Membership Information

To receive personal assistance in your application proccess, contact Michelle Guelbart, Private Sector Project Coordinator for ECPAT-USA (michelle@ecpatusa.org).

THE APPLICATION PROCESS:
Applying: To become a signatory of the Code, companies must fill out an Agreement and Action Plan, which outlines their goals for implementing the 6 steps of the Code. The linked documents are template documents, please contact Private Sector Project Coordinator, Michelle Guelbart at 718-935-9192 for materials specific to your industry.

Formal Approval: Once you fill out your Application and Action Plan, your ECPAT-USA vetted forms are forwarded on to the Code of Conduct Board of Directors for approval. Within 4 weeks you will be notified by the Board if you were accepted as a member or if more information is needed for them to make a decision. You are then asked to pay membership fees.

Signing the Code: After you are approved as a member, you can coordinate your signing with ECPAT-USA so that the Executive Director, who has formal signing authority, can coordinate her schedule to attend your signing. Signings have come in many forms, from a small meeting to a large press event complete with celebrity speakers.

MEMBERSHIP:
Implementation: As a now official member of the Code, you gain access to ECPAT-USA staff as a resource for you implementation. We will work with you to implement the plans outlined in your Action Plan, including providing you with sample policy, clauses, and staff training. ECPAT-USA can also provide you with regional law enforcement and service provider contacts.

Fees: As a member of the Code, signatories are required to pay a small membership fee to the Code of Conduct International Secretariat, based on the size of their company. The fee covers the use of the Code logo in your promotion materials and allows the Code International to expand the awareness activities and outreach in the travel sector. In 2013, the Code will release a Contact Relation Management System (CRM) that will provide signatories with new tools and services for member companies.

Reporting: At the end of each year, signatories must report annually on their developments for Code implementation. The first year reporting form is longer and includes information on the signing event, additional years are shorter. ECPAT-USA assists signatories in their reporting and works to plan activities for the following year. Please contact Michelle Guelbart for a reporting form.