Membership Policy

Dates and Times of Events

At FoST, we value the time, energy, and resources that our members put toward their participation in the FoST Explorers Club. This membership includes exclusive access to eleven hybrid adventures between January and December of 2023, as well as to a number of additional talks, performances, and social activities. The date and time of each event will vary based on the master storyteller’s time zone and studio hours. You are invited to attend as many or as few of the events as you like and will be able to find recordings of each one in the member portal afterward if you miss one. Tours, speakers, performances, and other scheduled programming may be subject to change; FoST will make best efforts to notify members of any changes to the schedule in advance.

In-Person Event Attendance Policy 

FoST Explorers Club trips, tours, and some other events will be open for members to attend in-person. If space permits, members may be able to invite their spouses, domestic partners, or other family members over the age of 21. The same Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct (see below) apply to these in-person gatherings as they do to the virtual events. The tour admission will be covered by FoST, but you will be responsible for getting yourself there and all of your travel accommodations, meals, etc.

Virtual Event Attendance Policy

FoST Explorers Club Members are welcome to bring their live-in spouses, domestic partners, and children to the virtual tours. If you miss a tour, FoST will provide recordings of them on the member portal so you can watch them at your convenience. These films and any other recorded material that is shared are the exclusive property of FoST and are only for use by FoST Explorers Club members and their live-in families. They are not to be shared with others outside of the group or online.

Technical Issues

FoST strives to ensure that all of our equipment and connections are functioning ahead of time for a smooth and enjoyable user experience for virtual attendees of each tour. However, the FoST Explorers Club will take place across numerous time zones over many days and may at times be prone to technical issues such as internet interruptions or outages on the part of the host. FoST will use reasonable efforts to correct these issues in real time or, failing that, to replace or reschedule the experience for another date if unable to rectify technical issues that are solely the responsibility of FoST and/or the host.

Privacy Policy

The FoST Explorers Club values mutual respect, discretion, and trust. In order for everyone to feel comfortable speaking openly and candidly, what is shared during tours, speaker sessions, socials, cabin meetings, and any other events, either virtually or in person, must be kept in strict confidence among members.

The information that members choose to share with each other in this FoST Explorers Club membership directory may be of a confidential nature, and is shared with other members in the spirit of encouraging social interaction and personal communication. Club members are asked to respect the confidentiality of fellow members when using this private directory. Club members should not use the email addresses of fellow members for communications or solicitations of a commercial nature. Our portal allows you to hide or share your email. You can edit your sharing status by editing your profile at any time.

Non-Solicitation Policy

The FoST Explorers Club is a place to make new friendships and openly exchange ideas. The club therefore maintains a strict non-solicitation policy. Overt solicitation, misuse of our member list for business development or marketing, or sharing of member information with non-members is strictly prohibited.

Code of Conduct

We value our members’ safety and have worked hard to create an environment where all are welcome, respected, and included, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment or discriminatory behavior toward club members, FoST staff, or speakers in any form. Please be kind to others and behave in a professional manner at all times. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate during FoST Explorers Club events.

Attendees violating these rules may have their membership revoked without a refund at the sole discretion of FoST. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, and/or religion

Any bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive statements

Sending or sharing of sexual images

Deliberate intimidation or stalking

Harassing photography or recording

Sustained disruption of tours or other events

Inappropriate physical contact at in-person events

Unwelcome sexual attention

Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, FoST retains the right to take any actions to keep the club a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the FoST Explorers Club without refund.

We expect club members to follow these rules at all FoST Explorers Club events, both virtual and in-person.

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible (see below). Harassment and other Code of Conduct violations reduce the value of the FoST Explorers Club for everyone.

If you have any incident to report, please email Bonnie Eldon, our VP & COO, at bonnie@fost.org. We take any kind of harassment seriously as a company and community and want our members to feel safe and welcome.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Policy

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no “zero risk” when it comes to any kind of gathering – especially events that bring groups of people together. Regardless of the size of the event, you are at risk from COVID-19 whenever you get together with people.

We advise all members to take precautions to help fight the spread of COVID-19 while attending our in-person events. If you don’t feel well or show any symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home.

Additional precautions for gatherings are outlined by the World Health Organization. Masks and COVID tests are not required to attend our events, but are still recommended. For guidelines on isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19, please visit the CDC website.

Membership Fee 

The fee to join the FoST Explorers Club covers the costs to open the facilities for private tours; the cost of equipment and crew to film the tours; tech support; shipping of physical mailer items; and our creative team’s time for the curatorial work, design, and production of the experiences. This fee is non-refundable. Because of the extremely exclusive nature of the club, your membership is non-transferrable. The membership fee is for the entire program and cannot be prorated in the event you are not available for all adventures or all year. FoST reserves the right to (a) refuse admission, and (b) revoke, without refund, this membership at any time, for any reason.