NGO Travel Policy and Types of Traveling

Every organization, whether small NGO or big NGO, must have their own NGO Travel Policy. You have to keep in mind certain points while framing good NGO travel policy for your organization.

One of the main point is that, a Traveling Policy should not be rigid. In NGO, modes of traveling, purpose of traveling, areas of traveling are different and thus, a traveling policy should accommodate all. Some NGOs may have their own vehicles, some of NGOs ask staff to use their own vehicles for project work, some of NGOs blessed by funding agency and funds provided by them to purchase vehicles or sometime funding agency provides vehicles to NGO for Project work. Let us discuss one by one what should be traveling rules and policy for NGO in the light of different types of traveling and conveyance.

Lodging and Boarding

Here traveling expenditures includes :

• Conveyance from Home To Station / Airport and back
• Tickets
• Food expenses
• Hotel Stay Expenses

Supporting Documents – For this type of expenditure, generally advance given to staff and later on it is settled when they provide bills along with Travel Summary Sheet.

Conveyance – Staff using their own vehicle

When traveling is done by staff by their own vehicle, then the cost of fuel is to be reimbursed to them at the end of the month or fortnightly.

A Traveling Policy should include charges for per kilometer basis to be reimbursed to staff separately for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. eg. Rate for Two-wheeler Rs. 4 /km and Rate for four-wheeler Rs. 8/km.

Supporting Documents – For such kind of expenditure, a Conveyance Sheet has to be prepared by staff and get it approved from project coordinator.

Conveyance – Staff using NGO’s vehicle

In this situation where  NGO is having their own vehicle and  staff use it for project purpose, actual expenditure of fuel and repairs and maintenance are taken. If vehicle is used for more than two projects, then such expenditure is to be divided in proportion to usage of vehicle taken from log book.

Supporting Documents – For such kind of expenditure, a logbook of vehicle  has to be prepared by staff and get it approved from project coordinator. Avoid – charging fixed amount per km to particular project. Why ? check out our this post. 

Conveyance – Staff using vehicle provided by Funding Agency for Project

When funding agency has provided fund to purchase vehicles for project, i recommended that do not use the same for other projects.  All the  actual expenditure of fuel and repairs and maintenance are taken.

Supporting Documents – For such kind of expenditure, a Log Book of vehicle  has to be prepared by staff and get it approved from project coordinator. Again do not charge fixed per km amount to project. Why ? check out our this post. 

Summary

In short, NGO has to first check the scenario and situations of their own working environment and thereafter decide their own NGO Travel Policy. It is far more better to have different policies for different types of traveling and conveyance, instead of having one single policy like charging per km basis or actual basis.

Hope this will help you in your NGO, if you have any question,  you can ask here or chat with us. Also your comments are welcome on the above subjects.