CSO Futures Community Member Guidelines
The CSO Futures Community is a global peer community of sustainability leaders driving transformation in their organisations through collaboration, innovation and action.
This document is intended as a set of guidelines to help drive a shared vision of the purpose and outcomes from the CSO Futures Community.
It's a living document that will evolve with ongoing input from members.
Feedback or questions about anything published here is welcome at any time.
You can reach our team here: melodie@csofutures.com
Who can join the CSO Futures Community?
Membership is restricted to Chief Sustainability Officers, Heads of Sustainability and senior leaders driving sustainability at a strategic level – no vendors.
Membership is subject to a strictly non-solicitation, confidential, supportive
environment and meetings will be held under the Chatham House Rule.
If you wish to nominate someone to join the community, please ask them to apply here.
The CSO Futures Community purpose
The CSO Futures community is a trusted, private space to exchange ideas and collaborate with sustainability leadership peers who understand your unique challenges.
It’s a space to privately discuss what’s working (and what’s not), to benchmark strategies, drive innovation and change, and to connect with others shaping sustainability at the enterprise level.
What are the key membership benefits?
CSO Futures Community for sustainability leaders members will benefit from the following:
- Collaborate for system change:
- connect with like-minded senior sustainability professionals from cross-sector organisations
- build lasting relationships through our action-oriented events, meetups and discussions
- Receive member-only online and in-person event invitations - Accelerate sustainability innovation:
- empower your organisation with shared benchmarking and innovative tools
- members drive the discussion and set the agenda
- suggest topics and specific areas of sustainability where you are seeking advice and experience - Access exclusive resources and events:
- gain latest insights
- receive member-only content and briefings
- benefit from discounts on sustainability leadership courses - Lead transformative change:
- participate in cross-sector sustainability events and meetups to drive collective impact.
How does the community come together?
The community is hybrid and has virtual as well as in-person spaces.
Digital spaces
- A private WhatsApp community
- Zoom regular meetings and other virtual meetups as requested
- Regular community round up newsletters
- Zoom webinars and briefings
In-person spaces
There will be at least one in-person community meet up event per year.
Depending on appetite, we may also arrange smaller group meetups, briefings and in-person networking.
As the community evolves, we may create region and sector specific channels / discussions and meetups.
How does the community operate?
The community operates under Chatham House Rule**.
CSO Futures provides the means for connecting in meaningful, value-added
conversations that enable action and collaboration through peer discussions.
We will also provide management and moderation of the community spaces to ensure it is a supportive, productive and private space.
Occasionally and with members permission, we may make available insights, case studies or tools that will help others accelerate their sustainability efforts.
**The Chatham House Rule reads as follows: When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s),
What is the annual community membership cost?
To sustain the community, to support and elevate the role of senior sustainability professionals and drive change, we are asking for an annual donation/subscription of £500 per year, per member.
Membership runs for 12 months and will be invoiced annually.
CSO Futures commits to periodic member check-ins to ensure member satisfaction and are always open to feedback and input from members.
What are the community values, rules and code of conduct?
CSO Futures Community is a global community. The aim is to empower each other in a positive, inspiring and beneficial way, to help build knowledge and a network to accelerate the the sustainable transition
We are dedicated to providing a safe community space and harassment-free experience for everyone in all our community spaces, regardless of identity and expression, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, political beliefs, race, age or religion.
We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Any violation of the community values, rules and code of conduct may result in members being removed without refund.
Our community values are:
✅ To be kind
✅ To be helpful and supportive
✅ To be respectful
✅ To be a safe, private and judgement-free community
Our collective goals
Our community is a space for conversations and discussions that centre on our collective sustainability leadership goals of providing and receiving:
✅ Connections
✅ Education and learning
✅ Opportunities to collaborate
✅ Amplification
What you share in community spaces should contribute to driving each other forward in our sustainability efforts.
Community Rules
The community will be managed and moderated by CSO Futures by the community values, code of conduct and the following rules.
1. Be kind and courteous
Communities and networks thrive when there is a welcoming and collaborative environment. Let's treat everyone with respect and kindness.
2. Respect everyone's privacy
Being part of this peer community of practice requires mutual trust. What's shared in the community must stay in the community. Please abide by the Chatham House Rule at all times.**
3.No promotions, solicitation or spam
Spam, irrelevant links and unsolicited selling or promotions via direct messages are not allowed. This does not include promoting your experience, case studies and your great work. If in doubt, ask the CSO Futures Team before posting.
4. Respect those outside the community
The same rules that apply to how we treat one another also apply to how we speak about those outside the community. Sharing private screenshots, giving negative feedback on companies, agencies, tool providers or industry folks is not allowed.
5. There's no such thing as a "stupid question"
We are all on a sustainability journey. Some are a little further ahead than others. Please don't caveat your questions as stupid or basic or simple. We're all here to help and support one another.
- No hate speech or bullying
It's vital that everyone feels safe in the community. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and degrading comments about things such as gender, race, religion, culture, political beliefs, sexual orientation or identity will not be tolerated.
Anti-Harassment
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Comments that reinforce social structures of domination, related to identity and expression, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, political beliefs, race, age, or religion
- The use of sexual imagery
- Deliberate intimidation, or stalking
- Harassing photography or recording
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour
Inclusive Language
Here are some tips on inclusive language:
- Use people’s preferred pronouns - check their LinkedIn profile for this
- When in doubt, share your pronouns and ask for other’s to share theirs
- Embrace inclusive language like 'everyone' 'folks,' and 'people'
- Correct with kindness, for example: "I believe they use 'they/them' pronouns.”
Consent
We value consent and it extends to all interactions, both online and during in-person events. Examples of opportunities to show respect and ask for consent:
Online
- Sharing someone’s contact information with others - always get their permission.
- Sharing someone's case studies, experiences, or stories - make sure you have their explicit permission. Remember the Chatham House Rule.**
- Recording meetings via AI or personal recording devices - let everyone know and ask permission.
In-Person
- Taking photos or recordings of others - be mindful and ask for consent when appropriate.
Reporting
If you feel the community values, rules and code of conduct have been breached in any way, please contact our team. We will be happy to help and assist you. Please reach out via email: melodie@csofutures.com
Reporting will remain confidential to the best of our abilities. We will work with you to make sure we handle it in a way that is most comfortable for you.
Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more details.