Yale Divinity School

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• Travel and Reimbursement Policy
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Policy on Expense Reimbursement/Charitable Contributions for the YDS Board of Alumnal Affairs

Expense Reimbursement

Travel and Lodging

Each Board member is encouraged to pay his or her travel and lodging. Some alumni and friends of Yale Divinity School have offered their homes to visitors. If you are a Board member living nearby and are willing and able to share your home with another Board member, please let the Alumni Relations Office know.

If you feel you cannot personally pay for travel and lodging:

• Airplane travel will be coordinated by our office and reservations will be made through Yale Travel Services for economy class travel only. Any airplane ticket over $400 will need to be approved by the alumni relations office prior to purchase. To use this free service, please contact Yale Travel directly 203.764.9200. You must save all boarding passes and/or receipts related to your travel and submit them to Peggy Ojeda, Alumni Relations Administrative Assistant (203) 432-5359 at the conclusion of your trip. If you do not submit these receipts, we can not pay for your travel.
• Travel by car will be reimbursed at the University's current mileage rate. As of January 2006, that rate is .445 cents per mile, but this is subject to change at any time, without notice. Receipts are required for any toll charges.
• YDS typically reserves a number of rooms at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in New Haven . Please contact the hotel directly to make your reservation (203) 777-6221. If you do not have transportation, the hotel will call a taxi for you to get to the school. Please note that once we reserve a room for you, we will be unable to cancel your reservation and YDS will be billed for the cost of the room, regardless of occupancy.

Meals and Entertainment

YDS will pay for all meals taken in the Refectory. The cost of meals taken outside the Refectory will not be reimbursed. Entertainment expenses are not eligible for reimbursement.

Convocation fees and meals are complimentary, but we ask that you register, so that we may have an accurate guest list for our planning purposes.

Expenses Claimed as Charitable Deductions for Income Tax Purposes

Travel Expenses

If Board members incur travel expenses, including the costs of meals and lodging while away from home (overnight) working on Yale's behalf, these expenses may be deductible. If you use your own car in volunteering, un-reimbursed parking and toll costs may be tax-deductible. Insurance and depreciation costs typically are not. You should check with your tax adviser to determine whether or not you may qualify for a tax deduction.

Events

Catering, invitation, and restaurant expenses incurred in hosting local events at the request of the Dean or the Director of Alumni Relations may be tax-deductible. However, you must exclude those expenses attributable to benefits you and your family members enjoy; e.g., if you host a luncheon at a restaurant, the cost of your meal is not tax-deductible. Again, you should check with your tax advisor to determine what expenses you may deduct on your taxes.

The costs associated with hosting local events may be substantial. If you cannot or do not wish to bear such costs yourself, YDS may share in them. Such cost sharing must be discussed and approved by the Dean or the Director of Alumni Relations before incurring the cost.

Miscellaneous

The costs of phone calls, postage stamp, stationery, and other similar materials used on behalf of Yale Divinity School may be deductible as charitable contributions. Please consult your tax advisor.

Verification

It is the responsibility of each Board member to document his or her own expenses for his or her own tax purposes. Board members may not rely on Yale Divinity School to provide such documentation. If requested, the Director of Alumni Relations may provide a letter to verify that a particular individual served as a volunteer for Yale Divinity School . However, the Director will not make assertions regarding the dollar amount of the expenses incurred by the volunteer.

Crediting Non-Cash Contributions to the Annual Fund

If you wish to have un-reimbursed expenses credited as a contribution to the Annual Fund, please adhere to the following procedure:

• You must provide the Director of Alumni Relations with a copy of receipts associated with the expenses incurred, or other verification, e.g., a log of mileage of a personal vehicle with the expense calculated at the University's current mileage rate.

• Along with receipts, you must provide a signed and dated statement requesting that the value of the expenses be credited as your contribution to the Annual Fund.

• Upon receiving these materials, the Director of Alumni Relations will attach a signed statement indicating that you indeed participated in the event, and then will forward your request to the Annual Fund Office.

• After reviewing the request, the Annual Fund Office will credit the contribution or issue an acknowledgement explaining why the request cannot be granted.

ELS/
Revised September 18, 2004
Revised February 24, 2005