Calendar Listings and Elected Officials Policy

Eastside Audubon Society

Review: Annually

1. Purpose and scope

Eastside Audubon Society’s calendar promotes events that advance our mission. This policy establishes consistent standards for listing events, including those involving elected officials and candidates.

As a 501(c)(3) organization, Eastside Audubon does not support or oppose candidates for public office. Our calendar and related communications must remain nonpartisan.¹

This policy applies to calendar listings and to promotion of those listings through our newsletter, email, social media, and other organizational channels. It covers events we organize and events organized by others, with additional requirements for independently organized events.

Elected officials and candidates are welcome as ordinary attendees. Different requirements apply when they host, organize, lead, speak at, or are featured in an event.

2. What we list

Eastside Audubon lists events that advance bird conservation, habitat protection, or nature education and are open to the public.

Local focus. Events must take place in, or directly concern, the communities and habitats of the Eastside and King County.

We do not list outside organizations’ events whose primary purpose is to promote national issues or national advocacy campaigns, even when the subject relates to birds or the environment or has local effects. A local educational or restoration activity is not excluded merely because its organizer is a national organization.

Educational purpose. We do not list events whose primary purpose is constituent outreach or promotion of an individual officeholder. An event is judged by its activities and promotion, not simply its title. A guided walk that teaches participants about birds and habitat may qualify. A meet-and-greet with a walk attached does not.

No campaign activity. Except for candidate participation in an approved nonpartisan forum under Section 4, listed events must not include campaign speeches, distribution of campaign materials, requests for votes, or other candidate promotion. Fundraising for a candidate or political party is not permitted at any listed event.

3. How elected officials appear in listings

Titles and descriptions. The event title describes the activity and location. An elected official’s name does not appear in the title.

The listing identifies the organizer. An official’s office may be named as the organizer—for example, “Hosted by the Office of Councilmember [name]”—subject to the candidate restrictions in Section 4.

When an official leads an activity or speaks, the listing describes that role in one factual sentence. It does not praise the official or describe the official’s political record, positions, accomplishments, or campaign.

Links. Listings may link to noncampaign event information or registration pages, but not to campaign websites or political fundraising pages. Linked content is reviewed when a listing is approved or renewed. Links must be removed or changed if their content becomes inconsistent with this policy.²

Organizer notice. Every listing for an independently organized event includes:

This event is organized by [host], not Eastside Audubon Society. Listing on our calendar does not constitute sponsorship or endorsement of the organizer, its speakers, or any political position.

Example:

Nature Walk at Redmond Watershed Preserve
Hosted by the Office of Councilmember [name]. Councilmember [name] will lead a walk focused on birds and habitat.

This event is organized by the Office of Councilmember [name], not Eastside Audubon Society. Listing on our calendar does not constitute sponsorship or endorsement of the organizer, its speakers, or any political position.

4. Candidates for public office

Candidate-related pause

Eastside Audubon adopts the following pause as its own administrative safeguard. It is more restrictive than federal rules, which may permit candidates to appear in a noncandidate capacity under specified conditions.³

During the pause, Eastside Audubon does not publish or continue promoting a listing for an event hosted, organized, or led by a candidate or that candidate’s office, or featuring the candidate as a speaker. This applies to sitting officials running for reelection or another office, even when the proposed event is educational and does not discuss the election.

When the pause begins. For this policy, the pause begins when the person first publicly announces a candidacy, files candidate or campaign registration documents, solicits or accepts campaign contributions, spends money to advance the candidacy, or authorizes others to do so. It does not wait until the formal candidate-filing period. Washington’s campaign-disclosure guidance similarly recognizes that candidacy can begin before a declaration of candidacy is filed.⁴

When the pause ends. The pause ends when results establishing the person’s election or elimination are certified and any recount affecting that outcome is resolved. It may end earlier if the person publicly withdraws and is no longer actively seeking the office, as verified by the decision-maker identified in Section 6. A listing may then be reconsidered on request.

