🔍 In this doc
👋 Welcome Trailblazer!
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Trailblazer Community Group Leader. We are excited for you to start this journey - you'll meet some great people along the way, inspire your local community, expand your members' Salesforce knowledge, and blaze many trails! As a Community Group Leader, your mission will be to:
The Trailblazer Community Group Leader Guidelines and Policy acts as a compass for your journey; it’ll always help you find your way back to True North.
This policy lays out the expectations Salesforce has for the behavior and actions of Community Group Leaders. All Trailblazer Community Group Leaders are expected to observe the following Code of Conduct:
Honor your role with honesty, transparency and trust. As a leader in the Trailblazer Community Group Program, you are expected to embody these values. Honesty and transparency help build trust, which is Salesforce’s #1 value.
Respect your community members. We passionately believe in equal treatment for all and know that you can help us bring the Age of Equality forward. It's the responsibility of a Trailblazer Community Group Leader and co-leaders to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment and to encourage community members to do so as well. Embrace the diversity of your community and help create an environment in which everyone can learn and share freely. Each individual in your Community Group has a perspective and story to be celebrated.
Any discussion, post, comment, or action, online or offline, that is intimidating, harassing, abusive, or that promotes hatred or discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on protected personal characteristics such as race, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, medical condition or disability, or veteran status. Behavior in this realm may lead to removal from the program.
Step down considerately. While you are a Trailblazer Community Group Leader, you might find that new priorities or life events may affect your availability. As a Community Group Leader, you are expected to hold a minimum of 4 meetings a year - once a quarter, and therefore need to be mindful of your own bandwidth. If you find your commitment and time are wavering, you are encouraged to step down to focus on yourself, your well-being and/or other commitments. Similar to the onboarding process, we have an offboarding process. If you are considering stepping down, please reach out to the Trailblazer Community Team (trailblazercommunity@salesforce.com) and we'll guide you through the next steps.
Keep the community’s information safe. In your role as a Trailblazer Community Group Leader, you may interact with Salesforce customers, Salesforce MVPs, Partners, and other individuals who provide you with their contact information. This contact information is confidential and for the sole purpose of the Trailblazer Community Group Program. You may not share the contact information or use it for your benefit or your company’s or any third party’s benefit--even after your term as a leader ends. Leaders are not permitted to solicit or collect Trailblazer Community Group or customer data at meetings, events, or otherwise. We take great care to protect your data and privacy, and trust that you practice the same. Violations may lead to removal from the program.
Use the Trailblazer Community Group tools and resources only. The Trailblazer Community Group Program offers each Community Group the use of certain tools and resources. These can include, but are not limited to: event management platforms, communication platforms, external Salesforce orgs, and Partner applications, solutions, and services donated to the Trailblazer Community Group Program.
These tools and resources are solely for use by your Trailblazer Community Group and may not be used for personal, company, or commercial purposes. You may not share your password or login credentials for these tools and resources with any other individuals. These are the only approved tools and resources available to you as a leader, and any additional tool or resource you would like to use needs to be pre-approved in writing by an authorized member of the Trailblazer Community Team. )
Please keep in mind that in using the tools and resources made available to you, you are subject to, and responsible for complying with, those tools and resources’ terms, conditions, and policies.
Be Aware of Conflicts of Interest. We expect you to be aware when you have a conflict of interest due to employment or other projects you are involved in. You are expected to abstain or to delegate decisions that may be construed as a conflict of interest. This includes but is not limited to promoting your company, product, and services. We expect that everyone who participates as a Trailblazer Community Group Leader does so with the goal of sharing, learning, and growing the Trailblazer Community. When in doubt, reach out to the Trailblazer Community Team for further clarification. Salesforce employees are not eligible to be Trailblazer Community Group Leaders. If you become a Salesforce employee you will need to step down from your role as a Trailblazer Community Group Leader.
Special Note for government employees: If you work for a U.S. federal, state or local governmental entity, you will be asked to obtain written clearance to participate from your organization and to follow additional protocols, which includes the need for a non-government employee co-leader to handle reimbursements, and refraining from accepting Community Group perks.
