reimbursement policies relating to travel and other business expenses

members, and project volunteers while engaged in business on behalf of, or

This Policy includes an Easy Reference Guide that can be used as a

template for most of the travel covered under this Policy.  When in doubt,

refer to the more detailed sections below.

Conservancy must maintain effective control of business-related expenses

in order to maintain its financial viability and tax exempt status.

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

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

incurring an expenses to ensure you understand what expenses can be

reimbursed.

Travelers should adhere to the following guidelines to stay In-Policy.

* Before you buy tickets, save a screenshot of a flight search that

  shows the least expensive fare available from multiple airlines for

  the dates you need to travel.

* Book at least 14 days in advance.

* Fares within $100 of that lowest fare you found are In-Policy, even if

  you book on a different site or for different dates.

* Fares over $750 domestically or $1,500 internationally require

  Conservancy's pre-approval.

* Hotel fares < GSA rates are In-Policy.  Visit

  destination.

* Be sure the receipt from your hotel includes the dates of your

  stay, not just a total.

* Your fare search (i.e., a screen shot)

* Your plane/rail ticket (e-confirmation of purchase is sufficient)

* Your hotel/lodging invoice

* Use your per-diem to cover meals and incidental expenses.

* Your per-diem is based on GSA guidelines.  Visit

  destination.

* Try to be frugal - GSM per-diem rates are rather generous.

* When attending a conference where food is included, Do The Right

  Thing and claim a lower per-diem.

* To receive reimbursement, send hotel and flight/rail receipt,

  along with a list of Per Diem days and totals to

  section below for details.

* Your complete reimbursement request must be submitted to

Note that reimbursements are only processed once per week.  While we usually

can turn around reimbursements in about two weeks' time, please be advised

  Conservancy's preference, are:

  * PayPal.  For this, we need (a) the email address that is registered to

      NOTE: Typically, when choosing PayPal as a payment option, amounts owed

            in USD will be paid in USD, regardless of your preferred currency

    country.  For this option, I need as much of the following information

    as it's possible for you to collect.

      * Full Name of the Account Holder

      * Full Address of the Account Holder

      * Account Number

      * Preferred Currency

      * Bank Name

      * Bank Address

      * Bank ACH or ABA routing number (for banks in the US);

        or SWIFT and/or BIC code (for banks outside the US)

      * All countries inside the EU: IBAN

      * United States: Phone Number of the Account Holder

      Banks outside the US will often designate a Correspondent Bank when

      receiving funds from the US.  If you can give us the Correspondent

be sure to have your designated Representative review the materials and

send an approval message to Conservancy.

Conservancy foresees the need for periodic reasonable exceptions to

this Policy.  Persons working on behalf of a specific Project seeking

sufficient funds to cover a Traveler's expense request, the PLC should

contact Conservancy.

Domestic transportation costs greater than US$750 requires Conservancy

approval prior to booking, even if all other Policy conditions have been

Conservancy approval prior to booking, even if all other Policy conditions

have been met.

Tickets for travel by air or rail (excluding commuter train and subway)

should be booked at least 14 days in advance; any travel booked less than

Tickets for travel by air or rail beyond 365 days in advance also require

written pre-authorization by Conservancy.

Coach and/or Economy Airfare is the only acceptable class for all flights

(domestic and international) unless a PLC provides a special exception and

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.

Air 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.

Conservancy aims to balance cost savings with convenience and considers

flights that are within US$100 of the lowest logical fare to be within

fare search that meets all of these criteria:

* The search must include fares from multiple airlines.

* The search must cover only the dates of relevant travel.  For example, if

  you're attending a conference that runs Monday through Friday, the search

  must have you arriving no earlier than Sunday, and leaving no later than

  Saturday.

* Except as allowed by Policy, the search must not use filters that might

  exclude the least expensive fare.  For example, you may filter out

  flights with two or more connections, since Conservancy does not

  airlines, or flights without WiFi.

Any widely-recognized airfare search site that lists results from multiple

the traveler must submit the output (such as a screenshot or printout from

the browser) of a online fare search as part of documentation in airfare

pricing.  Make sure the output shows the least expensive fare available.

Any flights greater than US$100 over the lowest logical fare require

written pre-authorization by Conservancy.

