Sponsoring event attendees

This document explains the process for obtaining sponsorship for event attendance. We use this model for FUDCons, FADs, and other events where the Fedora Project provides partial or total travel subsidies.

Who can apply

The Fedora Project is an open, contributor-centric community that anyone can join. People who spend time contributing in Fedora and other projects have a proven level of commitment to free software. However, Fedora is also interested in strategic investments in people as well as code. Current contributors may receive more consideration than applicants with no history of substantial contribution, but no one is prohibited from asking for sponsorship.

Cost coverage

Covered

These costs are the ones most commonly covered by sponsorships. Your sponsorship may not cover every single one of these costs, and may be a partial subsidy.

• Travel fare by common carrier
• Lodging
• Fuel costs for travel by personally-owned vehicle
• Meals, in special circumstances

Not covered

• Your sponsorship is used for the benefit the Fedora Project, and your colleagues expect you to use good judgment in spending Fedora funds.
• If there are questions about a particular expense, communicate with your sponsor to reach an understanding, before incurring the expense if possible.
• Community sponsorship requires flexibility. One size does not fit all, and it is important that sponsored attendees feel valued as well as accountable.

General responsibilities

Sponsor's responsibilities

Ensure appropriate travel

Sometimes the sponsor may need to make some or all of the attendee's travel plans. In those cases, the sponsor should make sure these plans will allow the attendee to accomplish the goals for attendance, while balancing cost considerations. The sponsor will plan ahead to achieve cost savings wherever possible.

Clearly communicate expectations

Make sure the attendee knows the reason the sponsorship is granted. Make sure the attendee knows how to handle receipts and other costs before, during, and after travel. Finally, ensure the attendee has the means to fulfill responsibilities, including blog reports on the event. For example, if the attendee does not have a weblog, help set one up, or use the Fedora weblog service.

Promptly reimburse

Handle all the attendee's costs as expeditiously as possible. Contributors are valued and should feel secure that the Fedora Project will take care of their costs as agreed.

Attendee's responsibilities

Be on time for travel and events

Plan conservatively, and realize that as a representative of the Fedora Project, you should be punctual out of respect for people with whom you are collaborating.

Document your experience

On average, one substantial blog post per day is a good rule of thumb, and the post should cover what you did as well as what you observed. Use the opportunity to create interest in the event and projects in which you were involved, provide links for people to find out more, and make yourself available to answer follow-up questions and help people who are trying to learn more.

Save your receipts

Your receipts are the key to getting reimbursed for your costs in many cases. Get receipts for everything, and keep them in a safe place so you can either give or transmit them to your sponsor for reimbursement. Missing receipts make reimbursement difficult or, in some extreme cases, impossible.

Communicate with the sponsors

Let your sponsors know about circumstances that might affect your attendance or travel. The Fedora Project can be quite flexible, but keep in mind that sponsors may not be able to act as full-service travel agents, and may not be able to change travel plans unless there are special circumstances. We do ask that you not apply for a sponsorship if your attendance at the event is unlikely for some reason.

Who decides sponsorships

Sponsorships come through one of several possible channels.

Fedora Ambassadors Steering Committee (FAmSCo)

The FAmSCo regularly makes decisions on how to allocate funds for regional events, especially those that are not specific to Fedora such as a general community conference. Occasionally that funding will be used to sponsor attendance of Fedora Ambassadors at events. These decisions are made transparently so that FAmSCo remains accountable to its constituents, the Fedora Ambassadors.

Community Architecture

The Community Architecture team, as the source of funding for Fedora events, makes budget decisions for FUDCon, FADs, and other events using an open planning process. The fudcon-planning list is the home of this process. The Fedora Project Leader may be a participant in this process.

Other parties

In some circumstances, the Fedora Project Board may be consulted, but this is not usually a requirement. This might happen, for example, if there is an opportunity for attendance sponsorship that needs to be considered in light of the Board's strategic vision for the Fedora Project.

Openness and transparency
Decisions on sponsorships, regardless of who makes them, are made in an open and transparent manner. All Fedora contributors should feel comfortable with the stewardship of event funding.

Criteria

• ROI - What will the person contribute to the event & Fedora
  • How do we quantitatively (?) determine which returns are the highest priority
• Will person be unable to attend without sponsorship?
• Overall expense
• How regional is the request?
  • exceptions?

How to apply

• Wiki - better for transparency
• Email
• Conference Software

Any other information?

(great thinking, keep b'storming and adding anything you think of)

• Maximum amount per person?
• Do we pay to bring people from another region into FUDCon? Value? (see above)
• To help stretch the $ for FUDCon's can negotiate airline discount, will need some lead time approx 90days for this
• Most expenses can be paid by RH credit card, expenses for food, gas and the like reimbursed via Paypal after the event. Need receipts
• Where possible have RH employees expenses covered by their departments budget and not Fedora. ie as was done for JReznik for FUDCon YYZ
• Since plane tickets are non-transferable, once the ticket is purchased should the sponored individual not attend for a reason within their control they would need to reimburse Fedora for the cost of the ticket. Keep in mind the person involved will be able to reuse the ticket within a year.