Wikipedia:Wikimedia Deutschland/FAQ und Hilfe zur Förderung/English

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This page details the most common information and questions about grants and the volunteer support guidelines of Wikimedia Deutschland.

General information

Who do I contact for volunteer support?

If you are a resident of Germany, please contact the Communities and Engagement team at community wikimedia.de. If your main residence is in Austria or South Tyrol, please contact Wikimedia Austria; if you live in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, please contact Wikimedia CH.

Do I have to give my real name to the public when I submit a project application?

No. You only need to provide your real name to Wikimedia Deutschland. For legal reasons, we always need this when we reimburse costs or you organise a project. See our privacy policy for information on data processing by Wikimedia Deutschland.

What are the guidelines for volunteer support?

The volunteer support guidelines apply to all projects granted or supported by Wikimedia Deutschland.

Travel support

Where and how can I get a grant for my travel expenses?

Travel expenses must always be requested and approved by Wikimedia Deutschland by email in advance of the trip; this should be done at least three working days before the planned trip so that we can process your request in time. See Wikipedia:Förderung/Reisekostenerstattungen page for more details.

Which train journeys are covered by grants?

If you travel by train, costs up to the 2nd class flex fare are covered. This includes long-distance trains like ICE. The costs of seat reservation are covered as well; en plus it’s not necessary to tie to a certain train. Only if the timetable is fixed you should choose such a connection.

I need a ticket and can't book it myself, can you help me with that?

If – for whatever reason – you are unable to book a ticket to an event that is supported by Wikimedia Deutschland, we can provide help. Please contact us as early as possible (for contact details see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

May/should I buy a BahnCard?

Wikimedia Deutschland will reimburse the cost of a BahnCard if it saves money on travel expenses. A BahnCard 25 typically covers its own cost within the first two journeys, while a BahnCard 50 typically amortizes over three or four trips (depending on the distance).

If you anticipate multiple Wikimedia-related journeys within the next 12 months, the costs of a BahnCard can typically be covered. To obtain grants, apply for the BahnCard along with your first Wikimedia-approved trip. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us (contact details can be found in the '#Who do I contact for volunteer support?' section). Please note that BahnCard subscriptions automatically renew after one year unless cancelled in writing 6 weeks before the expiration date. The promise to cover BahnCard costs applies only to the initial subscription period without renewal. For extended coverage, you must reapply before the renewal deadline.

How do I charge the cost of local transport if I have a Deutschlandticket?

If you have a Deutschlandticket, journeys within the area of validity of the ticket can be reimbursed. Depending on the case, it can be reimbursed in full or in part. The decisive factor is the cost that would have been incurred if you had purchased a 2nd class ticket at the normal price. For this reason, we require details of the travel connection including the price (e.g. using a screenshot from DB Navigator) for the settlement. Within a calendar month, the maximum costs that can be reimbursed do not exceed the acquisition costs of the Germany ticket. The actual acquisition costs are deemed to be the acquisition costs paid by you less any reimbursements from third parties.

I have used an app ticket, what do I have to do when submitting it?

No imprint is required on the ticket. We recommend the use of online or app tickets. Deutsche Bahn separates tickets and invoices from 2023. For our reimbursement, we need the invoice, which you can download from your DB service portal and submit as proof using the online form for grants. Further information on retrieving the invoice can be found on the Deutsche Bahn service portal. Please also keep the ticket or ticket file until you receive the reimbursement so that Wikimedia Deutschland can request it in case of any questions.

If you have a digital ticket with VAT shown and a payment method (e.g. from a transport company other than Deutsche Bahn or a ticket issued by DB in the old format), please submit the ticket using the online form Antrag auf Kostenerstattung as well.

My ticket was not validated, what do I have to do when I submit it?

If you have not used an online ticket: If no train attendant validates your printed ticket during your journey, simply write this on your receipt by hand and submit it in the same way.

How can I enforce my passenger rights if my train is delayed?

In the case of train delays, passengers can claim their rights privately. However, this only applies if the journey was actually started and it was possible to attend the event despite the delay.

Can I also travel by car?

According to the Wikimedia Deutschland travel expense regulations, travelling by train is preferable instead of travelling by car. If there are health, transport or serious time-economic reasons for this or if a car pool makes it more economical than individual train journeys, such an exception must be approved before the start of the journey. Car journeys are only reimbursed from a distance of 25 kilometres; car journeys of less than 25 kilometres are generally not reimbursed, even as part of a longer journey.