Conservancy asks that Travelers allow for flexibility with respect

to departure times during a desired day of travel, as well as longer

flights with two or more connections as unreasonable and does not

expect Travelers to consider those flight options to be reasonable.

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.

the Project's and Conservancy's mission (i.e., bringing t-shirts and other

promotional materials to an event).

All air travel not adhering to the above Policies are considered Out-of-Policy

and require written pre-authorization by Conservancy's Executive Director.

Cancellation fees and other penalties incurred result of a change

of plans are reimbursable at Conservancy's discretion.  In general,

without adequate explanation, Conservancy reserves the right to refuse

to reimburse the cost of the fees.

Ground transportation necessary as part of authorized Project trips

is considered to be a reasonable expense.   Public ground transportation,

vehicles are not available or the number of passengers or volume of

baggage makes a compact vehicle impractical).

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 and/or coach class.

When circumstances require Travelers to utilize their personal vehicles

for Project purposes, they can be reimbursed at the current USA IRS

are encouraged to find the lowest cost parking area reasonably near

their destination.

Travelers are expected to be cost-conscious and prudent when booking

lodging for approved trips, and to verify that rates are within the

If the cost per-diem of lodging chosen by the Traveler and/or the PLC

exceeds the

Lodging documentation submitted as part of a reimbursement request must

include a copy of the hotel invoice detailing all charges (credit card

reimburses for room charges (plus relevant taxes and fees) for the necessary

travel dates, the receipt from the hotel must clearly show the dates of stay,

and separately list room charges and any food or service charges.

book lodging on behalf of Travelers.  In this case, Conservancy-booked

lodging is always considered In-Policy.

Conservancy will reimburse persons for Project-related expenses that

are incurred while traveling on approved Project business and/or approved

are eligible for reimbursement, and only those categories of expenses

listed in this document qualify.

These per diem rates are the maximum daily rate Travelers can claim.  If a

conference has provided food, or food is provided in some other form, or

than those generated by the calculators above.  In those instances,

Travelers will only be able to submit for the lower per diems.

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

summary of the meeting, indicating what was accomplished for the Project's

and Conservancy's mission.

Travelers may occasionally have the need to invite third parties,

e.g., prospective donors, contributors, community members, etc., to

written paragraph summary of the meeting, indicating what was accomplished

for the Project's and Conservancy's mission.

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.

Any fees associated with currency conversion are not reimbursable as an

expense separate from the allocated per diem.

Conservancy will reimburse conference registration fees up to $100 per day

for Travelers on approved Project business and/or approved Conservancy

Travelers seeking reimbursement for registration fees that exceed $100 per

day must obtain prior approval from Conservancy's Executive Director.

Internet access/wi-fi fees charged by a hotel are reimbursable, provided

that they are listed on the hotel/lodging invoice submitted for

services, personal wi-fi hotspots, internet cafes) are not reimbursable

except as incidental expenses to be covered by a Traveler's per-diem.

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

the trip.  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 transportation costs are not reimbursable.

Non-reimbursable expenses are identified throughout this policy.  The

following items are typically non-reimbursable expenses:

must ensure that Conservancy does not receive nor reimburse any charges

for any such transaction.

Reimbursed travel expenses are subject to examination by the USA Internal

Revenue Service (IRS).  Travelers are responsible for retaining documentary

includable as taxable income to the Traveler.  Receipts are required for

all expenses, no matter the amount.

Expenses incurred in foreign currencies will be converted to US dollars

Travelers traveling on behalf of a Project must seek approvals and

submit expense reports to their PLC.  PLCs are to review those expense

Treasurer or to another Conservancy Board Member designated by Conservancy's

Board.

Travelers seeking reimbursement must submit an expense report to the

appropriate channel with the following information:

* Name of Traveler

trip to XYZ conference for ABC project, served as planning committee

* A brief paragraph explaining what was accomplished for the project

during your travel.

* List of expenses not covered by per diem (e.g., transportation, lodging)

with substantiating receipts (or scans of receipts).

  lost/destroyed receipt.

Any expense without a substantiated receipt and/or a supporting written

Conservancy requests that all expense reports be submitted within two

weeks of travel.  Expense reports filed more than 90 days after expenses

Reimbursements are paid by Conservancy on a NET-30 basis, from the

date of receipt by Conservancy of the fully complete report and supporting

documentation for the travel.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in the denial of, or delay

in payment for, reimbursement requests.

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