[Sugar-devel] [SLOB] approval needed for Bender's GCI travel expenses

[Walter Bender]

Fellow oversight board members,

I would appreciate if someone would propose a motion as per Bradley's email
below so that I can get reimbursed for my travel to the Google Mentor
Summit.

thx.

-walter

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Bradley M. Kuhn via RT <accounts-payable at tix.sfconservancy.org>
Date: Fri, Jul 6, 2018 at 8:04 PM
Subject: [sfconservancy.org #898] SLOBS approval needed for Bender's GCI
travel expenses.
To: <walter.bender at gmail.com>


Walter Bender via RT wrote on Sunday,  1 July:
> As you know, Google sponsors one mentor from each participating org to
> attend the summit and the costs of the trip are passed through to Google.
...
> Please contact me if you have any further questions.

This assessment is actually no longer accurate, and as such, we need
approval from SLOBs to proceed with the travel reimbursement, just like we
do with any other.  Adam, could you as Representative communicate that SLOBs
approved $614.03 for Walter's travel.

Reasons we need such approval are below:

The information that Walter relied on to write the above is out of date.  A
few years ago, Google changed the nature of the way payments are made for
GCI and GSoC.  While, informally, Google requests that a certain part of the
payments be used for travel expenses for the GCI and GSoC Mentor Summits
(respectively) there is no longer a formal requirement, agreement, nor
arrangement that requires Conservancy (and its Sugar Labs project) to use
these funds for that purpose.  Sugar Labs could use the funds for any
purpose that fits within the project and Conservancy's charitable mission.
Thus, under the FSA with Conservancy, it's up to Sugar Labs to recommend
that how we spend the funds.

As you decide on whether you'd like to pay the funds for this purpose, note
that Bender's expenses are substantially less than the amount given as a
donation for GCI.  Sugar received $7,380.00 total for its participation in
GCI 2017

Finally, please avoid the phrase "pass through" with regard to funds at
Conservancy.  Regardless of any specific donation situation, Conservancy
*does not* do any activity as a "pass through" fiscal sponsor.  That phrase
has specific meaning in USA-non-profit circles and that's never what we're
doing here, no matter what.



Meanwhile, Walter, there's a receipt missing:

> $25 Baggage fee*

> * My restricted fare on United did not allow me any luggage beyond a
> personal bag for my laptop. I managed on the way out, but could not
> manage on the way back, hence I had to check a bag.

This is within policy, but it does require a receipt when proposed as a
stand-alone expense.  It looks like you didn't attach the receipt.  (I
noticed you attached the same file twice, so I suspect that there is another
file of receipts we haven't gotten yet).

AFIAK, all major airline give a receipt for checked luggage at the time they
collect payment.  If you lost that, in my experience, you can get the
receipt from the airline's website from your account after the fact.

Please send along the $25 receipt.  Everything else seems well documented.

Note in future you don't need to include receipts for M&IE; please take a
look at the travel policy section regarding that:
  https://sfconservancy.org/projects/policies/conservancy-travel-policy.html



-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org
<http://www.sugarlabs.org>
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