We reimburse a lump sum per kilometre driven, covering all costs associated with the vehicle, fuel, and taxes. This amount is based on the Income Tax Act and currently stands at €0.30 per kilometre up to the 20th kilometre and €0.38 per kilometre from the 21st kilometre onwards. Please provide us with an online map displaying the shortest route, enabling us to accurately determine the distance travelled and calculate the lump sum. Round the number of kilometres to the nearest whole kilometre. For journeys to and from events, please submit separate invoices for each leg of the trip. For alternative invoicing options, please contact the Community and Engagement team for individual agreement (contact details can be found under #Who do I contact for volunteer support?). Electric cars are treated identically to combustion engine vehicles for reimbursement purposes.

Please also include the names of all persons who travelled in the transport vehicle. This also applies to taxi rides and previously authorised rental cars, for which you must also specify the route taken and the reason for using them.

Can I cycle?

Yes, journeys by bicycle can be reimbursed in the same way as regular train journeys. If you have a BahnCard, the corresponding discounted prices must be applied. Please include details of the distance travelled and the cost of a train journey. If a car journey would have been approved instead of the cycle journey, these costs can be reimbursed; please discuss this with the Communities and Engagement team first. The de minimis limit also applies to the grants of bicycle journeys; journeys of less than 25 kilometres are not eligible, even as part of a longer journey.

Is there a de minimis limit for journeys?

According to Wikimedia Deutschland's travel expense regulations, car and bicycle journeys of up to 25 kilometres are generally not eligible. This de minimis limit also applies if the journey is part of a longer trip. This limit does not apply to journeys by public transport such as bus, train, etc.

Deutsche Bahn event tickets

Until 2019, Wikimedia Deutschland offered event tickets for selected events, which were provided in cooperation with our former mobility partner Deutsche Bahn. This cooperation will no longer be continued. Extending the contract for the event tickets was not economically viable for us and would likely have entailed significant additional costs compared to the alternative procedure. Extending the contract would also have entailed extensive advertising obligations that we would not have been able to fulfil.

Regulars table: Stammtisch

As a rule, travel expenses to regulars table ( “Stammtisch”) cannot be reimbursed, as regulars table meetings are not eligible for travel support.

We do, however, support content related programmes at regular meetings that contribute to the promotion of free knowledge, e.g. entrance fees for excursions, the cost of a city tour or the cost of a speaker.

If you are unsure whether we would cover the costs, please contact the Communities and Engagement team (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

Are journeys from Austria or Switzerland eligible?

For volunteer support requests, please always contact the chapter in which your main place of residence is located. If this is in Austria or South Tyrol, please contact Wikimedia Austria; if this is in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, please contact Wikimedia CH (see also #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

Accommodation

I have found a suitable hotel, should I book straight away?

Funded hotel bookings should not be made without consulting Wikimedia Deutschland. Unauthorised enquiries should also not be made to a hotel without consultation. The contract should always be negotiated and signed by Wikimedia Deutschland, as this provides a degree of security for all parties involved.

Is it possible to send the hotel a declaration of assumption of costs to the hotel in advance to cover the costs

The Communities and Engagement team usually sends a declaration of assumption of costs (for payment by credit card or invoice) to the accommodation in advance. Project organisers are welcome to ask the Communities and Engagement team whether this has been done. Unless otherwise agreed, this must also be arranged in advance for breakfast and, if applicable, for car parking. If the hotel has different information in this regard, we would ask you to recheck the booking and the costs.

Is a name list for the accommodation required?

The hotel bills usually state who stayed overnight or took part in breakfast. As a rule, communication has taken place with the hotel so that we should be aware of the list of hotel guests. If this is not the case, please send us a list of the hotel guests. The same formalities apply as for catering.

Catering

Does each participant need to invoice their per diem allowance or should a restaurant visit be organised instead?

For larger community events, Wikimedia Deutschland usually organises catering or covers the catering costs on site in order to simplify the catering of volunteers and the billing process. Project organisers should contact the Communities and Engagement team in advance (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?) and let them know the expected number of participants. Restaurant recommendations are welcome, but it is important to pay attention to economic efficiency. This also applies to purchases, e.g. for events in local venues. Wikimedia Deutschland usually covers the cost of a main course and non-alcoholic drinks when visiting a restaurant. In this case, it is important that a list of participants is available or kept.

Project organisers should clarify in advance with the Communities and Engagement team which option makes the most sense. For groups in particular, we recommend group bookings. For individual activities, however, it is usually easier to invoice the additional catering costs. This is regulated by law and can always be entered as a separate item in the online form Antrag auf Kostenerstattung.

How do I declare per diem allowance correctly?

Please only use the corresponding online form Appendix for per diem allowances (Anlage Verpflegungsmehraufwand) and enter your departure and destination, the country of travel and the departure and arrival times. If you would like to claim per diem allowance, please add this as an item in the online form Antrag auf Kostenerstattung of those expenses. The completed form Appendix for per diem allowances serves as a receipt/invoice for this item.

