Builder code of conduct.

Why we have a code of conduct

TechProudly connects small businesses, charities and community groups with volunteers who can help them. The people you help trust you with their businesses, their customers and often their personal stories. This code sets out how we honour that trust, and how we look after each other while we do it.

It applies to every community builder and organiser, in every space where we work together: calls, chats, the builder portal, meetings with businesses and events.

Treat everyone with respect

• Be kind, patient and welcoming, especially to people who are new or still learning.
• Use people's names and pronouns as they ask. If you get it wrong, apologise briefly, correct yourself and move on.
• Welcome everyone in our community, every letter, identity, body and background, as well as our allies.
• Disagree about work constructively. Focus on the idea, never the person.
• Remember that people give their time for free and have lives outside TechProudly.

Protect people's privacy

• Never out anyone. Don't share someone's sexual orientation, gender identity, trans history or other personal details without their clear consent.
• Keep client information confidential, including business details, customer data, finances and anything shared in conversation.
• Only access the systems and data you need for your task, and only for as long as you need them.
• Don't share screenshots, files or details of client work outside the project without permission.

Work well with clients

• Represent TechProudly professionally, and be honest about what you can and can't do.
• Only pick up what you can realistically finish. If your plans change, tell the business and us as early as you can, so we can try to find another volunteer.
• Agree with the business what you'll do, and roughly when, before you start.
• Help through TechProudly is always free. Never ask a business for payment, or use an introduction to sell them paid services.
• Declare any conflict of interest, such as a personal or business relationship with a client or a competitor.

Build with care

• Meet our accessibility standards. A site isn't finished until everyone can use it.
• Ask for help when you're unsure. Nobody is expected to know everything.
• Ask another volunteer to look over your work when you can, especially before something important goes live.
• Only use images, fonts, code and content you have the right to use, and credit them where required.

Keep things secure

• Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication on your TechProudly and client accounts.
• Never share login details over chat or email. Use a password manager or the business's own sharing tools.
• Report anything that looks like a security problem or data breach straight away, even if you're not sure.
• Hand back access and delete any client data you hold when your part of a project ends.

Behaviour we won't accept

These aren't tolerated in any TechProudly space, towards builders, clients or anyone else:

• Harassment, bullying, intimidation or threats
• Discrimination of any kind, including homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, ableism, ageism and religious discrimination
• Deliberately misgendering someone or using a name they no longer use
• Unwelcome sexual attention, comments or content
• Sharing someone's personal information without consent
• Sustained disruption of conversations, calls or events

Raising a concern

If something doesn't feel right, whether it happened to you or you saw it happen to someone else, please tell us. You won't be in trouble for raising a concern in good faith.

• Email hello@techproudly.com. Only the organisers will see it.
• Or speak to any organiser you feel comfortable with.
• If a concern involves an organiser, you can raise it with a different organiser.

We'll treat what you tell us confidentially, and we won't take action that affects you without talking to you first. If anyone is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services first.

What happens next

We'll acknowledge your concern within a few days and look into it fairly, listening to everyone involved. Depending on what happened, we might:

• have an informal conversation to resolve a misunderstanding
• give a formal warning
• remove someone from a project or from the builder portal
• end someone's involvement with TechProudly

Serious breaches, especially anything that puts clients or builders at risk, may lead to immediate removal.