policies/Travel/Conservancy-Travel-Policy.txt

Software Freedom Conservancy Travel and Reimbursable Expense 
Policy 

1 Purpose 

This Travel and Reimbursable Expense Policy (“Policy”) applies to 
all Conservancy Member Projects (“Projects”) of Software Freedom 
Conservancy (“Conservancy”) and has been created to memorialize 
Conservancy's reimbursement policies relating to travel and other 
business expenses incurred by Conservancy staff, Project 
Leadership Committee (“PLC”) members, and project volunteers 
while engaged in business on behalf of, or at the behest of 
Conservancy and/or a Project (“Travelers”). 

Conservancy must maintain effective control of business­‐related 
expenses in order to maintain its financial viability and tax 
exempt status. As such, Conservancy expects persons to use good 
judgment and to claim reimbursement for only those expenses that 
are necessary and reasonable. Excessive expenses, including but 
not limited to luxury accommodations and services unnecessary for 
or unrelated to the furtherance of Conservancy's charitable 
mission are not eligible for reimbursement. 

Any travel expense that adheres to this Policy is considered 
In-Policy and does not require special approval, so long as the 
trip itself has been approved in writing by Conservancy's 
Executive Director or by a Project's Leadership Committee (“PLC”) 
in a regular and documented PLC vote. Conservancy and/or a PLC 
can limit allowable travel expenses to an amount less than what 
would otherwise be considered acceptable according to this 
Policy. If so, the smaller budget is the maximum allowed expense. 

2 Project Leadership Committee Review

Conservancy foresees the need for periodic reasonable exceptions 
to this Policy. Persons working on behalf of a specific Project 
seeking an exception to this Policy must petition their PLC to 
obtain written approval from Conservancy authorizing the 
exception. Persons working directly on behalf of Conservancy must 
seeking an exception to the Policy must obtain written approval 
from Conservancy authorizing the exception. 

PLCs are responsible for creating procedures for requesting 
exceptions, and submitting to Conservancy reimbursement requests 
associated with their respective Projects. PLCs are also 
responsible for making available a list of required response 
times for inquiries, including but not limited to, the following 
two cases: a specific number of days to respond to regular 
reimbursement requests, and a specific number of days to respond 
to pre-authorization requests. 

3 Air Travel

3.1 Overall Airfare Cost 

Domestic travel greater than U.S.$750 requires Conservancy 
approval prior to booking, even if all other Policy conditions 
have been met. International travel greater than U.S.$1,500 
requires Conservancy approval prior to booking, even if all other 
Policy conditions have been met.

3.2 Class of Service 

Coach Airfare is the only acceptable class for all flights 
(domestic and international) unless a PLC provides a special 
exception and a valid reason to Conservancy for written approval. 
Travelers may select their airline of choice (e.g., for the 
purpose of collecting airline miles and rewards), provided that 
the resulting air fare otherwise meets the requirements of this 
Policy. Travelers should not book out-of-Policy trips (and thus 
pay a higher fare) in order to qualify for a mileage upgrade. 

3.3 Advance Purchase 

Travel should be booked at least 14 days in advance; any travel 
booked less than 14 days in advance requires written 
pre-authorization by Conservancy. Flights beyond 365 days in 
advance also require written pre-authorization by Conservancy. 

3.4 Low Fare

Conservancy aims to balance cost savings with convenience and 
considers flights that are within U.S.$200 of the lowest logical 
fare to be within Policy. Any flights greater than U.S.$200 over 
the lowest logical fare require written pre­‐authorization by 
Conservancy. PLCs shall use Kayak.com as the comparison shopping 
site for determining the baseline lowest fare. 

3.5 Reasonable Flights 

Conservancy asks that travelers allow for flexibility with 
respect to departure times during a desired day of travel, as 
well as longer trips in order to reduce cost. However, 
Conservancy does consider flights with two or more connections as 
unreasonable and does not expect travelers to consider those 
flight options to be reasonable.

3.6 Additional Days of Travel

Travelers often seek to add extra days before or after an 
approved trip (e.g., the weekend before a conference). A traveler 
may seek approval for the expenses associated with an extended 
stay prior to booking the trip, provided that the additional days 
are solely to enable a traveler to conduct work within the PLC's 
objectives and Conservancy's charitable mission. Travelers may 
seek approval to book travel itineraries that include extra days 
for personal reasons, so long as the cost of the flight meets the 
other requirements of this Policy. Other expenses incurred during 
extra personal days beyond air fare and transportation to and 
from the airport are not reimbursable. 

