Procedures for the proper handling of finances given to seminar speaker/s (honoraria, fare, et. al.)

I. Finances given to the speaker/s and their distinctionsSeminar speakers, as youth volunteers, should not expect any money as a payment for their services as seminar speakers. They should not in any way, as well, demand any form of payment which can be taken as a form of wage, earnings, or income. To be able to speak in different seminars or orientations should always be a labour of love, in the spirit volunteerism and full service to the Church.

It is also in the context that since the speaker/s are to go far from their home-origins, the host places (parishes, etc.) should shoulder the fare of the speakers. (Food and accommodation, basic bath needs, as well as miscellaneous expenses that are needed for the seminar, should also be shouldered by the host. See section 4 for more specifics.) The fare should be the only amount of money that the speaker/s should expect to receive. Whether this be in form of in-advance compensation or refund will depend on the host. (More procedures and distinctions on this matter will further be discussed in section 2.)

Honoraria is any amount of money that is wilfully given by the host, that is extra the amount expected for the fare. This amount is not required to be given by the host, thus again the speaker/s should not expect any form of honoraria given to them. Though this is not necessary to be given by the hosts, this amount should be willingly accepted by the speaker/s but would be under some procedures. (Specifics will be discussed below.)

II. Procedures for amount of fare given by the host.

A. Travel by commuting or public utility vehicles, whether by land air or sea.Travel expenses including the simplest form of transportation (tri-sikad, habal-habal, etc.) all comprise what should be given as fare, Proper liquidation should be presented, both to the COY Office as well as to the host. Whenever receipts are issued by the mode of

transportation utilized (taxi, bus, ship, or airplane) a copy of the receipt should be kept and be shown as proof for liquidation.

It should be considered though that since the speaker/s do not expect to receive monetary compensation for their efforts, the speaker/s deserve the best accommodation as much as they give their best efforts for the Church. In this regard, the speaker/s can avail of the best travel mode when going to their destination (examples include aircon bus, V-hire, etc.). If the speaker would choose to avail of such privilege, this should always be in proper coordination with the host.

B. Travel by mode of personal vehicleTravel expenses that comprise gasoline refilling of any personal vehicle used to travel to the location of the seminar would still be considered as fare. Personal vehicles may or may not be owned by the speaker, but should not be a form of public transport.

The speaker (or in cases, the vehicle owner) may fill the gasoline tank with any amount, but the host has the liberty to refund the amount equal to the amount of gasoline needed to-and-from the destination. (For example: In going to Municipality of XX, tank was filled worth Php. 500. If in case, host determines that only worth Php. 300 is enough for travel back and forth to Municipality of XX, host is expected to refund only Php. 300. The excess of Php. 200 spent will be charged to personal budget of speaker/vehicle owner.) In such cases, close coordination with host is very important to determine whether host is willing to refund a specific amount. The host as well is never obligated to refund the full amount spent especially of refilling has been done before the seminar without prior consultation with the host.

C. Mode of payment, receipts, and liquidationA receipt, issued from the COY Office, should be given to the host for the amount given for fare. Description as fare should also be printed on the receipt for proper distinction. Other details (such as PUV fare or gasoline refund) should be included as well.

The host may wish to give the amount needed for fare either prior or posterior to the seminar/orientation. This will apply both for commuting or private vehicle.

If the host wishes to give the amount of fare in advance to the speakers, the speaker/s are expected to show the host a breakdown of their travel expenses, including valid receipts. In case no official receipts are issued, acknowledgments receipts will suffice as long as a signature is affixed. Liquidation and receipts should be given whether or not the budget given is less, enough, or more than the travel expenses. If in case the amount given is in excess the amount spent for fare, the host has the discretion whether to ask for the excess or to give it to the speakers.

If the host wishes to give the amount as a refund for the travel expenses (towards their host destination), the speaker/s are expected to show the host a breakdown of their travel expenses, including valid receipts. In case no official receipts are issued, acknowledgments receipts will suffice as long as a signature is affixed. The host is expected to refund the whole amount in the liquidation report that is to be submitted by the speaker/s, given that all details are well documented and accounted for.

III. Procedures for honoraria given by the host.As aforementioned, any amount wilfully given by the host in excess of the fare will be considered honoraria. The host/s are never required to render such amounts to the speaker/s. The amount to be given as honoraria will be up to the discretion of the host. Speaker/s should never demand nor complain regarding the amount to be given.

A. Specifics, partition, and allotmentAs an organization, a part of the honoraria must be given to the COY Office as a contribution to the organizational funds. A portion of 10% (or tithes) of the total amount given as honoraria should be allotted for the organization. This amount should be given to the COY Finance Committee chairperson, along with the receipt of the total amount given, as proper documentation.

The remaining 90% of the honoraria should be equally distributed and divided among all seminar speakers.

B. Mode of payment, receipt, and liquidation

Upon reception of the amount for honoraria, the speaker/s should explain to the host that they would need to issue a receipt for proper liquidation. The receipt, issued from the COY Office thru the speaker/s, should contain description as honoraria on the receipt for proper distinction.If in case the host would insist to have the money be kept secret or in private, speaker/s must first try to explain the procedure needed to be followed. If the host remains insistent after further explanation, the speaker/s themselves must fully accomplish receipt with full honesty expected from them as volunteers in the Church.

IV. Needed material and miscellaneous expenses