Thank you for being part of the NBOA online community! To ensure the best possible experience for all, we have established some basic guidelines for participation. Please take a few moments to read through them. If this is your first time signing into the NBOA website, please agree to the terms below.
One of the many benefits of NBOA membership is the ability to connect with other members online through NBOA Connect, our online members-only community, where members can ask questions, get the advice of their peers, learn from others' experiences and participate in an ongoing conversation.
By using NBOA Connect, you agree that you have read and will follow these rules and etiquette, as well as our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these important guidelines. If you have questions about NBOA Connect or your NBOA membership, please email our membership team at membership@nboa.org.
To preserve a climate that encourages fair use of resources and both civil and fruitful dialogue, NBOA reserves the right to delete or edit posts and comments. Individuals who repeatedly violate the Code of Conduct may be suspended or removed from the NBOA Connect community.
- Keep it clean and keep it friendly. Don't challenge or attack others. Discussions and comments are meant to stimulate conversation not to create contention. Let others have their say, just as you may.
- Every post should make a positive contribution. Mature, polite debate is encouraged. Attacks or cyberbullying will not be tolerated. The discussion groups are meant to stimulate conversation and exchange best practices. Contradictory opinions should be thoughtful and respectful.
- Don't post commercial messages on any discussion list, resource library entry or other area where others might see it. Respect the community’s purpose by not using it as a marketing channel or submitting any content related to promotional offers, messaging, sales materials or job postings.
- Use caution when discussing products. Information posted is available for all NBOA members, including business partner members, and comments are subject to libel, slander and antitrust laws.
- Avoid posting content that could violate antitrust laws. Do not discuss or share information related to pricing, salaries, benefits, market allocation, supplier selection or any agreements that could restrict free trade or competition. NBOA reserves the right to remove or edit posts that include this type of content.
- All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you.
- Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal rules below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted.
- Remember that other participants have the right to reproduce postings to this site unless you specify otherwise.
- Post your message or documents only to the most appropriate discussions or libraries. Do not spam several discussions or libraries with the same message.
- Use the right channels for complaints. The NBOA communities are not the appropriate platforms to resolve personal issues or engage in disputes. Posts of this nature will be removed.
- Help look after your community. There is a permanent record of your posts. If you notice content within the community that does not abide by these guidelines, please report it to membership@nboa.org.
- All NBOA members can access the following NBOA Connect communities: Accounting & Finance, Business Operations, Human Resources and Boarding Schools. The primary contact at member schools has access to the Business Officers community, a closed group designated for private or sensitive questions. Members employed by business partner organizations have read-only access to all NBOA Connect communities except the Business Officers community and are not permitted to post or reply to threads. If you are a business partner member and wish to respond to a post, please get in touch with us at corporaterelations@nboa.org. If you are a member at an independent school and have been contacted privately by a business partner in response to a conversation on NBOA Connect, please let us know at membership@nboa.org.
- All posts must add to the body of knowledge. We reserve the right to reject any message for any reason.
- Transparency is essential in gaining trust in online relationships; therefore, be clear who you are and who you work for when posting on any NBOA platform. This includes using your real name, affiliation and location in your signature tag on all messages, and a profile picture of your likeness wherever possible.
- Don't know which community to post in? Follow this flowchart to help you decide. The Business Officers community is an invitation-only community intended for the primary contact at NBOA member schools (usually the person to whom the NBOA dues invoice is sent or the chief business officer at the school). It is best suited for posts of a private or sensitive nature. To view and join other communities, browse the Communities page.
- Make your subject line concise, accurate and specific. State the topic of your comments in the subject line. This allows members to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject.
- Stay on topic. Good contributions help the entire community by providing relevant, insightful information or asking important questions. If your post contains anything unrelated to the topic, it may be edited or removed.
- Only send a message to the entire group when it contains information that everyone can benefit from.
- Send messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals--not to the entire group. Do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link to the right of every message.
- Use "Reply to Sender" when your response is intended for one person and doesn’t benefit the entire group — such as “thanks for the information” or “me too.” You can do this by clicking the "Reply to Sender" link to the right of each message. Do not post administrative messages, such as "remove me from this discussion." Instead, use the web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you change e-mail addresses, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address, your account will be updated
The NBOA website, accounts and sites are provided as a service of NBOA. NBOA is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on these sites by others. NBOA disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on these sites, whether posted by NBOA or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. NBOA staff use their best efforts to respond to questions and provide resources; however, NBOA makes no representations or warranties concerning the accuracy or completeness of the content. NBOA staff does not render legal, accounting or similar services, and members are encouraged to seek legal advice or expert counsel as needed. In no event shall NBOA be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site. Do not post defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal materials.
Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the copyright owner's permission. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that they own the copyright concerning such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants NBOA and users of this site the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print and use such information or other material. Individuals who post articles, sample documents, and other resources understand that NBOA may reuse or repurpose documents in the NBOA library or other NBOA resources.
Content should not be posted if it encourages or facilitates members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's organization or business, or other conduct intended to restrict free trade illegally. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; benefits, profits, profit margins or cost data; market shares, sales territories or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection or termination of customers or suppliers.
NBOA staff monitor the conversations on NBOA Connect and reserve the right to edit or remove content that violates the code of conduct. If any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of NBOA, we will take all appropriate action. NBOA reserves the right to terminate access to users who do not abide by these guidelines.
NBOA documents and libraries have specific conditions of use. The following information applies to your use of documents, library, webinars and other resources made available through the NBOA website and NBOA Connect community (collectively referred to as "NBOA resources").
NBOA resources are intended to stimulate thought and discussion and provide valuable ideas and guidance in independent school finance and operations. NBOA resources do not constitute and should not be treated as legal advice. Although NBOA has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of its resources, neither the author nor NBOA assumes any responsibility for any individual’s reliance on the information presented, which is necessarily limited in scope and detail.
NBOA cannot and does not provide legal, financial or tax advice. NBOA information and materials are for informational purposes only and should not be deemed financial, legal or tax advice. Taxes and other laws and regulations are subject to change at any time. Please see guidance specific to your organization and consult qualified advisors, such as an attorney or subject-matter expert, in your jurisdiction before finalizing any tax, fiduciary or other compliance.