Playbook · Getting set up

Set up a travel program

Go from "everyone books their own" to one program with a policy, approvers, cost codes and a travel team, in about a quarter.

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Program setup

Example Community Trust (example) · Setup

Travelers importedFrom the HR roster CSV
Done
Policy groups and rulesStaff, board, volunteers
Done
Approvers and delegatesOne named approver per traveler
In review
Cost codesDepartments = programs, projects = grants
In review
Billing and exportsInvoice per entity, journal file monthly
To do
Example screen. The organization and figures are fictional.
For
Executive directors, operations and finance leads
Lead time
Setup with silentVIP: 4 to 6 weeks
Owner
One named program owner
Tools
Policy builder, budget planner

Before you start

Decide these first

Decisions to make

  • Who the program covers: staff, board, volunteers, guests, students
  • Who owns travel day to day (one person, not a committee)
  • Your cost codes: which programs, grants and funds travel is charged to
  • When approval is needed: out of policy, always, or never, by traveler group
  • How travel is paid for, and where invoices go

People to involve

  • Executive director or head (sponsor)
  • Finance lead (codes, invoices, exports)
  • Program directors (approvers)
  • HR or people lead (traveler list)
  • Board finance committee, if your policy needs its approval

The plan

A workable timeline

Our suggested lead times. Adjust them to your organization; shorter is possible, but costs and stress go up.

  1. Weeks 1–2

    Decide and draft

    • Name the program owner and sponsor
    • Draft or update the travel policy (the policy builder gives you a start)
    • List cost codes: programs as departments, grants and funds as projects

  2. Weeks 2–4

    Agree and approve

    • Agree approval rules and named approvers, with delegates for leave
    • Approve the policy (board or finance committee if required)
    • Agree terms with silentVIP in writing

  3. Weeks 3–8

    Set up

    • Implementation with silentVIP (4 to 6 weeks)
    • Import travelers from your HR roster CSV
    • Load policy groups, approvers, cost codes and billing
    • Show coordinators and assistants how to request trips

  4. Launch

    Tell everyone

    • Announce the program: how to request, who approves, the urgent number
    • Retire the old ways of booking (shared cards, personal bookings)
    • Share the urgent help numbers: +1 (212) 347 5600 (US), +61 2 9100 0800 (Australia)

  5. First 90 days

    Watch and adjust

    • Review exceptions monthly: rules that trip up good trips need changing
    • Check code coverage: every charge should carry a project and department
    • Fix approver gaps before people go on leave

Who does what

Your part, and ours

TaskYour organizationsilentVIP
Travel policyWrites and approves itLoads the rules so every option is checked against them
Traveler listSends the roster and keeps it currentImports it (HR roster CSV) and keeps profiles
ApprovalsNames approvers and delegatesRoutes approvals by your rules and records every decision
Cost codesDecides the codesPuts entity, department and project on every charge from booking
BookingRequests tripsSends options, books the one chosen. Live self-service search across airline and hotel inventory is not available today. Travelers request a trip and choose from the options our team sends.
Invoices and exportsPays invoices, imports journal filesInvoices per entity and period; exports for your finance system
SupportShares the urgent numberUrgent help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Checklists

Copy these into your plan

Print this page or copy the lists into your own template.

What to send silentVIP for setup

  • Your traveler list (or HR roster CSV)
  • Your travel policy, even if it is short
  • Approvers for each traveler group, and delegates
  • Cost codes: entities, departments (programs), projects (grants and funds)
  • Billing contact and invoice address

Announcement to staff

  • Why the program exists (safety, control, less admin)
  • How to request a trip
  • Who approves, and when
  • What to do in an emergency, with the urgent number
  • Who to ask with questions

Common mistakes

What usually goes wrong

Too many approvers

If every trip waits for the executive director, people go around the program. Approve out of policy only, where you can.

Codes nobody understands

Use the names program staff already use. If a code needs explaining, it will be chosen wrongly.

No owner

A program without one named owner drifts back to personal cards within a few months.

Questions

Common questions

Do we need a written policy before we start?

It helps, but a short one is enough to begin. The policy builder produces a draft from your answers, and the first 90 days will show what needs changing.

Can different travelers have different rules?

Yes. Staff, board members, volunteers and guests can be in different policy groups with their own rules and approvers.

Related

Tools and guides

More in Playbooks

Set up a travel programRoles, policy, cost codes and the first 90 days.Build the annual travel budgetBy program, fund and quarter.Organize a board meetingTravel, rooms and records for trustees.Organize a conference or conveningDelegates, speakers, rooms and arrivals.Plan a site visitField offices, partners and grant-funded visits.Run a volunteer deploymentFrom recruiting to everyone home.Plan a school tripApprovals, consent, chaperones and travel.Move a team to a competitionRosters, equipment, transport and rooms.Prepare for audit and grant reportingWhat to pull, when, and from where.When something goes wrongThe first hour of an incident, and after.

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