APPA Group Hospitality Expense Policy

PURPOSE

The APPA Staff Travel and Business Expense Policy and the APPA Non-Staff Travel and Business Expense Policy address expenses incurred by an individual traveler. Neither addresses circumstances in which one person pays for a group. This policy covers those circumstances so that legitimate group expenses are properly authorized and documented.

SCOPE

This policy applies whenever an individual incurs an expense on behalf of a group in connection with APPA business, without regard to whether that individual is an employee, a Board member, or a volunteer. The applicable underlying policy continues to govern that individual's own travel and personal expenses.

QUALIFYING EXPENSES

Group hospitality includes meals, receptions, and related hospitality costs incurred for Board meetings and Board dinners; staff meetings, retreats, and team events; hosting members, business partners, international visitors, or representatives of other organizations; and comparable gatherings held for APPA business purposes. Directly related costs of hosting such a gathering, including room or venue rental, audiovisual services, and similar charges, are also covered by this policy.

REASONABLENESS

Group hospitality expenses shall be reasonable in light of the purpose of the gathering, the number of participants, and local costs. The individual meal guidelines in the underlying policies apply to individual meals and do not apply to group hospitality. A group hospitality expense is not counted against the host's own daily meal guideline. Alcohol served as part of a group meal or reception is reimbursable on the same basis as other hospitality costs.

GROUP ACTIVITIES

The personal entertainment exclusions in the underlying policies apply to activities undertaken by an individual on their own behalf. They do not apply to a group activity that forms part of a hosted program, such as a facility or campus tour, a site visit, or a comparable activity arranged for visitors or participants, provided the business purpose is documented.

DOCUMENTATION

Because group hospitality is reimbursed under APPA's accountable plan, the following must accompany the expense report: an itemized receipt; the business purpose of the gathering; and the names of those present, or, for gatherings too large to list individually, a description of the group and the number of participants. A single itemized receipt covering the group is appropriate for group hospitality, and individual receipts for each participant are not required.

APPROVAL

Before incurring a group hospitality expense, any individual other than the CEO, the COO, or a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors shall obtain approval from the CEO or the COO.

Group hospitality expenses are then approved for reimbursement through APPA’s established expense approval process: staff expenses by the employee’s supervisor; the COO’s expenses by the CEO; Board member and volunteer expenses by the COO; and the CEO’s expenses subject to review by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

ADMINISTRATION

This policy supplements and does not replace the Staff and Non-Staff Travel and Business Expense Policies. Apart from the approval required before incurring a group hospitality expense under the Approval section, it establishes no new approval thresholds or authority levels. The CEO may make administrative updates to this policy consistent with Section V of the APPA Financial Policies.

Note: This policy is intended to guide APPA in the responsible and ethical management of group hospitality expenses, ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations while supporting the organization's non-profit mission.