{"id":17393,"date":"2024-01-12T05:15:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-12T05:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.matsio.com\/matsio\/saasboomi\/?page_id=17393"},"modified":"2025-03-21T05:47:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T05:47:04","slug":"volunteer-code","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dev.matsio.com\/matsio\/saasboomi\/volunteer-code\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer Code"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SaaSBoomi Volunteer Code<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SaaSBoomi is a \u2018Pay it forward\u2019 community by SaaS founders for SaaS founders. We make knowledge and connections accessible to startups across stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could find more about the SaaSBoomi Way in our story here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the organisation grows in its reach and impact, we need forethought on how we would conduct ourselves as volunteers who shape the various initiatives of SaaSBoomi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some core values and then there are situational focus areas that come up as a reaction to specific situations, which then get assimilated into our core values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Core Values<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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We pay it forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We are held together by our mission to make India a formidable SaaS Nation. To get there, we need to be enablers. We volunteer to give and enable without keeping our personal benefits at the centre of it all. We keep our guards up against one-upmanship, hoarding, and we take our gains with utmost propriety<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We self-govern<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our only incentive is seeing software product companies succeed. With no direct, personal rewards, the motivations have to be intrinsic. We take up what we can deliver and make sure to do it, without having to be managed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We bring our best game<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a privilege to work on a lofty mission that is net positive to the society and the economy. So we bring the best of our abilities. We don\u2019t hesitate to nudge, offer help to fellow volunteers so that they stay on top of their game<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We strive for balance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some things are best left unchanged, best managed by someone peerless and yet some things need fresh perspectives, new faces, and new approaches. In everything we do, we pause, deliberate, and decide if the balance we have struck serves the startups the best now and in the near future<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We keep the house clean<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all know the upside of being well-connected. With the reach comes overlap of our personal interests and what is appropriate for the community. Sometimes the overlap produces a positive-sum outcome and other times it leads to conflicts. We each declare overlap of interests in everything we do, in the right forum and proceed based on consensus<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Non-exhaustive set of examples of how the core beliefs manifest in practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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We pay it forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting a good example<\/strong>: We exist to serve SaaS founders. So the answer is always \u2018yes\u2019 for all reasonable know-how\/connections they need in their journey. We proactively conduct roundtables, socials, and events that foster giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting a bad example<\/strong>: Gatekeeping between givers and takers. Tendencies towards hoarding knowledge, access (that came through the givers, in the first place), and using them to wield power. Lack of commitment to fulfilling the volunteering duties taken up. Expecting mileage for the volunteering done, in the form of visibility to their brand. Note that we may work with partners from outside the SaaS world from time to time who are not obliged to pay it forward for our mission. Only in such cases do we decide on visibility for them, and that too on a conservative basis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We self-govern<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting a good example:<\/strong> Being honest about the progress of an initiative; Being open to ideas and help from other volunteers; Being easy to collaborate with. Being on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting a bad example: <\/strong>Going incommunicado; Not managing time and not setting right expectations, necessitating someone else to hold the bag for us. Not taking constructive feedback in stride.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We bring our best game<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting a good example:<\/strong> Putting effort to deliver high quality content in round tables. Being a servant leader when organizing events.

Setting a bad example: <\/strong>Winging it and coming unprepared. Delegating downwards within one\u2019s organization or to other volunteers while still being the owner on paper.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We strive for balance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting a good example:<\/strong> Being thoughtful about representation. For example, it is hard to optimize for regional representation when it comes to bringing scale lessons from $50M+ startups. But it is thoughtful to bring speakers of diverse backgrounds to the audience, so that everyone can see one of them doing it right and take inspiration from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting a bad example: <\/strong>Compromising on the outcome for our audience just to check the box on a certain form of inclusivity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We keep the house clean<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Setting a good example:<\/strong> Being mindful of potential \u201cconflict of interest\u201d challenges that might come up in the way you envisage owning and running a SaaSBoomi program. Bringing them up with the SaaSBoomi team during the program design phase, and leading the effort to enforce adequate guardrails to protect the integrity of the program while staying true to its objective. Don\u2019t decide if you are in a conflict situation or not, because our own involvement clouds our judgement. Defer to the appropriate team to decide. Accept that sometimes \u2018propriety in action\u2019 takes precedence over \u2018promise of a benefit to all.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting a bad example: <\/strong>Using your position of power and responsibility as a volunteer to provide backdoor entry to friends and investee companies who can benefit from being at a SaaSBoomi program, not based on merit.<\/p>\n\n\n