The defining privilege of membership in IWF is access to our international roster of pre-eminent women whose leadership is breaking ground in business, the arts, the professions, politics and philanthropy.

We do not share our membership list with any of the fundraisers or marketers who would dearly love to have it. We know you trust us to protect your privacy and shield you from the group e-mails and other unwelcome intrusions that crowd every other aspect of your life in the electronic age. We count on each of you to treat one another's privacy with the same discretion that you expect of IWF.

Why a non-solicitation policy?

Unlike networking groups dedicated to promotion, IWF owes its existence to a shared vision of women as mentors of future leaders and sources of support in one another's lives. We are the guilt-free community where women come together across careers, cultures and continents with no pressure to buy, do or advocate. This is why, from the beginning, we have strongly discouraged members from using our roster for any and all promotional purposes, from raising money for a cause to building the profile of a product or service.

We now realize that this policy has not been explained, displayed or enforced with the clarity, consistency and rigour that it deserves. Meanwhile, the Internet has created new ways for members to seek one another's support. The time has come for IWF Canada to take the following action steps:

• Reiterate and clarify the boundaries that protect every member from solicitation;
• Incorporate the resulting policy into all recruitment efforts;
• Display the policy on our website and in our newsletter;
• Enforce the policy at the chapter level by speaking with members who have not complied (most likely because they were unaware of it) and advising them that future breaches cannot be tolerated.

Bonding vs. blitzing

Friendships and communities of interest have always flourished within IWF, and these bonds are a point of pride throughout the organization. What we now aim to curb is not the flow of information between members who have built a rapport, but indiscriminate e-mailings to all and sundry.

A shared responsibility

Ensuring that the policy works will be a joint effort. It is up to each one of us to report infractions to the appropriate chapter chair.

The ground rules: non-solicitation policy for IWF Canada Forum

IWFC's membership list is restricted and confidential. Sharing members' coordinates with outside parties is not allowed lest unwelcome solicitations compromise the tone of the organization.

Also prohibited are all group e-mails regarding the promotion of business ventures, political issues, charities, causes and other non-IWFC activities. IWFC values and appreciates the diverse views of members, including their advocacy of particular causes. Therefore all cause-related e-mails are to be confined to members' IWFC friends rather than distributed throughout a chapter or forum.

Similarly, discretion is to be used when approaching another member to join your LinkedIn network or other online professional community. While such gestures seem both natural and useful to anyone who knows a particular member and her work, they may appear presumptuous to those who do not.

IWFC does not lend its name to any charitable initiative. To endorse one would be ignore others that are equally deserving. Faced with a choice between opening our channels to everyone and closing them to everyone, we have opted for the latter in the interests of fairness. Members forming a team to raise money for a favourite cause should refrain from calling themselves "the IWF team."

Non-Solicitation Policy, short form

A reminder concerning IWFC's membership list: The list is confidential and distribution to outside parties is prohibited. Similarly, IWF Canada does not allow the use of the list for group e-mails regarding the promotion of business ventures, non-IWF activity, personal charities, causes and political issues. While IWFC values the diverse views of the members, including their support for initiatives and causes, members should communicate their involvement through other means and channels.

Next Steps

The new policy will be displayed in two forms:

• full-length in the new members' kit and the "About IWF Canada Forum" section of the website;
• Short Form in each edition of local and national newsletters.