Removing a candidate’s name from a listing does not make the event eligible if the candidate or the candidate’s office continues to host, organize, lead, or be featured in it. A genuine change in the event’s organization or leadership may be submitted for review.

Hosts are informed of this rule when their listings are approved and must promptly report changes in candidate status.

Ordinary attendance

A candidate’s attendance as an ordinary member of the public does not trigger the pause. Under this policy, the candidate must not receive a featured introduction, speaking opportunity, or campaign platform outside an approved forum. Mere attendance at an event open to the public does not, by itself, constitute prohibited campaign intervention.⁵

Nonpartisan candidate forums

The full board may approve listings for locally relevant, nonpartisan candidate forums during the pause.

All candidates seeking the same office must receive an equal opportunity to participate on comparable terms. Questions must be selected and presented impartially, cover a broad range of matters relevant to the office, and not ask candidates to endorse Eastside Audubon’s positions. The organizer and moderator must not favor or oppose any candidate, and political fundraising is prohibited.⁶

Before approving a listing, the board reviews the invitations, format, question-selection process, moderation arrangements, and publicity. The listing may identify participating candidates neutrally in its description. Material changes in participation or format require renewed review.

5. Independently organized and recurring events

An independently organized event is one that Eastside Audubon neither organizes nor formally co-sponsors.

Organizer responsibility. The host must provide an organizer’s name and contact information and confirm by email that it is responsible for event planning, supervision, safety arrangements, necessary permissions, registration, and participant communications. The host must also confirm that the event and its promotion will comply with this policy.

Insurance. The host must state whether the event is covered by liability insurance or a public agency’s self-insurance arrangement. Eastside Audubon may request supporting documentation. If coverage is absent or unclear, the request goes to the board, which may consult Eastside’s insurance adviser before deciding whether to list the event. A statement that participants attend “at their own risk” is not accepted as proof of coverage.

Registration and privacy. Eastside Audubon does not collect registrations, payments, or attendee information for independently organized events. Registration is handled by the host through its own contact information or registration page. We do not provide our member, donor, or attendee contact lists to the host for event recruitment or follow-up.

Name and logo. A calendar listing does not authorize the host to use Eastside Audubon’s name or logo in its own promotional materials or describe Eastside Audubon as a sponsor. Such use requires prior written board approval.

Recurring listings. Recurring listings are approved for up to six months. Each renewal requires a new review and may authorize another period of up to six months. Approval does not override the candidate pause.

Changes. Hosts must promptly report changes in organizers, featured participants, candidate status, activities, registration links, or promotional content, as well as cancellations.

Co-sponsored events. Formal co-sponsorship requires separate board approval and written arrangements addressing responsibilities, insurance, registration, privacy, and publicity. Sections 1–4 continue to apply. A calendar listing alone does not establish co-sponsorship.

6. Review, decisions, and enforcement

The calendar coordinator reviews requests and applies this policy. Requests involving an elected official or candidate, and any request the coordinator finds unclear, go to the executive director—or, if there is none, the board president.

The executive director or board president may refer a request to the full board. Candidate-forum listings require full board approval. A host may ask the board to review a denial.

Anyone with a personal or campaign interest in a request must disclose that interest and leave the decision to an uninvolved officer or the board.

Decisions are recorded with the request, date, reason, approval period, and any host confirmations. The same standards apply regardless of party or political affiliation.

The calendar coordinator may immediately suspend a listing when there is a reasonable concern about compliance, safety, privacy, or changed circumstances, pending review by the appropriate decision-maker. The host is notified promptly and given the reason.

7. Transition and review

Existing listings are reviewed and brought into compliance within thirty days of adoption. Hosts are notified before changes are made, except when immediate suspension is warranted under Section 6.

The board reviews this policy annually and after any election cycle in which the candidate provisions were applied.