Table of Contents

What Does CROP Provide in FY18?

Standard Travel Authorizations

1. Trip Allocations (4 days, 3 nights standard maximum): 
   1. Five (5) individual regional trips are allocated to At-Large RALOs including: AFRALO, APRALO, EURALO, LACRALO, and NARALO
   2. Four Five (45) individual regional trips are which may include one (1) out of region trip if necessary, allocated to GNSO Constituencies including: Business, Intellectual Property, Internet Services Provider, Non-Commercial Users, and Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns. (Note: please see additional "Engagement Event Authorizations" below). 
2. Funded Costs/Expenses: Includes transportation (economy class), lodging, and $50 USD per diem (4 days, 3 nights standard maximum)
3. Visa Fees & Registration Fees: Travellers will be reimbursed for visa fees (up to $200 USD) and for conference registration fees where applicable (up to $800 USD)
4. Booking: All travel booked via ICANN Constituency Travel to ensure consistency, proper accounting, recordation, and tracking against budget.

Engagement Event Authorizations (GNSO Constituencies ONLY) 

Instead of the above individual regional trips, each GNSO Constituency will have the following options:

1. Four (4) individual CROP travel allocations; or
2. To host, co-host, or sponsor up to two (2) targeted community Outreach/Engagement events during the fiscal year (US $7,500 funding limit for each event); or
3. To host, co-host, or sponsor one (1) targeted community Outreach/Engagement event during the fiscal year (US $7,500 funding limit) plus two (2) individual CROP travel authorizations.

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Note: The latter two options will require advanced scheduling and reservations to ensure that (a) only one such event occurs at the same time, and (b) there are no overlaps with other scheduled events such as ICANN Public Meetings.

What are CROP's Operating Procedures & Requirements?

See also: FY18 CROP Processing Flow Diagram

Outreach Strategic Plans

To be eligible for the CROP Program, each participating ICANN Structure must produce a clear Outreach Strategic Plan explaining its FY18 outreach goals, strategies, and planned expectations so that the specific activities can be coordinated with the appropriate ICANN Regional Engagement teams. 

A template is provided within each of the FY18 Community Workspaces where the Outreach Strategic Plan should be documented. As part of the approval process, each plan must be reviewed by the structure's leadership as well as the appropriate regional Stakeholder Engagement Vice-President(s). The Community Program Coordinator (PC) will certify, within the template, when these reviews have taken place and communicate those results to the CROP Program Administrators (Staff). 

General Procedures 

• All trips and outreach activities must be completed before the end of ICANN's 2018 fiscal year. Traveling participants must have returned to their originating destination on or before 30 June 2018 and each outreach activity must take place on or before 30 June 2018.  
• If the program is continued in a succeeding fiscal year, any trip/outreach event Any trip allocated, but not taken, will not carry over to the next fiscal year.
• Minimum timeframes:   An individual Trip trip must be approved within the participant's organization/structure, including coordination with the applicable regional Stakeholder Engagement V.P. team a minimum of 6-weeks prior to the proposed travel date. This 6-week period is the absolute minimum time and should not be considered a "best practice". Notice and planning with regional teams should take place as early as possible.
• An engagement Event must be approved within the participant's organization/structure, including coordination with the applicable regional Stakeholder Engagement V.P. team a minimum of 8-weeks prior to the proposed date. The 8-week period is the absolute minimum time and should not be considered a "best practice". Notice and planning with regional teams should take place as early as possible.
• Travel may not be booked individually or through the event organizers. ICANN's Constituency Travel department will manage all travel booking and ensure that any financial outlays are optimized to the maximum extent possible.
• A Trip /Event Assessment must be completed for each outreach activity attended or hosted (within 3 weeks of returning). The assessment should clearly and specifically describe if/how the original purpose(s) and outcome(s) were realized as well as details of the event itself (who, what, where, when, and why). 
• Unless an exception is authorized in advance, trips Trips must originate and conclude within the same region and should, wherever practicable, be taken by someone working in or proximate to that territory. GNSO Constituencies may attend one out of region trip per fiscal year within the five trip allocations.
• Any single outreach activity may be attended by multiple persons; however, each traveler is counted as utilizing one of structure's allocated trips.
• If an approved trip is voided or cancelled for some unanticipated and/or extraordinary reason, a replacement trip will be allocated to the affected organization within FY18.
• For this program, it It will not be possible to support trip "compounding" or "splitting" of expenses or any other strategy with a goal of increasing the number of individual trips assigned to an organization. ICANN appreciates all reasonable efforts on the part of participants to minimize expenses; however, to properly manage this unique resource, each individual trip stands on its own and will require separate authorization and tracking.