3.7 Excess Baggage 

Should a team member travel on an airline that charges for a 
single piece of checked baggage, such a baggage expense is 
eligible for reimbursement. Team members are responsible for 
charges on any baggage beyond a single piece. 

3.8 Out-of-Policy Bookings 

All air travel not adhering to the above Policies are considered 
Out-of-Policy and require written pre-authorization by 
Conservancy's Executive Director.

3.9 Cancellation Fees

Cancellation fees and other penalties incurred result of a change 
of plans are reimbursable at Conservancy's discretion. In 
general, Conservancy shall reimburse such fees if the traveler 
can submit a valid reason for the change of plans. Acceptable 
reasons include Conservancy and/or the PLC canceling or altering 
the trip or unexpected delays in flight connections. In instances 
where these fees are incurred without adequate explanation, 
Conservancy reserves the right to refuse to reimburse the cost of 
the fees. 

4 Other Reimbursable Expenses 

Conservancy will reimburse persons for Project-related expenses 
that are incurred while traveling on approved Project business 
and/or approved Conservancy business. Only necessary, ordinary 
and reasonable expenses are eligible for reimbursement, and only 
those categories of expenses listed in this document qualify. 

4.1 Lodging 

In some cases, Conservancy or a PLC may decide to book lodging on 
behalf of travelers. In this case, Conservancy­‐booked lodging is 
always considered In-Policy. If a traveler wants to stay 
elsewhere or self-book at the same location, Conservancy will 
only reimburse the team member the amount that it would otherwise 
have paid. Travelers are expected to be cost-conscious and 
prudent when booking lodging for approved trips. Lodging 
documentation submitted as part of a reimbursement request must 
include a copy of the hotel invoice detailing all charges (credit 
card receipts alone are unacceptable). Conservancy will not 
reimburse travelers for any costs associated with an upgrade of 
room accommodations. 

4.2 Meals and Incidental Expenses

4.2.1 Overview

Travelers can submit for a per diem for meals and incidental 
expenses for every day of a trip devoted to PLC- and/or 
Conservancy-related mission work, including the day(s) of travel 
itself. Maximum per diem rates for travel within the United 
States shall be based on the United States General Services 
Administration's Per Diem calculator (www.gsa.gov/perdiem), using 
the ZIP code of the travel destination. For example, a traveler 
based in Pao Alto, CA heading to a conference in Atlanta, GA 
(with a layover in Dallas, TX each way) will use the ZIP code of 
the destination in Atlanta to calculate the maximum per diem for 
the entire trip, including days of travel. Maximum per diem rates 
for locations outside of the United States shall be based on the 
United States Department of State's “Foreign Per Diem Rates by 
Location” calculator's “Meals & Incidental Expenses” (M&IE) 
column (http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp), using the 
name of a listed city closest to the travel destination. For 
example, a traveler based in Pao Alto heading to a conference in 
London, England (with a layover in New York City) has a maximum 
per diem of the M&IE per diem listed London for the entire trip, 
including days of travel. 

Conservancy encourages travelers to be conservative with their 
per diem submissions. 

PLCs and/or Conservancy have the authority to set lower per diems 
than those generated by the calculators above. In those 
instances, travelers will only be able to submit for the lower 
per diems. 

4.2.2 Group Meals 

For groups of travelers on an In-Policy trip, each traveler 
should pay for his/her own meals, seeing as all participants will 
have an opportunity to submit for separate per diems after the 
trip. 

For clarification purposes, this Policy does not relate to 
planned group events that include meals and/or refreshments 
(e.g., a PLC-organized conference that includes lunch for all 
attendees). Further, PLCs and/or Conservancy retain the right to 
allocate a separate budget for anticipated large group meals 
beyond the individual per diem limits of each traveler, provided 
that they are within the PLC's technical objectives and/or 
Conservancy's mission. Travelers anticipating a need to cover 
such a large group meal may seek pre-approval from his/her PLC 
and/or Conservancy for such expenses before the trip. 

4.2.3 Meals For Organizational Development

Travelers may occasionally have the need to invite third parties, 
e.g., prospective donors, contributors, community members, etc., 
to meals in order to further a PLC's technical direction and/or 
Conservancy's mission. Conservancy recommends that travelers seek 
pre-approval from their PLC and/or Conservancy for such meals. 

