CODE OF CONDUCT

General Information and Guiding Principles

The Mentor Makers Codes of Conduct govern the behavior of a Mentor and a Mentee during their mentorship experience. These Codes of Conduct include the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors and the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees. All Participants (a Participant refers to a Mentor or a Mentee) in the Mentor Makers Program shall read the Mentor Makers Codes of Conduct in its entirety to understand the standard of behavior expected by Mentor Makers from all its Participants and to know which actions constitute violations that shall be reported to Mentor Makers by emailing mentormakers@thecenter.nasdaq.org.

Guiding Principle for the Mentor Makers Program

Mentor Makers is a movement to inspire successful business leaders from traditional and non-traditional backgrounds to offer their time and expertise as exceptional mentors. We vouch to help you with the inspiration and the tools you need to be game-changing mentors for entrepreneurs across all industries and geographies.

The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, an independent, non-profit organization committed to advancing entrepreneurial education worldwide, and MentorCloud, a purpose-driven technology company with a vision to positively impact 100 million people through the power of mentoring, have partnered to launch Mentor Makers — A movement providing business owners access to 1 million free mentor hours over the course of the next 12 months committed to sourcing 50,000 community mentors.

Guiding Principle for Mentors

The Mentor shall always strive to act in the best interests of the Mentee. In practice, any course of action will usually present specific advantages and specific disadvantages, and the optimum course of action will often not be clearly defined. Under no circumstances, however, shall the Mentor further other interests by intentionally advising the Mentee to follow a course of action that is clearly detrimental to the best interests of the Mentee; for example, the Mentor shall not place the interests of the Mentor, the Mentor’s employer, a professional society, a sponsor, or any other party above the interests of the Mentee. If the mentor has any direct conflicts of interest, these must be disclosed at the earliest opportunity.

Guiding Principle for Mentees

The Mentee is ultimately responsible for the Mentee’s own actions. The Mentor provides guidance for pursuing a specific course of action. This guidance will be based on the Mentor’s specific knowledge, specific experience, specific preferences, and specific biases. In practice, any course of action will usually present specific advantages and specific disadvantages, and the optimum course of action will often not be clearly defined. The responsibility for choosing a specific course of action belongs to the Mentee, not to the Mentor.

Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors

As a participating Mentor in the Mentor Makers Movement, I agree to abide by the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors. I agree that if I violate any rule of the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors, Mentor Makers may suspend or terminate my participation as a Mentor in the Mentor Makers Program.

Confidentiality

Except as provided below, I shall not disclose to any third party any personal details of my communications with my Mentee without prior permission of my Mentee. Exceptions: Code Violations. If my Mentee violates the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees, I shall report the code violations to Mentor Makers staff at mentormakers@thecenter.nasdaq.org.

Availability

Those participating in the Mentor Makers program are requested to be available for a minimum of 30 minutes during the program year. Any additional time provided is purely optional and for the benefit of each mentee.

Communications

In my communications with my Mentee (via any media), (1) I shall not use offensive language, and (2) I shall not transmit offensive images.
Offensive language includes, but is not limited to, (a) profanity or verbal abuse directed towards the Mentee, (b) sexually suggestive comments directed towards the Mentee, and (c) derogatory remarks directed towards any individual or group of individuals based on religion, race, color, ethnicity, country of origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or sexual identity. Offensive images include, but are not limited to, (a) images that are sexually suggestive, lewd, or pornographic and (b) images that include offensive language, as described above.

Topics for Discussion

If my Mentee expresses unwillingness, reluctance, or discomfort in discussing any topic that I have raised, I shall promptly cease pursuing that topic.
The specific personal issues and the degree of personal detail that are appropriate for discussion will depend strongly on the specific Mentor, the specific Mentee, and the specific circumstances. Therefore, Mentor Makers does not provide a comprehensive list of appropriate and inappropriate topics and does not provide guidance on the degree of personal detail to be shared: The Mentor and the Mentee should agree on the topics that they are comfortable discussing and on the degree of personal details that they are comfortable sharing. If the Mentee expresses unwillingness, reluctance, or discomfort in discussing a specific topic, the Mentor shall promptly cease pursuing that specific topic.

Personal Relationships

I shall not pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with my Mentee.

Meetings in Person

If my Mentee does not wish to meet in person, I shall not insist on a meeting.
If circumstances permit, in-person meetings between the Mentor and the Mentee can be beneficial for developing personal rapport, and the Mentee can often benefit from visiting the Mentor’s workplace. It is appropriate for the Mentor to invite the Mentee to meet in person; but, if the Mentee does not wish to meet in person, then the Mentor shall not insist on a meeting.