Before you start a Trailblazer Community Group or join an existing Community Group’s leadership, here are the prerequisites for group leader eligibility:
❏ You are active in the Salesforce ecosystem and are excited to create an environment to promote sharing and learning with other customers.
❏ Have knowledge and professional experience in the type of Community Group you’d like to lead.
❏ Salesforce employees are not permitted to lead Community Groups.
❏ Must have a public Salesforce profile on Trailhead, with a profile picture and up-to-date About Me (including location)
❏ Have proven Salesforce product expertise by satisfying one of the points below:
❏ Maximum of four active leaders per group
❏ In-person Group Requirements:
❏ Virtual Group Requirements
❏ You have checked the current Trailblazer Community Group Directory to verify that the group you wish to start doesn’t already exist, and that there isn’t already another group within a 25-mile/40-KM radius
❏ You can only lead or co-lead one group at a time.
❏ If there are two leaders, both leaders cannot work at the same company. If there are three (3) or more leaders, two may work at the same company.
❏ You reside or work in the location of your proposed Trailblazer Community Group.
❏ If you’re a government employee, you’ve returned the signed clearance to Salesforce from your employer.
❏ We understand the desire to share expertise and help Trailblazers grow in their careers, however, Trailblazer Community Groups are geared toward supporting Salesforce professionals looking to grow in their Salesforce careers. Group content and membership should not be geared towards students of any age, including those in higher education. Reimbursements are not intended to cover student events and will be declined.
There are a few key ground rules regarding expected offline and online behavior. We expect these rules to be followed by everyone who represents a Trailblazer Community Group officially or informally, claims affiliation with any Trailblazer Community Group, or participates directly in a Trailblazer Community Group.
LEADERS’ RELATIONSHIP TO SALESFORCE
We are happy to support and partner with Trailblazer Community Group Leaders as you create and grow your local community. Salesforce is not a leader’s employer, and, likewise, leaders are not Salesforce employees. This means that you cannot claim to be an employee of Salesforce, nor can you sign contracts or enter into agreements on Salesforce’s behalf. This also means that you are not entitled to any benefits that Salesforce employees are entitled to under Salesforce’s policies or programs.
On LinkedIn, do not list Salesforce as your employer. Instead, include your involvement under the “Volunteering” section. If we discover that you have listed Salesforce as your employer and you are unwilling to remove that from your LinkedIn, this can result in removal from the Trailblazer Community Group Program.
NEW LEADER ONBOARDING
Salesforce encourages the voluntary self-nomination of new leaders into the Trailblazer Community Group Program. We want potential new leaders to feel empowered to apply to start a new Trailblazer Community Group, to offer their co-leadership to an existing Community Group or to adopt an existing Community Group that may be experiencing a leadership transition.
Leaders must review all onboarding materials and sign this Trailblazer Community Group Leader Guidelines and Policy document, to confirm that they understand their involvement and relationship with Salesforce.
All Trailblazer Community Group Leaders are required to apply for a leader position and be onboarded by the Trailblazer Community Team before leading a Community Group.
TRAILBLAZER COMMUNITY GROUP NAMES
The Trailblazer Community Team will name your group based on a standard naming convention used for all official community groups during the initial onboarding process.
Since the Trailblazer Community Team onboards all Trailblazer Community Groups, we will be able to advise on the best naming convention at the time. Names listed on Salesforce pages cannot be modified without written consent from the Trailblazer Community Team.
BRAND GUIDELINES
We count on Trailblazer Community Group Leaders to help protect the integrity and strength of Salesforce brands. Use only the Salesforce intellectual property--which includes Salesforce’s brands, names, logos, mascots, and abbreviations--that the Trailblazer Community Group Team provides you.
Do not use any Salesforce name (including the use of “force”) or intellectual property in your company or product names, taglines, social media handles, advertising keywords, or any other branding or source-identifying materials. Any Salesforce intellectual property we provide must be used as directed, adhering to Salesforce Brand Guidelines. Don’t edit or alter Salesforce’s intellectual property in any way. This includes, but is not limited to, overlaying images or text to logos. Do not use outdated logos.
