TOE Timeline Grant Preparation
From AFSWiki
Event Activities
Aside from jointly agreeing upon the cost of the various budget line items, the grant preparation was done entirely by AFS Germany staff. See budgets below.
Evaluation
It was discovered that some items that AFS-USA would normally cover would not be covered by AFS Germany and/or the grant, for example, mileage, the cost of meals while in transit to a conference site, and the cost of items under a certain amount for which no receipt was supplied (i.e. toll charges). AFS-Germany also required a much more detailed explanation if a group member traveled outside of what would appear to be a normal fashion. In such cases maps, comparative cost analysis and a detailed explanation was required in order to justify the departure from the norm.
In the future, project leaders should discuss such differences and then review them with group members early on in the experience. Project leaders should also share the preferred procedures for submitting expenses i.e. hard or electronic copies, taped or glued receipts, originals or photocopies, and whether a credit card statement would suffice as proof of payment.
Gifts for group members is another topic that should be discussed early on as well and whether these are covered by the grant. The project leader may wish to establish some norms with the group members about gift giving, both within the US and the partner country, for group leaders and group members, taking into consideration any cultural norms that may come into play.
