policies/Travel/Conservancy-Travel-Policy.tex

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\title{Software Freedom Conservancy Travel and Reimbursable Expense Policy }

\maketitle

\section{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 employees, project volunteers, and while
engaged in business on behalf of, or at the behest Conservancy or
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. 


\section{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 preauthorization requests. 


\section{Air Travel}


\subsection{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.


\subsection{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. 


\subsection{Advance Purchase }

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


\subsection{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. 


\subsection{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.


\subsection{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. 


\subsection{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. 


\subsection{Out-of-Policy Bookings }

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


\subsection{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. 


\section{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. 


\subsection{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. 


\subsection{Meals \& Incidental Expenses}


\subsubsection{Overview. }

Travelers can submit for reimbursement receipts 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. Expenses shall
be reimbursed up to a ``per diem'' limit. Per diem limits 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 per diem for the entire trip, including days
of travel. 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) will use an M\&IE
per diem for London for the entire trip, including days of travel. 


\subsubsection{Group Meals}

For groups of travelers on an In-Policy trip, a single traveler can
submit for reimbursement a receipt for a group meal. To do so, that
traveler must include the names of the other travelers who participated
the meal in his/her expense report, and the average cost of each meal
will be applied towards the per diem limit for each traveler. Travelers
may not submit for reimbursement the cost of meals and incidental
expenses for third parties not traveling at the behest of the PLC
and/or Conservancy (e.g., friends, contacts met at a conference, etc.)
unless the purpose of the meal is within the PLC's technical objective
and/or Conservancy's mission. However, even reimbursable meals within
third parties are subject to the traveler's calculated per diem limit.
As an example, a traveler may expense a lunch with a contact met at
a conference to discuss trending issues relating to free software.
The expense of both meals would be reimbursable up to the limits of
the traveler's per diem. In contrast, if that same traveler had dinner
with an old college friend in town to catch up, only the traveler's
meal would be reimbursable. The college friend's meal would not be
reimbursable, even if the traveler's daily meals and incidental expenses
were otherwise under his/her per diem limit. 

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 wtihin 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. If pre-approval
is granted, the expenses of the large group meal will not be counted
toward the individual per diem limits of any participants traveling
on behalf of his/her PLC and/or Conservancy.


\subsubsection{No Entitlement to Balance of Per Diem}

Travelers who submit for reimbursement receipts that total up to less
than the available per diem for their location shall not be entitled
to the balance of the per diem as a pay out. Travelers who book itineraries
that include extra days for personal reasons will not be allotted
a per diem for the additional days. 


\subsubsection{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 reimbursable, and count
towards a traveler's per diem. 


\subsection{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). 


\subsection{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. 


\subsection{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.


\section{Non-reimbursable Expenses}

Non-reimbursable expenses are identified throughout this policy. The
following items are typically non-reimbursable expenses: 
\begin{itemize}
\item Partner, spouse, and/or companion travel
\item First class travel
\item Upgrades to air travel, car rentals, or hotel rooms
\item Purchase of clothing, luggage, toiletries and other miscellaneous
personal items 
\item Supplemental travel or car rental insurance
\item Fines, penalties, or legal fees
\item Personal entertainment or recreational expenses beyond the alotted
per diem
\end{itemize}

\section{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-related purposes,
not personal in nature, and therefor not includable as taxable income
to the traveler. Receipts are required for all expenses, no matter
the amount.


\section{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. 


\section{Expense Reporting}

Travelers seeking reimbursement must submit an expense report to Conservancy
with the following information:
\begin{itemize}
\item Name of traveler 
\item 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'')
\item Itemized list of expenses
\item Receipts (or scans of receipts) to substantiate each expense
\item 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
\end{itemize}
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. 


\section{Consequences of Policy Violations}

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


\section{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. 
\end{document}