You must indicate in the form Appendix for per diem allowances (Anlage Verpflegungsmehraufwand) which meals were covered by Wikimedia Deutschland or another Wikimedia or partner organisation on site (please do not indicate there when you would have liked to eat or did eat). If, for example, breakfast is included in the hotel, please tick the breakfast box for the corresponding day. If, for example, catering was provided as dinner as part of an event, please tick the dinner box.

A deduction of 20% (breakfast) or 40% (lunch and dinner) is made for meals provided or paid for as part of an event. The amount of the deduction is always dependent on the full-day flat rate, never on half-day flat rates (see Section 9 (4a) sentence 8 et seq. of the Income Tax Act).

If you have travelled to and from the event day (without an overnight stay), you must fill out a separate form for each day. The Communities and Engagement team will usually organise accommodation for longer journeys or provide you with a budget for accommodation on site if you are travelling.

Please note that different amounts apply for per diem allowances when you travel abroad. In addition, there are various regulations for international arrivals and departures, catering/meals on planes, etc., which must be observed. In most cases, the online form calculates the amounts correctly without any further adjustments. For more complicated cases, please contact the Communities and Engagement team (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?), as well as if you have any questions about the calculation of additional subsistence expenses.

Can I get alcohol payed?

It is not usually possible to get alcohol payed. For special celebrations (e.g. galas, project birthdays, openings, receptions, special evening events), the costs of beer, wine and sparkling wine can only be covered with the prior approval of Wikimedia Deutschland (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?). Cocktails and high-proof alcohol cannot be reimbursed at all.

The bringing of alcohol must be proactively agreed in advance with the organisers of the respective project or event. If you have any questions, please contact the Communities and Engagement team (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

How do I deal with deposits?

We usually remove deposits from applications for cost reimbursement, unless it is foreseeable that a deposit will be offset against a future purchase. Please do not be surprised if we have to make deductions for a purchase for a one-off event.

Do I have to keep a list of participants for each event?

As a general rule, it is always necessary to keep a list of attendees for upcoming financial or cash audits if catering was provided at an event, workshop, conference, etc. and these costs are to be accounted for. This applies equally to the purchase of food, catering provided, spontaneous food deliveries and restaurant visits. If small items are purchased for various events for a small amount (e.g. in a local room), the attendance list can be omitted as an exception. In this case, it is sufficient to send the pure number of participants to Wikimedia Deutschland, also bundled for several such events.

Real names should be given for documentation purposes. The event should also be documented on the attendance list. If the people attending the meal have changed, a separate list must be kept for each meal or it must be possible to recognise who attended which meal and when. The attendance list can also be kept digitally and sent to the Communities and Engagement team by email. Project organisers can also write down the people who took part afterwards; signatures from all participants are not required. The Communities and Engagement team will be happy to provide you with a template on request (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

Reimsbursement of costs

When do I have to apply for the reimbursement?

The processing of reimbursement requests requires a certain lead time. Requests for reimbursement must therefore be submitted at least three working days before the planned activity (e.g. before the start of the trip in the case of travel expense reimbursement requests). Applications submitted later can generally no longer be approved.

Where do I have to send the reimbursement?

Please send the online form for reimbursement of costs Antrag auf Kostenerstattung with all required attachments or receipts directly electronically to the Wikimedia Deutschland Communities and Engagement team. You can do this directly via the online form and then download a copy of the application for reimbursement for your records.

Please enter your contact person from the Communities and Engagement team as the contact person in the form. A reference to the Communities and Engagement team makes it easier to allocate the cost reimbursement applications, whose forms are also used by other teams and areas of Wikimedia Deutschland.

Do I have to submit original receipts?

Please submit your receipts digitally only. The online form for reimbursement of costs Antrag auf Kostenerstattung can process file formats such as PDF as well as numerous image file formats such as JPG/JPEG or PNG. We only ask that you keep the original receipts until you receive the reimbursement (= reimbursement/transfer by Wikimedia Deutschland) to clarify any queries.

You can use vouchers or coupons, but we can only reimburse the costs that were not paid for with a voucher or coupon.

Can I use vouchers/coupons?

You can use vouchers or coupons, but we can only reimburse the costs that were not paid for with a voucher or coupon.

Why are the amounts not being transferred exactly as I requested?

It is possible that we had to make minor changes (see sections on deposits, kilometres for car journeys, foreign currency) or that there were minor errors such as transposed figures. If you have any questions about your reimbursement, you can of course contact the Communities and Engagement team (for contact details see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

Can "Erstattung" be added to the purpose of the reimbursement bank transfer?