Prohibited Advice

I shall not provide medical, mental-health, or legal advice to my Mentee.
Medical, mental-health, or legal advice should be provided by a qualified professional. Even if the Mentor is coincidentally a qualified professional (for example, if the Mentor is a physician, psychologist, or attorney), the Mentor shall not provide medical, mental-health, or legal advice to the Mentee.
Within the Mentor Makers Program, the Mentor provides guidance for the academic and professional development of the Mentee. The Mentor should advise the Mentee to seek the assistance of another qualified professional.

Knowledgeable Advice

I shall provide advice only on topics in which I have knowledge.
Mentors shall refrain from providing advice on topics in which they have little or no knowledge. Incorrect advice can have detrimental consequences. Instead, the Mentor should seek the assistance of a colleague who does have related experience (before contacting a colleague for assistance, the Mentor should first receive permission from the Mentee). If the Mentor does not have an appropriate colleague, then the Mentor should inform the Mentee that the Mentee needs to seek advice from someone knowledgeable.

Fees

I shall not charge my Mentee any fees during the period of our mentorship.
The Mentor is a volunteer and shall not charge a fee for serving as a mentor. Even if the Mentor is employed such that the Mentor normally charges fees for services related to mentorship, the Mentor shall not charge the Mentee any fees during the period of mentorship.

Business Relationships

I shall not pursue a business relationship with my Mentee in which my Mentee derives no benefit from the business relationship.

Duty to Report Code Violations

If I observe any Participant behaving in a manner that violates the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors or the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees, I shall promptly report my observations to Mentor Makers staff at mentormakers@thecenter.nasdaq.org.

Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees

As a participating Mentee in the Mentor Makers Program, I agree to abide by the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees. I agree that if I violate of any rule of the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees, Mentor Makers may suspend or terminate my participation as a Mentee in the Mentor Makers Program.

Confidentiality

Except as provided below, I shall not disclose to any third party any personal details of my communications with my Mentor without prior permission of my Mentor.
Exception: Code Violations. If my Mentor violates the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors, I shall report the code violations to Mentor Makers staff at mentormakers@thecenter.nasdaq.org.

Communications

In my communications with my Mentor (via any media), (1) I shall not use offensive language, and (2) I shall not transmit offensive images.
Offensive language includes, but is not limited to, (a) profanity or verbal abuse directed towards the Mentor, (b) sexually suggestive comments directed towards the Mentor, and (c) derogatory remarks directed towards any individual or group of individuals based on religion, race, color, ethnicity, country of origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or sexual identity. Offensive images include, but are not limited to, (a) images that are sexually suggestive, lewd, or pornographic and (b) images that include offensive language, as described above.

Topics for Discussion

If my Mentor expresses unwillingness, reluctance, or discomfort in discussing any topic that I have raised, I shall promptly cease pursuing that topic.
The specific personal issues and the degree of personal detail that are appropriate for discussion will depend strongly on the specific Mentor, the specific Mentee, and the specific circumstances. Therefore, Mentor Makers does not provide a comprehensive list of appropriate and inappropriate topics and does not provide guidance on the degree of personal detail to be shared: The Mentor and the Mentee should agree on the topics that they are comfortable discussing and on the degree of personal details that they are comfortable sharing. The Mentee, for example, may appropriately initiate discussion of personal topics such as problems with family and friends, religion, and death. The Mentee should, however, approach such topics cautiously and ask the Mentor whether the Mentor wishes to pursue such topics. If the Mentor expresses unwillingness, reluctance, or discomfort in discussing a specific topic, the Mentee shall promptly cease pursuing that specific topic.

Personal Relationships

I shall not pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with my Mentor.

Meetings in Person

If my Mentor does not wish to meet in person, I shall not insist on a meeting.
If circumstances permit, in-person meetings between the Mentor and the Mentee can be beneficial for developing personal rapport, and the Mentee can often benefit from visiting the Mentor’s workplace. It is appropriate for the Mentee to invite the Mentor to meet in person; but, if the Mentor does not wish to meet in person, then the Mentee shall not insist on a meeting.

Prohibited Advice

I shall not seek medical, mental-health, or legal advice from my Mentor.
Medical, mental-health, or legal advice should be provided by a qualified professional. Even if the Mentor is coincidentally a qualified professional (for example, if the Mentor is a physician, psychologist, or attorney), the Mentee shall not request the Mentor for medical, mental-health, or legal advice. Within the Mentor Makers Program, the Mentor provides guidance for the academic and professional development of the Mentee. The Mentee should seek the assistance of another qualified professional.

Financial Assistance

I shall not ask my Mentor for money.
Under no circumstances, is it appropriate for the Mentee to ask the Mentor for money.

Duty to Report Code Violations

If I observe any Participant behaving in a manner that violates the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentors or the Mentor Makers Code of Conduct for Mentees, I shall promptly report my observations to Mentor Makers staff at mentormakers@thecenter.nasdaq.org.