Honor Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Organizations
In keeping with ASI’s mission to encourage spiritual organizations and venues to approach their work in the most competent and ethical manner, all member organizations are required to integrate the following principles into their guidance materials for staff, volunteers, contractors, etc.
This Honor Code will be continually reassessed and periodically revised. We also acknowledge that many of the guidelines touch upon highly complex and nuanced issues. Additional documents may also be created to reflect new insight and analysis. We welcome honest feedback, open discussion, diverse perspectives, and discerning analysis. Please Contact Us with any feedback on the Code for Organizations.
As leaders and officials of a spiritual organization, we commit to:
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Holding ourselves, our colleagues, and our staff to the highest standards of ethics, right behavior, and professional competency, as commonly recognized by our peers.
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Performing our organizational and public-facing roles in a caring and compassionate manner in both one-on-one and group interactions.
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Respecting the rights, dignity, and safety of all who belong to our organization and those whom we serve.
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Fostering autonomy, empowerment, self-sufficiency, and emotional maturity within our organization and in our dealings with others.
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Treating questions, concerns, doubts, and experiences raised within our organization and from those we serve, with respect, and never trivializing or dismissing enquiries.
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Being self-aware, open, and humble about the limitations of our knowledge and experience.
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Making only honest, realistic statements regarding the benefits of our organization’s offerings.
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Refraining from giving counsel in matters outside of our areas of training and expertise, and making appropriate referrals as needed.
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Being honest and transparent regarding business and financial matters relevant to our students, clients, donors, and other stakeholders.
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Honoring the sanctity of privacy and maintaining the confidentiality of information conveyed to our organization and its representatives in confidence.
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Abiding by local laws with respect to the disclosure of information in cases of sexual abuse, child endangerment, and the intention to harm oneself or others.
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Using proper care and caution with techniques that can potentially cause harmful side effects.
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Acknowledging that, regardless of our spiritual attainment, we and our representatives are human beings with human personalities, limitations, drives, and needs.
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Not seeking or presuming exalted privileges or glorified status because of our role in the organization.
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Never manipulating, exploiting, or deceiving another member of the organization or those we serve to satisfy our personal aspirations, needs, or desires.
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Establishing and maintaining clear and wholesome professional boundaries within the organization and with those we serve.
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Never abusing the trust of members of the organization or those we serve by exploiting them with unfair, coercive, or deceptive attempts to obtain money or free labor. (This does not include reasonable fees for services, donations of money and time, or volunteer work freely offered.)
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Being particularly mindful of sexual boundaries within the organization and with those we serve—and honoring them at all times.
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Cultivating and practicing honesty, integrity, compassion, humility, and empathy.
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Engaging in continuous self-reflection, learning, and holistic personal growth.
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Regularly reviewing our motivations and monitoring the integrity of our words and actions both within the organization and with those we serve.
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Encouraging feedback about our own methods and behavior—and taking that feedback seriously. This includes complaints submitted to the ASI.
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Addressing promptly any personal issues, concerns, or challenges that might affect our professional competency or our organization’s mission.
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Placing highest priority on the organization’s legal obligations and ethical commitments to all our stakeholders.
For Organizations with Venues
Be more proactive in protecting your patrons from potentially harmful incidents.
At the ASI, we understand how important it is for your venue to cultivate trusting relationships with your guests. We know that your reputation depends on facilitating positive experiences for your guests, and that your ability to do so rests upon wholesome interactions between your visiting faculty and the students they guide. We also know that it’s a major challenge to build a culture of integrity within an organization while extending the same standards to your guest teachers and facilitators. This is why the ASI has developed an integrity clause template (below) for our Member Organizations to include in their contractual materials with guest teachers/faculty/facilitators.
Employing this clause will help your organization to:
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Take preventative measures to protect your guests from potentially harmful experiences while on your property
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Ensure that those who teach at your facility have pledged to honor the highest level of ethical standards while teaching on your premises
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Gain leverage in the event that your code of ethics is breached
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Expand your options for addressing any violations of trust that may occur between leaders/teachers and students while on your site
Integrity Clause Template
Member Organizaitons may copy and paste the integrity clause below into your contractual documents or tailor the clause to fit within your current contracts in a way that makes sense to you:
[Organization Name] is a member of the Association of Spiritual Integrity (ASI). As such, we have committed to honoring a code of ethics as outlined by the ASI, to ensure that our own organization, along with our guest teachers/faculty/facilitators, hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professional competency. With a vested interest in facilitating the most nurturing and safe experience possible for all of our guests, it is essential that we promote the work of teachers and leaders who are willing to abide by the same ethical standards while visiting and working on our premises. Please help us to ensure an environment of honesty, integrity, compassion, humility, and empathy for everyone. Visit the ASI's website at spiritual-integrity.org/org-ethics to review the honor code to which you are committing by signing this contract.
You are welcome to print or download the ASI Honor Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Organizations.
Curious to learn more about membership?
The ASI is a voluntary, inclusive, international organization of spiritual leaders, teachers and guides. Membership is open to anyone in a position of spiritual leadership who agrees to abide by the ASI Honor Code of Ethics and Good Practice.
If you are not already a spiritual leader member, please also take a look at our Honor Code for Spiritual Leaders.