Leaders must adhere to the approved branding provided by the Trailblazer Community Team. Co-branding of your group or group pages is not permitted. All tools and resources needed for managing, running and promoting the Community Group events will be provided by the Trailblazer Community Team. No other tools, Partner branded promotions, etc. are to be used in the managing, running or promoting of these events. Behaving in a way that is inconsistent with the guidelines contained in this policy may result in removal from leadership.
If we see a Trailblazer Community Group using Salesforce intellectual property in a way that violates the guidelines above or these Brand Guidelines, we will address the issue with the Community Group Leader(s). If you need updated brand assets, you can find them here. If you spot an inappropriate use of Salesforce names or branding, please file an incident report here: Trailblazer Community Incident Report
LEADER ACTIVITY
Groups are most successful when they meet at regular intervals, ideally once a month but at minimum, once a quarter. If you find that you are unable to meet the time commitment of being a Trailblazer Community Group Leader, consider taking a break or stepping down. Inactivity (no meeting in 6 months) may result in offboarding or removal from the program.
If you decide to step down, please reach out to trailblazercommunity@salesforce.com so we can update our records and take the necessary steps to offboard you from the program. The Trailblazer Community Team reserves the right to offboard you from the program if you are unable to meet these time commitments or no longer meet the program’s eligibility requirements.
REIMBURSEMENTS
We are honored to be able to offer our leaders supplemental funding in the form of reimbursement for their in-person meetings. Please be aware that reimbursement is not always guaranteed and is at the sole discretion of the Trailblazer Community Team to approve the reimbursement request. Please refer to the reimbursement policies and guidelines here, which are updated by our team regularly. Fraudulent behavior including fraudulent registration activity will not be tolerated.
SEE SOMETHING? SAY SOMETHING
If you see something either online or offline that doesn’t feel right, we encourage you to let the Trailblazer Community Team know here. The issue you report could be violations of these guidelines or the Code of Conduct, conflicts, or anything else of concern. The Trailblazer Community Team is here to support the community and we thank you in advance for helping us keep an eye out.
ADDITIONAL TERMS
As a member of the Trailblazer you agree to the Salesforce Program Agreement. We want to be sure to highlight key terms that apply to your participation as provided in the Salesforce Program Agreement including our warranties and disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification and confidentiality provisions.
PROGRAM REMOVAL
Behaving in a way that is inconsistent with this policy may result in removal from the Trailblazer Community Group program. These guidelines and policies are not exhaustive, and we reserve the right to modify them at any time. Any such changes will be effective upon posting. Salesforce reserves the right to remove a Trailblazer Community Group Leader and Group from the program at any time at its sole discretion.
Salesforce places great trust in Trailblazer Community Group Leaders. To uphold the integrity of the program, we will 1) reject the application of or 2) remove anyone who has engaged in activities or practices that do not represent the community appropriately. These activities and practices deemed inappropriate by Salesforce include, but are not limited to the following:
Should you be removed from the program, you will no longer be allowed to claim affiliation with the Trailblazer Community Group program, and you will be required to remove references to being a Trailblazer Community Group Leader in all forums including social media, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. Any defamatory, derogatory, harassing, or inappropriate behavior as a member of the community may result in legal action by Salesforce.
We are thrilled for you to step up into the role of a Trailblazer Community Group Leader. It’s a wonderful leadership opportunity and we trust you will treat it with respect. We understand that seeing guidelines around program removal may be shocking, especially as you are barely starting the process, but we believe it is important for you to understand the value we place on leadership and the program. We want to ensure we are helping to create a welcoming environment where anybody can thrive.
Partners can play a key role in enriching the Trailblazer Community Group experience. It is at your discretion, as a Community Group Leader, to choose whether engaging with a Partner is right for your Community Group. The Trailblazer Community Team will support you in your decision and will also be available to advise. Below, you will find general guidelines to help you build a relationship that is mutually beneficial to both your Community Group and a Partner.