4.2.4 Phone Call Charges Part of Per Diem

Charges for personal phone calls (e.g., made from a hotel, or via 
a mobile phone in international travel) are not reimbursable as 
an expense separate from the allocated per diem. 

4.3 Ground Transportation 

Ground transportation necessary as part of authorized Project 
trips is considered to be a reasonable expense. Public ground 
transportation, such as taxis, shuttles, buses and municipal 
transit, are generally the most cost-effective options and are 
the standard for eligible ground transportation reimbursements. 
All car rentals require pre-authorization by the PLC or by 
Conservancy's Executive Director. When car rentals have been 
pre­‐approved, the rental of compact cars is encouraged; mid‐size 
vehicles are authorized when necessary (e.g., when compact­‐sized 
vehicles are not available or the number of passengers or volume 
of baggage makes a compact vehicle impractical). 

4.4 Rail Transportation

Rail transportation as a means of travel for an authorized 
Project trip is considered to be a reasonable expense. All rail 
transportation must be in economy class in North America. 

4.5 Use of Personal Vehicles 

When circumstances require travelers to utilize their personal 
vehicles for Project purposes, he/she can be reimbursed at the 
current IRS rate per mile, plus any related parking expenses and 
toll fees.

5 Non-reimbursable Expenses

Non-reimbursable expenses are identified throughout this policy. 
The following items are typically non-reimbursable expenses: 

• Partner, spouse, and/or companion travel

• First class travel

• Upgrades to air travel, car rentals, or hotel rooms

• Purchase of clothing, luggage, toiletries and other 
  miscellaneous personal items 

• Supplemental travel or car rental insurance

• Fines, penalties, or legal fees

• Personal entertainment or recreational expenses beyond the 
  allotted per diem

6 Satisfaction of IRS Requirements 

Reimbursed travel expenses are subject to examination by the 
Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Travelers are responsible for 
retaining documentary evidence that all expenses are strictly for 
Project- and/or Conservancy-related purposes, not personal in 
nature, and therefore not includable as taxable income to the 
traveler. Receipts are required for all expenses, no matter the 
amount.

7 Currency Exchange Rates 

Expenses incurred in foreign currencies will be converted to US 
dollars based on the exchange rate on the date of incursion. The 
currency exchange rate of record shall be the one posted at 
Oanda.com. 

8 Approvals

Travelers traveling on behalf of a Project must seek approvals 
and submit expense reports to their PLC. PLCs are to review those 
expense reports and pass them along to Conservancy's Executive 
Director for final approval and reimbursement. 

Travelers traveling on behalf of Conservancy must seek approvals 
and submit expense reports to Conservancy's Executive Director. 
Conservancy staff must seek approvals and submit expense reports 
to Conservancy's Treasurer or to another Conservancy Board Member 
designated by Conservancy's Board. 

9 Expense Reporting

Travelers seeking reimbursement must submit an expense report to 
the appropriate channel with the following information:

• Name of traveler 

• Brief description of trip and trip's purpose (e.g., “August 
  2011 trip to XYZ conference for ABC project, served as planning 
  committee member”; “Feb. '12 FOO hackfest in Portland, OR; 
  contributed code”)

• Number of days traveled (with documentary evidence, e.g., 
  conference itinerary, etc.) and associated per diem

• List of expenses not covered by per diem (e.g., transportation, 
  lodging) with substantiating receipts (or scans of receipts) 

  – In the event that it is impractical to obtain a required 
    receipt or if such receipt has been inadvertently destroyed, 
    the traveler should furnish a written statement to that 
    effect, as well as an explanation of the expenditure involved

Any expense without a substantiated receipt and/or a supporting 
written statement will not be reimbursed. 

Conservancy requests that all expense reports be submitted within 
two weeks of travel. Expense reports filed more than 60 days 
after expenses are incurred will not be reimbursed without the 
approval of Conservancy's Board. 

10 Consequences of Policy Violations

Failure to comply with this policy may result in the denial of, 
or delay in payment for, reimbursement requests. 

11 Policy Changes 

The Conservancy reserves the right to change any terms of this 
Policy from time to time. The Policy of record shall be the 
Policy most recently distributed by the Conservancy.