Reps/SOPs/Budget
Overview
In order to effectively support Mozilla Rep activities/projects around the world, a budget request SOP exists to evaluate, approve budget requests submitted by Mozilla Reps and efficiently disburse funds.
This SOP outlines/answers the following questions:
- What questions should I ask myself before requesting a budget?
- Opening a bug can be a lot of work. Make sure that you have answered all the questions mentioned on the assessment criteria before you open your bug. If you’re not sure about a question please don’t hesitate to reach out to your mentor. He/She will be able to help you plan your event.
- What things do I have to check to submit a budget.
- So what is the information that I need to add in my bug and my event page so my bug can be ready for review? On the budget guidelines section you will be able to find a small checklist with the necessary things, a small blogpost from Regnard and a table with all the things that can be approved in the Program
- How does the process work once I submitted the budget?
- The Reps program follows a double approval procedure. Check the procedure page for more technical details.
- What should I do to get reimbursed before and after the event?
- So you got approval but you’re unsure on how you will receive the funds. Check the Disbursement of Funds and Follow up.
Assessment Criteria
Main focus areas
- It is essential that clear criteria of relevance and success be established so that the ReMo Council can properly assess budget requests. It is important to consider the following questions when evaluating a budget request:
- Which goals is this event supporting?
- How this budget is important for the success of the event?
- Does this opportunity represent a relatively small level of financial support that will have a large impact on others in the Mozilla community?
- Does the project empower other members of the community?
- How will Mozilla's financial support impact others both in Mozilla and in the larger user-community? Is the investment in the community being successfully leveraged?
- How measurable is the success of the event/activity and how easy is the follow-up ?
- Does this budget directly impact a functional area goal?
Disqualification of Budget Requests
Budget requests received less than 3 weeks before the targeted launch date of the event/activity in question will automatically be rejected (exceptions can be made but only with council approval).
This 3-week “buffer” guarantees that each budget request undergoes the same thorough selection process.
Make sure that you have attached all of your receipts at your previous budget requests. Reps that haven't submitted previous receipts will not be able to request budget for their new events.
Budget Guidelines
Budget Checklist
Here is a short checklist with all the things you need to have into your budget request before submitting it:
- number of attendees expected at the event
- venue
- date
- description and purpose of the event
- event schedule / agenda
- list of other mozillians who are going to participate
- target audience
- 3 success metrics
- clear break down of expenses
As an additional resource, it would be recommended for Reps to read The Quick Guide to Writing Budget Requests for Mozilla Reps.
To request a budget, the following budget request form needs to be completed and submitted.
Once you open a budget request, make sure that you have added the bug number on the event page.
Budget guidelines table
There are certain services that you can ask to be reimbursed at a budget request. Here are the categories and the list of services that a rep can ask:
It's important to understand, that these are not 'all the things Mozilla will cover, but rather, things that might be considered with supporting metrics, and where diligence has been given to alternative solutions (like community partnerships, and donation)
Accounting Rules
The fund flow should comply with accounting rules.
A donation is usually an amount given to an established non-profit organization with an established charter and its own auditing processes. It is usually not linked to a specific project but just to partially support the overall goal of this organization.
Expenses covered must be related to a ReMo event/project (with a proper ReMo event wiki page) as they occur, or once they have occurred.
In general, event-related expenses are covered once the event has occurred, besides advanced payment such as a portion of a proposal for a room, technical equipment rental, catering at the event. The remaining due amount is then paid just before the event, or upon receipt of a bill. In all cases such documents/offers should be formalized once the project has been approved with amounts/due dates and bank info so payments can be made accordingly.
In general, individual expenses are covered by paying back expense notes submitted with receipts, to cover individual travel, accommodation and food falling within pre-approved limits/guidelines. In some cases some of these expenses (travel, accommodation) could be directly paid to the service provider beforehand by Mozilla, which then provides the airline ticket or the hotel room to the individual. Food, taxi and other limited expenses are still reimbursed through an expense note.
Disbursement of Funds
In the primary comment of the bug, the Rep needs to define if he/she needs an advance payment or he/she wants to be reimbursed after the event is over. There are 2 ways to be paid 1) paypal 2)wire transfer
Payment via paypal
In the most of the cases we are using payment via paypal because it is more easy and safer to proceed. The rep should provide the bug wrangler his/her paypal account in order to proceed with the payment. The transaction costs on paypal are not to be paid by the rep. Bug wrangler has to add an additional 4% of the amount in order to cover them.
Payment via wire transfer
In some cases, particularly in cases where paypal does not exist in a specific country, payments can be made via wire transfer. In order to proceed with this type of payment, the ReMo payment coordinator must follow these specific steps:
- collect an invoice (or pro-forma invoice in case of advanced payment) from the Rep
- fill out the dedicated wire transfer form
- send an email to Mozilla accounting and attach the invoice and the corresponding wire transfer form
- update the budget request bug to inform that payment has been processed via wire transfer
Once the bug is being paid the bug wrangler leaves the following comment:
Payment has been processed, please confirm
Whiteboard is being changed to:
[approved][full processed][waiting for receipts][waiting for report and photos]
As soon as the rep is notified by the the bug wrangler that he/she has been reimbursed, he/she should confirm the reimbursement by attaching a screenshot of the transaction indicating how much the rep received on local currency.
Want to know more about our accounting rules? check this page (link)
Follow-up
The bug wrangler must carry-out a follow-up of of all projects whose budget requests have been approved and update the bugs regularly.
Things that the Rep must submit after the event is done:
- receipts
- budget breakdown
- blogpost and photos
- post event metrics
Payment after the event is completed
In case you want to be reimbursed after your event make sure you would have all the mentioned things on the follow-up section completed and notify the bug wrangler that you’ve submitted all your receipts.
Once the bug is being paid the bug wrangler leaves the following comment:
Payment has been processed, please confirm
Tolerance threshold for events going "over" budget
- Budgets < $500 USD: maximum of 30% over-budget
- Budgets > $500 USD: maximum of 20% over-budget
- Budgets > $5,000 USD: maximum of 10% over budget
Important note: A rep can go overbudget only in cases of unexpected costs. Each overbudget case will be reviewed by the Rep’s mentor.
Tracking and Follow-up
The bug wrangler must carry-out a follow-up of of all projects whose budget requests have been approved and update the bugs regurarly.
Contact
For any questions, suggestions or comments, please also contact Konstantina, Rosana, or Ruben.