UPDATE: OUR FISCAL HOST IS HAVING DIFFICULTY PROCESSING PAYPAL PAYMENTS. PLEASE SELECT PAYMENT:OTHER AND ADD YOUR BANK DETAILS WHEN SUBMITTING AN EXPENSE.

Glasgow Mutual Aid Reimbursement of Expenses & Purchases: Policy & Procedures

Applicability

All volunteers are entitled to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses which they incur while supporting those who contact GMA.
These Policies & Procedures apply to all persons involved with Glasgow Mutual Aid.

Expenses vs Remuneration

In all cases, it is important to ensure that the reimbursement of expenses does not constitute remuneration. All GMA volunteers offer their labour for free.

Scope

Funds may be used by the resources working group for the purchasing of food, sanitary products, gloves, bags or other resources for volunteers and those who have contacted GMA asking for support.
Volunteers may be reimbursed by GMA for purchases made in order to respond to a request for support. In this case, please include the date of the request and the postcode group in the expense claim description.
Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.

Submitting Claims for Reimbursement of Expenses & Purchases

Claims for the reimbursement of expenses must be submitted via GMA’s Open Collective page. To submit an expense claim, you will need to create an Open Collective account with a valid email address.
Claims for the reimbursement of expenses must be accompanied by documentary evidence of the expense (eg: point-of-sale receipt).
Where such evidence is not available the claimant must provide a written explanation to the finance working group for approval;
The GMA reserves the right to decline to reimburse expenses for which reasonable documentary evidence has not been provided;
All expenses claims must be submitted within 30 days of the relevant activity.
Basic expense data (amount and description) will be visible to all via the Open Collective page.

Authorisation

All expenses claims go through a two-step approval process:
An administrator for GMA confirms that the expense claim is a valid use of funds. GMA’s administrators are members of the finance working group and will check with the area coordinator or resources working group as needed.
An administrator for Open Collective, our fiscal host, confirms that the expense claim meets requirements (such as having a valid receipt).

Payment Expenses that have been authorised are paid out through the Open Collective platform weekly via Paypal.