Invoice #45314 to Brigg and Areas Mutual Aid

Fiscal Host Expense and Fund policy – Brigg and Areas Mutual Aid Group

Our Brigg Mutual Aid group forms part of the wider voluntary group Wellbeing and Community Aid North Lincs (www.WellCommNL.co.uk).

Our group has two main aims:

1. We understand that a lot of people in isolation are running low on cash in their house and also may not be able to use online banking but have a card that they can pay for their shopping with. We strongly recommend that volunteers do not accept cash for goods purchased on behalf of a neighbour. We also discourage the sharing of bank details or handing over of cheques. The handing over of credit or debit cards is not permitted by our group. Our full Safeguarding Procedure can be viewed on the website. This process enables another way for people to pay for their items and also follow these recommendations as best as possible. It may also be that families would like to pay for shopping on behalf of others who may not have the funds or be able to access the funds. This is a way to do this too.

2. We understand that the pandemic has had a financial impact on a lot of people and those who are struggling, if we have the funds available, we would like to support where we can in you obtaining your essentials. We want to make sure that the money we have goes to where it is needed most.

Please be assured that our values are transparency and practical support that is non-judgemental, confidential and safe.

This is a live document and may change as the group grows and the needs of our communities alter. This expenses policy sets out our current policy on how we review submitted expenses.

Admins’ details:

• Hannah Dobson ([email protected] / [email protected])
• Olivia Bailey ([email protected])
• Clare Drayton ([email protected])

Expenses policy for people using our service to pay for the shopping using their own money:

Volunteers using this service must be known to admin and the Mutual Aid Group. When volunteers are purchasing shopping / prescriptions for those who have requested help, those you are helping may not have the means to pay you there and then but may be able to transfer this money or pay by card into our fund. You can provide the link to our fund to these people and they can add the relevant amount of money to the fund. This can be done via card or alternatively they can select bank transfer (no fees for us if donations via bank transfer). Each credit and debit card payment via Stripe includes stripe fees (1.4% + 20 pence) this goes towards the credit and debit card processor, Stripe. Some people may be happy to cover this extra amount, those who do not, we will cover this from the fund providing the monies are there. There is currently a suspended fee by the Social Change Agency of 5% which they have currently suspended for 3 months commencing on 20th March 2020. If they select bank transfer, they will be emailed details on how to do this.

Expenses policy for people struggling financially and requiring support:

Prior to purchasing any goods on behalf of someone who is struggling, please ensure either they have contacted one of our admins or you have contacted us on their behalf. We do not want to incorrectly set expectations that we can cover someone’s shopping if the funds are not available or the criteria is not met. If for any reason this has not been done, we will still assess the expenses claim in the usual way but cannot guarantee this will be processed.

Please be aware this is the initial criteria we assess, if for any reason you do not fit one or more of these, still contact us as we assess each individual case and will also assess what capacity for funds which is available. We will not be able to accept all requests as it will be subject to the donations we have received and the funds available, together with the need of each individual (or alternatives available). Where there are no funds available, we will pass you to other services that may be able to offer support during this time.

• Please only use our service if you have been financially impacted in some way by the Covid-19 pandemic. This could be through loss of income or means of accessing funds. This ensures our donated funds go to those most in need. • We will only use this fund for essential items. We have not created a list of essential items as we appreciate each person’s needs may vary slightly. However, we will only cover what is essential and this must have a valid reason behind it – particularly focussing on food essentials and health essentials. • Household bills may be covered. We will support these on an individual basis as it may be that we can support you in giving contact details for your provider too as a lot of companies are providing some form of financial relief during this time. Where possible, we will cover these directly with the provider. If this is not possible, we will assess each request on an individual basis. • Food and non-food goods (essential household supplies) from a known supermarket/retailer, local shop or outlet to the value of £30. The Admins may use their discretion in cases where the total amount exceeds this amount. • Proof(s) of purchase (receipt/invoice/bill/other) will need to be submitted in all instances. A photo or scan of the original receipt/invoice will be accepted.

Volunteering Expenses

We have a volunteering network setup and there may be times when monies need to be paid out to support in volunteering activities. Prior to spending monies, please check with an admin that we would and have the funds to cover your costs. There is no guarantee for covering expenses for volunteers but we will try to in all instances. Volunteers using this service must be known to admin and the Mutual Aid Group. Proof of purchase will be required in all instances. Some examples below:

• Printing supplies for the printing of leaflets, posters and other awareness raising materials used within Brigg (and areas) and to raise awareness of our Mutual Aid group. • The purchase of hygiene-related products, such as hand-sanitiser, soaps and non-food goods. • Items purchased in support of key workers. • The purchase of medical or personal protection equipment (PPE) for use at home, outside of the home or at work.

Supporting local groups / charities:

Our fund fully supports local enterprises and charities and will work together to help where we can. These will all be reviewed on an individual basis and the following criteria will be considered during review:

• Impacts on group / charity during the pandemic • Support / Need of the charity / group during the pandemic • Other support which may be available to group / charity • Funds available in the fund

Who can claim expenses?

We ask that all purchases (where people are not paying for their own goods) are run past admin in the first instance to ensure there is no financial impact from making a purchase but funds not being available or being covered by the policy. In cases where the purchase has already been made prior to submitting an expense, this can still be accepted but please be aware there is always a possibility an expense will not be accepted. Expenses can be submitted by:

• Anyone who is in need of additional financial support during the Coronavirus outbreak period and UK official lockdown, including registered charities and other registered organisations living or based in Brigg (and the surrounding villages).

• We appreciate there may be volunteers acting outside of the mutual aid group, so we ask that any volunteers who are using this policy are part of the group and known to admin. If you’d like to use this service but are not yet known to us as a volunteer, please get in touch with one of the admins.

We reserve the right to refuse multiple expenses submissions made, as well as those that do not adhere to this policy.

The Admins may not submit expenses through the system, they may only approve them.

If you have any questions and would like to discuss an expense claim, or a contribution, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

You must upload a valid receipt or invoice clearly showing the total amount, date, legal address, and what the payment is for. If the person’s address and details are not on the receipt or invoice, please also write in the notes who you have helped and their address and telephone number. We may contact you for further information if there is not sufficient information to review your claim.

If possible, we ask that you use “other see instructions” for your expenses. Please input your bank details into the free type box. These expenses will then be processed manually by our Fiscal Host (The Social Change Agency) on Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please be aware, we may approve expenses but not have sufficient funds in the account so there may be a delay in receiving these. If using PayPal, the fund incur a 2.9% + 30p fee from PayPal.