MEETING PARTICIPATION FOR PARTNERS
It is at the sole discretion of the Trailblazer Community Group Leader to approve or decline a Partner’s request to speak at their Community Group meeting. Partners may not pressure or harass Community Group Leaders to be allowed to present at meetings, and Community Group Leaders may escalate any inappropriate behavior by filing an incident report Trailblazer Community Incident Report, so that appropriate action may be taken.
TRAILBLAZER COMMUNITY GROUP CONTENT GUIDELINES
Great content is one of the key factors in ensuring that your members keep coming back to meetings time and time again. If they are learning new skills and having fun at the same time, then that is a good indicator that your content is a success.
Some suggestions would be to focus on:
If you can answer “Yes” to “Is this material bettering my member’s Salesforce experience and knowledge?” then you’re off to a good start.
Content created or shared by a Partner should only be included if that content is deemed beneficial to the customer audience. Partners may not use meetings as a platform to pitch or sell their products and/or services. Partner content should be topical or specifically geared to solve a business requirement or meet a business need of our customers.
PARTNER SPONSORSHIP EXPECTATIONS
Trailblazer Community Group Leaders may ask Partners to sponsor meetings in exchange for a speaking spot on the agenda. The sponsorship is for the express purpose of covering expenses that would reasonably be incurred by the Community Group Leader in direct connection with staging the Community Group meeting.
These costs may include, but are not limited to:
At no time can a leader or partner take sponsorship dollars for personal benefit or use the funds for a purpose outside of hosting their meeting.
In exchange for the opportunity to sponsor a meeting, the Partner may ask to receive a spot on the Trailblazer Community Group event agenda or whatever benefits are agreed to between the Partner and the Community Group Leader. Leaders may not provide their Community Group members’ contact information to Partners or any other party. If you receive any requests for member contact information, please let us know (trailblazercommunity@salesforce.com).
To manage the sponsorship and any subsequent exchange of money appropriately, Partners must directly pay for the meeting location, food and beverage or whatever has been agreed upon between the Partner and Community Group Leader. This approach helps protect both the Partner and Trailblazer Community Group Leader from misunderstandings and appearances of impropriety. Remember that any agreement you make with the Partner will be directly between you and the Partner, and you will be responsible for fulfilling any obligations you agree to.
PARTNERS LEADING TRAILBLAZER COMMUNITY GROUPS
Salesforce may allow a Partner to become a Trailblazer Community Group Leader. We acknowledge that for many groups our Partners provide an enormous benefit and skill set to our Trailblazer Community Group Program. For this reason, we place our confidence and trust that they will conduct themselves as exemplary Community Group Leaders to benefit the members of their Community Group first and foremost.
All Partners who become Trailblazer Community Group Leaders must abide by the above guidelines and policies regarding other Partner’s participation in Community Group meetings, Community Group content, sponsorship expectations, and the Community Group Leader Guidelines and Policy. In addition, individual Partner Community Group Leaders co-leading a group should seek to establish a co-leadership with a customer, and not other Partners.
Partners acting as leaders must foster an inclusive environment and should never refuse participation based on a member’s employer, including other Partners. Furthermore, a Partner should not promote events on their partner website, but instead should use the event platform provided by the Trailblazer Community Team. Trailblazer Community Group member data should not be removed from the event platform or used for any other purposes.
PROHIBITED COUNTRIES
Salesforce complies with U.S. regulations related to embargoed countries and regions. As such, Salesforce currently prohibits the unauthorized usage of its products and services in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and the region of Crimea. Trailblazer Community Groups are not supported in these regions. Because this list of countries and regions may change from time to time, customers and their users are urged to consult the relevant regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR Part 730 et seq.), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions programs, and Canada's Area Control List under Canada's Export and Import Permits Act.
By checking the box below, you represent you have read and understand this document, including the referenced policies, terms and conditions, and agree to abide by the expectations and guidelines set forth herein:
