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.