Tails contributors and teams occasionally meet in person to work together for a few days.

Requesting sponsorship for a sprint

Should each attendee request sponsorship separately?

No: send one single sponsorship request for the sprint, including shared expenses (e.g. accommodation) and individual ones (e.g. travel tickets).

This implies that you need to gather all the necessary information before you send the sponsorship request.

What kind of costs are covered?

This sponsorship can cover your travel costs, food, hydration, and local transportation.

When spending Tails' money, keep in mind that the project is working with a limited budget that is to be used with frugality.

When should I send the sponsorship request?

You should send the sponsorship request as early as possible, once you have gather enough information to estimate a maximum budget. This will allow attendees to buy their tickets as early as possible, which saves the project money.

Is it OK to request sponsorship after the fact?

No, it's not OK. In order to avoid biasing the decision-making process, sponsorship should be asked before spending the corresponding money.

What should we write in our sponsorship request?

Sponsorship requests must include:

• the number of attendees

• the location of the sprint

• the duration of the sprint

• the estimated maximum budget for:

  • travel costs
  • accommodation
  • food (see the formula on sponsorship to attend events)
  • other expenses (like local transportation)
  • a safety margin (we all make mistakes; also, the cost of travel tickets may rise between the time you did your estimates and the time sprint attendees actually buy their tickets); if you are learning how to go through this process, feel free to include a large safety margin (e.g. +30-50%).

• A list of objectives for the event; in other words, what do you plan to do there, and why will it be beneficial for Tails.

Example sponsorship request

Hi,

the laundry team would like to have a 3-days sprint in London next June.

There, we plan to work together on SOCKS6 and trousers support.

3 of us will attend.

For this event we're requesting sponsorship up to 1000€:

• travel: 420 €
• accommodation: 232 €
• food, as per sponsorship to attend events: ( ( 1 lunch + 1 dinner ) × 3 days + 2 meals ) × 0.3 × 62€ × 3 people = 223.20€
• safety margin: 124.80€

Cheers!

Who should we write to?

Send your sponsorship request to the Board.

How do we get actually reimbursed?

The process to get your expenses reimbursed is not documented yet, stay tuned. Meanwhile:

• While spending money on behalf of Tails, as much as practically feasible, keep the original proofs (e.g. paper receipts) of all the expenses you want Tails to reimburse. Once the sponsorship is approved, the accounting team will send you more precise rules.

• Reimbursements for each attendee are processed by our accounting team: contact.

What happens if we spend more than requested?

Ask a budget extension to the Board.