Receipt #29166 to Portsmouth Covid-19 Mutual Aid Hotline

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Portsmouth Coronavirus Support Group - Expenses Policy

Using the Open Collective platform via the Social Change Agency to host PCSG/MAG financial transactions, will ensure that the handling of money between mutual aid participants will be secure, transparent and accountable.

The expectation is that every person who makes a request for essential items, will pay for the items purchased. What is more, the expectation is that PCSG only provides support on an ad hoc, informal basis and should anyone require ongoing, or regular support, they should seek support from a local food bank or charity.

Valid expenses include:

Reimbursement of cost if an area group needs to pay for shopping on behalf of somebody who cannot afford it (we will need to see a receipt for the items purchased and the administrators of the group will monitor who hasn’t paid to prevent the misuse of the service) Reimbursement to a volunteer for money lost if a recipient refuses to pay for shopping they have received or if they’ve only provided partial repayment only, e.g. if the recipient thinks the cost is too much and only pays part of it. (receipts uploaded to open collective) Reimbursement to a recipient of money lost if shopping is paid for but not received (how will this be proved) Payment of shopping expenses to a volunteer if a recipient wishes to pay via the Open Collective platform for security reasons (please note this can take several days) Donations of money to individuals or other organisations as agreed by PCSG/MAG (need to agree a charity)

*Hotline operators should always try to secure support from a food bank first. Where this is not possible or where the food is needed more urgently than the food bank can provide (e.g. if the request is made after food banks have closed and the person needs food immediately), we encourage ward groups to try to raise money or carry out food collections among themselves to meet local requests. Where neither of these can be achieved wards may receive money from the account to meet the request (provided the account has the funds available).

All expenses will require a receipt or invoice before approval. These are to be submitted as part of the online expense claim process and will be approved by one of the admins of the account as soon as possible.

For security we strongly recommend that all donations and payments are made ‘incognito’ to protect the identities of mutual aid participants and to maintain equality between areas regardless of where donations are coming from.

Please be aware that if you need to claim expenses through the PCSG/MAG Open Collective account, these will only be paid out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays due to the operating hours of the Social Change Agency.

If the group closes down at the end of the COVID-19 crisis period any remaining money in the account will be donated to a local charity or community organisation decided on democratically by the working group members of PCSG/MAG.

For more information on fiscal hosting for community groups visit the Social Change Agency’s webpage at: https://thesocialchangeagency.org/nest-supporting-new-movements/fiscal-hosting/