Board Conflict of Interest Policy

AIGA Directors (i.e., members of the AIGA Board of Directors) have special responsibilities for the stewardship of AIGA funds, property, and interests.

By acceptance of election to the AIGA board, each director acknowledges these responsibilities and agrees to regulate their personal conduct in a manner that assures AIGA, its members and their AIGA colleagues of loyalty to these responsibilities and uncompromised integrity in their discharge.

Each AIGA director has a continuing obligation to protect and conserve all AIGA money, property, and other resources, expending them in the best interests of AIGA strictly in accordance with policies adopted by the Board of Directors and authority and guidelines established by AIGA. Except by virtue of good reputation derived from service to AIGA, no AIGA director shall seek to use their relationship to AIGA for their personal benefit or professional advancement.

No AIGA director shall solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, anything of substantial monetary value (including any gift, gratuity, favor, loan, or other consideration) from any person, corporation, chapter, or other entity that has, or is seeking, a contractual, employment, financial or other beneficial relationship with AIGA, which relationship may be substantially affected by that director’s performance of their duties to AIGA.

AIGA shall not provide loans (or the equivalent, such as loan guarantees, purchasing or transferring ownership of a residence or office, or relieving a debt or lease obligation) to directors, officers, or trustees.

Each AIGA officer shall avoid any conduct that might result in the loss of public confidence in the responsible performance of AIGA functions, the impairment of AIGA efficiency or economy, or might reasonably give the appearance of:

• The extension of preferential treatment to any person, group, organization, or other entity
• The compromise or loss of complete impartiality of judgment and action
• The making or implementation of an AIGA decision outside of standard AIGA policies and guidelines

No AIGA director shall make use of, or permit others to make use of, any information obtained as a result of their relationship with AIGA, which information is not generally available to the public, whether for direct personal gain or for advice to others with whom they have family, business, financial or professional ties.

AIGA is effective only as long as it maintains the design community’s trust. All directors are required to perform in a manner that is consistent with these principles. Failure to do so may, in the interest of AIGA, be grounds for a request for resignation from the board.