Talk:Reimbursement Policy

Proposed amendments

The following amendments are proposed. Amqui (talk) 17:48, 14 September 2017 (UTC)

Scope

(no change)

Purpose and principle

(no change)

Definitions

(no change, but adding the following)

1. Requester (demandeur ou demandeuse). Volunteer who is seeking reimbursement from Wikimedia Canada.

Reimbursement Process

The Reimbursement Process of Wikimedia Canada is divided into three phases: Pre-Approval, Approval, and Payment. All three phases are captured into the same Reimbursement Form that must be filled for every project or activity for which there are reimbursements to be made. It is not permissible to split expenses for a same activity or project into different Reimbursement Forms.

A single Point of Contact, generally a Board Member or a Project Manager, will be assigned for each Reimbursement Form to serve as the link between the requester and the Board.

Pre-Approval

The goal of the pre-approval is to ensure that budget is available for a particular project or activity before expenses are incurred and to confirm to the requesters that they will be reimbursed before they incur expenses. All reimbursements should be pre-approved by the Board using the Reimbursement Form before the expenses are incurred. Reimbursements for non pre-approved expenses are not guaranteed and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Board. It is the responsibility of each requester to track their pre-approved budget.

It is allowed for a requester to initiate a Reimbursement Form after he/she already incurred the expenses. In that case, the Reimbursement Form must still go through the pre-approval process to ensure that the budget for this particular project or activity is available and that it is an approved activity. The requester is taking the risk of not being reimbursed or being only partially reimbursed.

The Pre-Approval section of the Reimbursement Form must include all necessary quotes and the method of payment to be used for the reimbursement before it can be pre-approved. Once the Reimbursement Form is approved, the pre-approved budget amount is the maximum that is guaranteed to be reimbursed for each item.

The following sections of this policy describe what is considered reasonable costs for travel, transportation, meals and lodging. All other expenses for activities, including but not limited to renting equipment, prizes for contests, snacks for participants, will need to be arranged between the organizer and his/her Point of Contact or the Project Manager and will be based on experience for similar expenses in comparable circumstances. Some restrictions, as defined in Section 10, apply and will not be reimbursed in any circumstances.

For Pre-Approval up to 2,000 CAD, the Reimbursement Form must be pre-approved by two (2) Board Members. For Pre-Approval exceeding 2,000 CAD, a resolution of the board is necessary to pre-approve the Reimbursement Form. The Board Members pre-approving the reimbursements shall ensure that the project or activity is supported by Wikimedia Canada and that budget is available through the Projects Committee.

Approval

The goal of the approval process is to confirm that the expenses incurred where in line with the pre-approved budget and that all necessary documentation, such as receipts and activity reports, are submitted before the payment is made. No payment will be made before the activity report is accepted by the Point of Contact and the Reimbursement Form is approved, as per this Policy.

Any requester shall submit a finalized Reimbursement Form within ninety (90) days of the completion of the activity. It is the responsibility of the requester to ensure that the Reimbursement Form is complete. It needs to list all the expenses in details that are being reimbursed with receipts, as required. The reimbursement for expenses above the pre-approved budget or for items that were not on the pre-approval is at the discretion of the Board and must come with justifications.

Prior to payment being made, the finalized Reimbursement Form must be approved. If the completed Reimbursement Form is for the exact same items and amounts or less than the pre-approval, the finalized Reimbursement Form may be approved by one (1) Board Member. If there are additional items or the requested amount is over the pre-approved amount, both the amount for each item and the total amount, the finalized Reimbursement Form may be approved by two (2) Board Members, at their discretion based on submitted justifications and the scope of the activity, as long as total increase of budget is twenty percent (20%) or less of the pre-approved budget and no more than 1,000 CAD. If the total budget increase is more than twenty percent (20%) of the pre-approved budget or more than 1,000 CAD, a resolution of the board is necessary to approve the reimbursement.

Payment

Payments shall be made through the form of payment that has been pre-approved between the requester and the Board. All payments from Wikimedia Canada will be made by a Board Member, generally the Treasurer.

Generally Wikimedia Canada does not provide advances and only carry out payments for actual expenses that have been made. In special circumstances, Wikimedia Canada may provide advances for specific activities, at the discretion of the Board.

Restrictions for board members

No Board Member can pre-approve, approve or pay a Reimbursement Form in which he/she is a person being reimbursed.

At least one (1) Board Member pre-approving and approving the Reimbursement Form should not have been involved directly in the activity, unless this is impossible, in which case a resolution of the Board is necessary to authorize the payment(s) to each participant.

If the requester is a Board Member, he/she shall recuse himself/herself from the discussions and the vote on the resolution for pre-approval, approval and payment.

(no change to the rest of the policy)