Feedback and Complaint Procedures for Regional Contacts and Regional Events
The Burning Man Regional Network Committee recognizes that however hard we work to support the Regional Network, we cannot be everywhere at once. The real experts on local Burner communities are the people who participate in them all year long. Your feedback—whether it’s praise, constructive criticism, or concerns—helps us learn, grow, and ensure that the Regional Network thrives.
General Feedback
For comments, observations, or praise about your Regional Contact or a Regional Event, or to share an update about your local community please send us an email at regional-network@burningman.org. We’re eager to hear from you!
Submitting a Formal Complaint
If you have concerns involving a Regional Contact or Regional Event, please follow these steps:
- Review the Regional Contact Role: If your complaint involves a Regional Contact, review the Volunteer Regional Contact Agreement and the Leadership Criteria to understand the role’s responsibilities. This can help avoid potential misunderstandings about what an RC is and does.
- Direct Communication: Consider discussing your concerns directly with those involved before filing a complaint. Open and honest communication often resolves issues.
- Prepare Your Complaint: Provide clear, detailed information with specific examples about how the Regional Contact is not fulfilling their duties or the Regional Event is not aligning with the 10 Principles. Include your relationship to the person or event and any prior attempts to address the issue.
- Confidentiality: Please identify yourself when submitting a complaint, but if you wish to remain confidential, your identity will only be used internally unless you consent to share it.
- Submit Your Complaint: Send your detailed complaint to regional-network@burningman.org. We will notify the relevant parties and begin an investigation.
Investigation Process
The investigation process may include:
- Statements: Burning Man will contact and speak with anyone involved in or named in the complaint.
- Follow-Up: Follow-up interviews by phone or email.
- In-Person Visits: In rare cases, a member of the Burning Man staff may visit in person to mediate disputes or gather more information.
We recognize that conflicts can be uncomfortable and understand the desire for quick resolutions, but thorough investigations take time, especially in a decentralized, volunteer-driven network.
Examples of Complaints
- Failure to uphold the Ten Principles: For example, lack of Radical Inclusion or Civic Responsibility.
- Misuse of Community Funds: Including failure to account for funds raised under the Burning Man Regional Network.
- Misuse of Community Resources: Such as using the community’s resources for personal gain or promoting a personal project as “official.”
- Misrepresentation of the RC Role: Inappropriately representing the Regional Contact role as one of authority or governance over others.
- Inactivity: Failure to respond to community inquiries for an extended period.
Possible Outcomes
Depending on the investigation’s findings, outcomes may include:
- Warning or reprimand.
- Feedback and areas for improvement.
- Probation until improvements are made.
- Removal of the Regional Contact.
- Adding Co-Regional Contacts: Sometimes, additional Co-Regional Contacts are added to balance the workload and enhance oversight. In these cases, we will conduct an open call for new candidates and follow our standard interview and Community Feedback process.
In any outcome, a formal statement will be made to the complainants and/or local community as appropriate.
The Importance of the RC Role
Regional Contacts, though volunteers, are official representatives of Burning Man Project. They are expected to uphold the Burning Man Principles and positively represent the Burning Man community. The Volunteer Regional Contact Agreement is legally binding, and violations can have serious implications for both the individual and the Burning Man Regional Network. To secure the future of the Burning Man Regional Network, formal steps are necessary to address issues.
Process for Appeal
If a Regional Contact wishes to appeal the Regional Network Committee’s decision, they may do so by contacting regional-network@burningman.org.
Local Community Conflict Resolution and Resources
Burning Man encourages local communities to resolve their own conflicts whenever possible. We believe that the people who know the community best and are closest to the issue often find the best solutions. We trust that community members can work together with open minds to align with our shared values. However, when a conflict involves a Regional Contact or Regional Event, Burning Man may step in to ensure that the principles and standards guiding these roles are upheld.
For those interested in building conflict resolution skills, we highly recommend courses available on Burning Man Hive, Burning Man’s free learning platform including Giving and Receiving Feedback, Conflict Resolution and De-escalation, Difficult Conversations, Emotional Intelligence, and Collaborative Decision-Making.