All transfers made on the basis of a claim of reimbursement will be labelled as reimbursement (“Kostenerstattung”) at the bank transfer process.

I have not received any money after some time. Is there a problem?

The Communities and Engagement team processes volunteer reimbursement requests with high priority and will contact you immediately if there are any queries. Before the transfer, which usually takes place once a week, all invoices are checked by our accounting department.

If you have not received any feedback or payment after three weeks, please get in touch with us (for contact details, see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?). We will then check the reasons for this and get back to you.

Why do I have to submit the receipts within one month?

Please note that the processing of the invoice by Wikimedia Deutschland also takes time and the settlement is only finalised when the corresponding processes have also been completed by Wikimedia Deutschland. All receipts that have been submitted late must also be approved by the Executive Board. This requires an extraordinary recommendation from the Communities and Engagement team. We can only do this in exceptional cases, because receipts submitted late unnecessarily tie up time and additional work for everyone involved; the travel expense regulations also set us a clear framework here with the corresponding deadline, which should only be deviated from in exceptional cases.

How do I deal with foreign currency reimbursements?

If you would like to submit costs in foreign currencies (e.g. Swiss francs, US dollars, etc.) as part of a project, please send us the relevant section of your bank statement or the receipt from the exchange office with the corresponding euro amount, provided the costs were settled via your account using a credit or debit card or you collected money locally. Please add this amount to the cost reimbursement application.

Only in the case of a cash payment without a documented exchange rate is the current daily exchange rate to be used for the conversion of each receipt, which must be looked up at the European Central Bank or, if the currency is not listed there (and only in these cases!), at Oanda.

However, if you have withdrawn money locally, a receipt must be submitted.

I make a purchase for a subsidised project and at the same time make a private purchase. Can I put both on one invoice and cross out the private items?

No. Please separate the expenses for sponsored projects as strictly as possible from your private expenses.

Can I get an advance payment?

If the advance payment of costs by the traveller is unreasonable due to the amount or personal situation, an advance payment may be granted upon request. This does not have to be justified. The advance is granted when the trip is authorised. If an advance is granted for a trip, it must be settled with the office no later than ten days after the end of the trip. Wikimedia Deutschland can often also cover costs directly (travel, hotel, catering, etc.).

What needs to be considered when reimbursing licence costs?

When purchasing licences, Wikimedia Deutschland must be informed in advance about the specific licence. This information is required to avoid (possibly unnecessary) purchases of multiple licences for the same tool and because Wikimedia Deutschland does not assume any licence costs for non-GDPR-compliant tools. In addition, a list of the licence costs assumed is relevant for the cash audit.

Media files

Are multiple licences permitted?

You can publish your work under several licences at the same time. For publication on Wikimedia Commons, this means that you can use one or more licences recognised as free in addition to one of the licences listed in the volunteer support guidelines. However, in order to be eligible for volunteer support from Wikimedia Deutschland, one of the CC licences mentioned must come first in the case of multiple licences: CC BY-SA (4.0) is recommended; CC BY-SA (3.0), CC BY (4.0 and 3.0) and CC0 are also applicable.

May I provide additional information?

Additional notes are unproblematic if all guidelines are adhered to.

What do I need to bear in mind when uploading media files?

Please note the information under Category:Supported by Wikimedia Deutschland if you upload content that was created or released with the support of Wikimedia Deutschland.

Technical equipment and support

Do I rent or buy technical equipment?

In principle, Wikimedia Deutschland can provide you with almost any technology you need to realise your project. We prefer to use technology that is available internally, but if you need special technology, it is also possible to obtain it from an external lender. For technology that we borrow more frequently (e.g. camera equipment), we use rental companies with whom we have had good experiences. In certain cases, it makes sense for Wikimedia Deutschland not only to borrow equipment but also to buy it. Please contact the Communities and Engagement team (for contact details see #Who do I contact for volunteer support?).

In individual cases: If there is a large enquiry, we will try to estimate, with the support and information of the enquirer, how often a device is likely to be used and what it would approximately cost to cover these uses with rental equipment. If this results in a clear cost advantage in favour of purchasing, we buy the technology. In other cases, we rent.

Who can I contact if I have questions or problems with my email address, mailing list or the video conference service offered by Wikimedia Deutschland?

If you have any questions or problems relating to Wikimedia Deutschland's supported email addresses, mailing lists and video conference services for community members, you are welcome to contact the public mailing list it-fragen wikimedia.de. Please make problem descriptions as specific as possible so that Wikimedia Deutschland can understand the problems and solve them promptly. You can also subscribe to this mailing list here.