Playbook · Organizing travel
Plan a site visit
Visit a field office, partner or grantee with the purpose, approval and costs recorded the way a funder would want to see them.
Field office visit (example)
- For
- Program directors, grants managers
- Lead time
- We suggest 3–6 weeks; longer for international
- Owner
- Traveler and approver
- Tools
- Cost allocation calculator
Before you start
Decide these first
Decisions to make
- Purpose, and which grant or program it serves
- Whether it serves more than one award (and the split)
- Destination risk, and whether it is a restricted destination in your policy
People to involve
- Approver for the traveler
- Grants manager
- The host (partner or field office)
The plan
A workable timeline
Our suggested lead times. Adjust them to your organization; shorter is possible, but costs and stress go up.
6 weeks before
Plan
- Agree dates and agenda with the host
- Check the award's travel terms
- International: check travel advisories ; US citizens can enroll in STEP
4 weeks before
Request
- Request the trip with purpose and project code
- Note the allocation basis if it serves several awards
3 weeks before
Approve and book
- Approver sees the justification and price against the cheapest in-policy option
- Book; hotel reconfirmed before check-in
During
Travel
- Urgent help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Keep receipts for anything paid personally
After
Record
- Check each charge's code; reallocate if needed (the change is recorded)
- Write the visit report the funder expects
Who does what
Your part, and ours
| Task | Your organization | silentVIP |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose and agenda | Writes them | — |
| Award terms | Checks them | — |
| Approval | Approver decides | Routes by your rules and records the decision |
| Booking | Chooses an option | Sends options checked against policy, books |
| Coding | Chooses codes; corrects later if needed | Codes every charge; records reallocations |
Checklists
Copy these into your plan
Print this page or copy the lists into your own template.
In the request
- Purpose in one or two sentences
- Grant or program it serves
- Allocation basis if shared (for example, days on each)
- Host contact
In the file afterwards
- Approval record
- Itemized invoice lines with codes
- Visit report
- Any exception and its reason
Common mistakes
What usually goes wrong
Purpose written afterwards
A purpose written months later reads like one. Record it when the trip is requested.
Everything on one grant
If the visit served two awards, charge both and write the basis down.
Receipts in a pocket
Personally paid costs still need receipts for your expense process.
Questions
Common questions
How do we split a visit between two grants?
Different charges on one trip can carry different codes. For a percentage split, use the cost allocation calculator and keep the basis with the trip records.
Related
Tools and guides
More in Playbooks
Bring your travel program under one roof
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