The Knitting Guild Association Code of Ethics

The Board of Directors of The Knitting Guild Association (hereafter TKGA) adopted this Code of Ethics on May 26, 2026 to which it expects that the professional conduct of its members shall conform while using our platforms and participating in our programs. Members of TKGA shall advance and uphold the integrity and dignity of the craft by being honest, respectful, and collegial. To achieve these goals, members shall:

1. Issue statements/comments only in a considerate and truthful manner.

• Conduct themselves in a fair, honorable, and respectful manner.
• Treat all members fairly and respectfully, regardless of characteristics such as such race, color, sex, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, recognizing unique contributions and capabilities thereby fostering an environment of respect and collegiality.

• Bullying and/or harassment is unacceptable in any form.
• Accept responsibility for their actions and comments.

• Hold paramount the safety, health. and welfare of other members in the manner of their interactions.
• Act as faithful agents or trustees, upholding copyright laws and the integrity of other’s

work.

TKGA is committed to creating an environment in which all members, regardless of characteristics such race, color, sex, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, are valued and respected.

TKGA Privacy Policy and Copyright Statement

TKGA is committed to protecting the privacy and copyrights of our members, instructors, and contributors.

In the course of running our website, Circle Community and membership records, we:

• Collect your name, email and contact information in order to keep in contact with you.
• Do not store your payment/credit card information. When you purchase a membership, or register for a course, event or certification, your payment information is stored by our third-party payment processor. None of our staff or volunteers have access to this information.
• Run analytics to see what parts of our website and Circle community are most popular. This helps us plan for the programs our members want. We do this at the aggregate level and don’t track individual usage.

• Never sell your data or any information about you or allow our partners/vendors to do so either. When we restructured as a nonprofit it was very important to us that we never sell advertising or sell information on our members.
• Never share our member list with any other organization so that they can market to you.
• May share information with law enforcement and governmental agencies or authorized third parties in response to a verified request relating to a criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity or if required by any applicable legal process.
• In rare circumstances, if we reasonably believe that another member may be at imminent risk of serious physical harm or self-harm, we may access or disclose limited personal information to appropriate emergency response services. We will limit such disclosures to the minimum amount of personal information necessary to solely protect life or physical safety.
• Make reasonable efforts to protect your information by using security measures designed to safeguard the information we maintain.
• Protect the copyrights of our designers, contributors and teachers. Taking videos and/or photographs of patterns, articles, social media content, and or presentations is prohibited unless written permission has been granted by TKGA, the author/presenter, and any person or organization(s) that hold copyrights to the material.

As a nonprofit, we recognize that trust is critical and can be easily broken and very hard to regain. We care deeply about the hand knitting industry and community and work hard to build community and trust.

TKGA Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, Complicity, and Retaliations

Harassment, trolling, cyber stalking, sexual harassment, or any offensive, harmful communication done on any platform, including public forum, direct message, email, or any other platform, as well as physical, or verbal conduct oriented with the purpose or effect to unreasonably interfere with an individual’s participation, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment is a violation of TKGA’s Code of Ethics.

TKGA prohibits members, students, TKGA representatives, and third parties from engaging in discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, acting in complicity with another who engages in any of these forms of prohibited conduct, or retaliating against a person who participates in protected activity, is also prohibited and is a violation of TKGA’s Code of Ethics.

Reporting An Incident of Violation of the Code of Ethics

TKGA encourages the reporting of all behavior prohibited by our Code of Ethics regardless of
the offender’s identity or position. Any individual who has been a victim of, or has witnessed a
violation of the Code of Ethics should immediately contact the Secretary and/or the President of
TKGA as soon as possible, preferably on the same or following business day. TKGA encourages
the prompt reporting of complaints or concerns in order that rapid and constructive action can be
taken.

Any reported allegations of violations will be investigated promptly by the Secretary and/or the
President of TKGA. The investigation may include the gathering of all electronic
communications and individual interviews with the parties involved and, when necessary, with
individuals who may have observed the alleged conduct, or may have relevant knowledge. The
complaint and investigation will be handled with sensitivity and confidentiality, (to the extent
practical and appropriate given the circumstances) with regard to privacy interests of all
concerned. Retaliation against an individual reporting a violation or assisting in providing
information relevant to a claim (even if the claim is determined to be unfounded) is a serious
violation of this policy and will be treated with the same strict discipline as would the violation
itself. Acts of retaliation should be reported immediately and will be promptly investigated.

Responsive Action

Misconduct constituting a violation of the Code of Ethics will be dealt with appropriately. Responsive action may include banning an individual from future circle admittance, conference attendance, loss of membership and alerting local authorities for possible action. TKGA will maintain a written record of each complaint, its investigation and its resolution. Written records will be maintained in confidence to the extent practical and appropriate. The complainant and accused will be notified of the findings of the investigation. If a party to a complaint does not agree with its resolution, the party may file written comments with the Secretary or the President of the organization.