An ABC must be an open process. It must be built on a volunteering membership, where each member submits to the bylaws of the ABC for the greater goal of providing credible circulation information to foster more advertising sales and a stronger footing in financial viability.
This submission must be taken into consideration when writing and discussing the bylaws of an ABC.
Another feature of transparency is its open communications, both within the membership and to its public – information seekers to advertisers to media agencies. Many ABCs make public their membership list, the audited titles list, the audited figures, and all rules and regulations.
The internal work of the ABC must be verifiable by the members. As long as trust is an ABC’s foundation, it is counterproductive to be secretive, or to create the impression of hiding information.