FY18 Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: Following another successful implementation of the Community Regional Outreach Pilot Program (CROPP) in FY17, the “pilot” program label has been removed and the activity has been moved to the Policy Development Support budget as part of the core activities to be coordinated by that staff in collaboration with the Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) team. The program will therefore be called Community Regional Outreach Program, removing the word "pilot" from its title.

Answer: It is understood that certain elements of the Outreach Strategic Plan may be replicated for the next fiscal cycle; however, the content should be based upon a fresh perspective as to outreach goals, plans, and objectives and, where applicable, it should dovetail with Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) regional strategies. In every case, a new Outreach Strategic Plan template must be completed including confirmations and approvals per the CROP Procedures & Guidelines.

Answer: Yes, the templates may be completed at any time; however, no action (e.g., travel booking) will be taken officially until the Outreach Strategic Plan has secured all of its confirmations and approvals.

Answer: In efforts to ensure that ICANN supported travelers and ICANN Staff have the same expectations of service deliverables, the following explains why we have instituted a 6 week requirement for fully approved CROP proposals to be provided to the Travel team. We understand that some travel arrangements can be done quickly, others are more complex. A consistent time frame ensures equal treatment for all travelers in a transparent manner.

Answer: Trip allocations were authorized only to the five (5) recognized GNSO Constituencies. You may petition either the NCUC or NPOC and, if either Constituency agrees to sponsor your trip with one or more of their allocated slots, that usage will be acceptable within the Program guidelines.

Answer: ICANN envisions the Trip Assessment to be a joint responsibility:

• The traveler(s) or host(s), consistent with the structure's internal procedures, prepare(s) the information about the trip and how its original goals and outcomes were realized.
• The designated Program Coordinator (PC) reviews the form for completeness.
• The applicable regional GSE team concurs that the assessment represents a satisfactory report of the trip as it relates to its originally proposed goals/outcomes.

Answer: After testing a pilot outreach event capability in FY17, the CROP program will revert to focusing on regional travel for all eligible communities, rather than outreach events. All communities will be able to target five individual regional trips and include up to one out of region trip for FY18 to maximize their outreach and engagement opportunities. 

Answer:  There are no set criteria for all regions at this time. The expectations and activities within each geographic region are likely to vary depending on the status of the various regional strategies. During this program, each Stakeholder Engagement VP is expected to have a methodology for coordinating community proposals with the Program Administrators.

Answer: Although there are 5 official ICANN regions for purposes of Board diversity and ICANN Meeting rotations, the GSE team operates in a larger number of regions (8). The CROP program respects the operational design of the GSE team and its various regional teams. Program Coordinators (PC) should connect with the Stakeholder Engagement VP responsible for the city/country in which the trip will take place. If there is any possible confusion about which VP is responsible, please contact the CROP Staff to facilitate the connections.

Answer: Regional strategies can be found on this Wiki under the GSE tab/category, then Regional Strategic Plans-Final.

Answer: After thorough assessment of the CROP program in its 4 consecutive pilot years and in consultation with the 5 GNSO Constituencies eligible to utilize the program, ICANN Org has modified the program criteria to further maximize the community's outreach and engagement activities. In some cases, regional travellers aren't available to conduct outreach activities due to a lack of representation within a certain region. This new provision will therefore allow GNSO Constituencies to conduct outreach even within regions they aren't currently represented in.