Trip

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Confirmations/Approvals

Before any proposed trip /event can be processed:

• It must be approved within the participant's organization/structure, including coordination with the applicable regional Stakeholder Engagement V.P. team a minimum of 6-weeks prior (for individual trips) or a minimum of 8-weeks prior (for engagement events) to the proposed date (see General Procedure section above). For further information about advance notice requirement, please refer to the CROP FY18 Frequently Asked Questions page (see Policies/Guidelines Questions). 
• It must be determined by the applicable regional Stakeholder Engagement V.P. team that the trip /event purposepurpose/goal is consistent with any established regional engagement strategy, where applicable, and/or ICANN's overall mission.
• It must be determined by the applicable regional Stakeholder Engagement V.P. team that the trip /event is is not duplicative of any other scheduled ICANN event with a similar purpose/outcome.
• The trip /event must satisfy CROP guidelines and policies as confirmed by the Program Administrators.
• The proposed program participant(s) must agree to the terms and conditions of the program, including:
• Travel arrangements are made only by ICANN Staff, that is, self-booking is not permitted for this program. 
• Agreement to provide an accurate and complete post-event Trip /Event Assessment within three weeks of the return date.

Travel Policies

• For any ICANN supported travel, it is the traveler’s responsibility to comply with all local laws and legislation of the country or countries to which he or she will travel (including but not limited to laws pertaining to immigration, taxation, customs, employment and foreign exchange control).
• It is the traveler’s responsibility to comply with all regulations (including those dealing with visas and required vaccinations) of any country visited.
• ICANN is not responsible for obtaining visas for the traveler; that is the responsibility of the traveler. Travelers will be reimbursed for any visa fees (up to $200 USD). 
• ICANN will not support/approve any claim for work permits or any other costs relating to compliance with the national legislation of any country in the world from a fellow or any third party.
• ICANN is a California non-profit public benefit corporation incorporated in the United States and must therefore comply with all of the laws and regulations of California and the United States.
• Travelers will be reimbursed for conference registration fees where applicable (up to $800 USD).

What are the CROP Roles/Responsibilities?

See also: FY18 CROP Contacts 

Program Administrators (Staff)

The role of ICANN's Program Administrators (Staff) will be to:

1. Provide guidance and interpretation to the community consistent with the program's principles;
2. Confirm that all applications meet the established principles/guidelines/criteria and have been properly authorized by the applicable parties;
3. Coordinate with other ICANN departments (e.g., Communications, Meetings, Constituency PlanningGlobal Stakeholder Engagement, Constituency Travel, Communications and Meetings) as needed to maximize outreach effectiveness; 

4. Monitor

   the implementation

   the program’s implementation for completeness and accuracy; and

5. Manage, track, and report the program's status as requested by ICANN management and/or community leaders.

Program Coordinators (PC)

Each structure/organization is responsible for appointing 1-2 Program Coordinators (PC) whose responsibility will be to:

1. Consult within the applicable structure/organization and assist members, where needed, in completing an Outreach Strategic Plan DRAFT and DRAFT Trip /Event Proposals via the Wiki templates provided within the FY18 Community Workspaces area.
2. Facilitate and manage trip/event approvals within the organization and with the appropriate regional ICANN Stakeholder Engagement Vice-President(s).
3. Within three (3) weeks of the return date (or event termination):
1. Ensure that the participant(s) collect information and collaborate to complete the online DRAFT Trip /Event Assessment form; 

2. After verifying proper form completion, ensure that the assessment meets the approval of the structure/organization's leadership; and

3. Notify the CROP Program Administrators when the form is approved internally.