Hi Zeeshan and ALL
I am Max, one of the travel committee members and GNOME.Asia members.
We have 2 wiki for GNOME travel instruction.
GNOME Travel Wiki
Request instructions
https://wiki.gnome.org/Travel/Request
We are all are volunteers with GNOME travel tasks.
I always do the travel tasks by batch mode. ( You could see the 2 wiki above, people who get the subsidy should send their receipt and provide report within 2 weeks )
Travel committee will process multiple events at the same time.
So I will focus reimbursement process after event end 2 weeks.( I am not sure other travel committee members, I just provide my work process )
I will keep eye if some mail out of 2 weeks time.
In zeeshan this case, zeeshan think he wait enough time to travel committee.
I will explain why zeeshan not get the same process speed like others in the same conference.
---- not provide blog report in 2 weeks. ( You will know even you are not give blog report at 2 weeks, but travel committee will process the travel reimbursement, but you are not in focus batch time period, so might be a little late )( Thanks foundation members always give us enough time)
---- provide transfer information at Mar -- after explain the cost of bank transfer, zeeshan accept and provide at 2016/3/3, we are already run the reimburse, but we are not mail to zeeshan very soon. Zeeshan mail to foundation list at 2016/3/10 ( 7 days after )
== Summary ==
** Both travel committee and foundation member need more time, if the receipt or report not on time. ( according GNOME travel wiki )
---- solution: Maybe we could consider add “no later than two weeks after the event:” in people should write their report to GNOME.
Question:
If people don’t send the receipts and report in time, what could travel committee member do?
---- Reject ? ( For now, we will still process the reimbursement )
---- Accept? ( But still reply and process very soon or on time? We are all volunteers, so maybe it’s hard to do that. I write this e-mail spend me almost 45 mins to check the mail list timeline and reply this mail. I will wonder to spend this time to take process for other events )
Anyway, sorry for my poor English and thank everyone give enough time to travel committee.
I really do my best with GNOME tasks.
Honestly, when I see this mail at foundation-list, I feel a little sad why I spend much time at volunteers task. ( But I will still do more with GNOME cause that’s the way I choose to contribute )
Max, one of the travel committee members
=====================
Time line for this case
2015/12/24 - Zeeshan - send request
2016/1/14 - Zeeshan - ask confirm request
2016/1/15 - Travel committee - confirm request
2016/1/15 - Zeeshan - Accept travel offer
2016/1/15 - Zeeshan - send the receipt include correct wrong receipt
2016/2/4 - Travel Committee - reminder Zeeshan to send to report ( blog ) to travel committee
2016/2/4 - Zeeshan - Tell travel committee didn’t write blog, he will send report soon
2016/2/6 - Zeeshan - send blog url to travel committee
2016/2/22 - Zeeshan - Ask reimbursement status
2016/2/26 - Zeeshan - Ask reimbursement status
2016/3/1 - Travel Committee - Notify Zeeshan “may be lose a significant part of the reimbursement in fees and the cost to the Foundation will also be quite significant compared to the total. Would you be amenable to PayPal or another reimbursement method instead ”
2016/3/1 - Zeeshan - Zeeshan don't think I should have to pay for any such costs. Zeeshan think travel committee should consider these costs when accepting funding requests.
2016/3/1 - Travel Committee - Explain why the cost to Zeeshan
2016/3/1 - Accept the explain, note will change to paypal method ( but not give information )
2016/3/3 - Zeeshan - Ask reibursement status
2016/3/3 - Travel Committee - Reply to zeeshan, not receive paypal information from zeeshan so Rosanna can’t pay via payal method
2016/3/3 - Zeeshan - Provide paypal account information
2016/3/10 - Zeeshan - Ask reimbursement status again and send to foundation-list mail
2016/3/10 - Travel Committee - Notify Zeeshan already in reimbursement queue
2016/3/16 - Zeeshan - reply to travel committee
2016/3/17 - Travel Commitee - reply to travel committee
=====================
On Wed, Mar 16, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Alberto Ruiz <aruiz gnome org> wrote:
> Zeeshan,
Alberto,
> I understand your frustration,
I like to believe people mean well and I think you do too in here but
sorry I don't feel that you understand my frustration, reading through
the rest of your reply. You completely focused on my email and showing
how it's not constructive at all, instead of suggesting any solution
to the actual problem.
> but how would you feel if you were one of the volunteers throwing as much
> spare time as you have to help in the committee and you read your email (or
> even just the subject, which I find discouraging enough)? how would you feel
> if you were thinking about becoming a volunteer on this or some other
> committee/group within GNOME and saw this kind of negative feedback thrown?
> Do you think your email is particularly encouraging?
1. Soon after sending this email, I immediately started to get replies
to my emails from one member of the travel committee and was informed
of the status of my reimbursement So yes, this seems to have been not
entirely futile.
2. I did not mean this to be a insulting email but more like bringing
up an issue. If my choice of words wasn't the best, I do apologise.
> We must be rather careful with words towards people making an extra effort
> outside of their work/"normal" life to help run this community. This sort of
> problem is normal in any volunteer based organization, which you should know
> by now, and your email doesn't quite point things towards any particular
> solution. What are we (the foundation members) supposed to do with your
> email? Unleash some sort of imaginary whip towards the travel committee? I'm
> pretty sure they're doing their best.
Like many people here suggested, a solution could be for more people
on the committee. If that's the case, I'd like to volunteer (though
I'm guessing this is the not the right place for that).
P.S. Please note that the actual re-reimbursement process being slow
is not what I was getting frustrated about but rather the complete
lack of communication from the committee for weeks in a row despite
weekly reminders and having no idea about when I'll be reimbursed.
--
Regards,
Zeeshan Ali (Khattak)
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