read and understand this policy statement and agree to abide by its provisions, with the understanding that these provisions are not intended to modify any policy of the CBI or Roane State as its host institution.