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Event expenses can be covered either by an Event Advance or paid for directly by Reliant as arranged through the Events Department. Once connected with Reliant's Events Department, the event leader is a trusted source for what is a necessary expense as related to the event. Reliant has provided broad spending guidelines, allowing the event leader to decide what is appropriate and necessary, according to the event needs. The church partner leader and the event leader should be in agreement about appropriate and necessary event expenses, both prior to the event during the budgeting phase and during the event should questionable expenses arise.

The rules below DO NOT apply if you are a missionary purchasing an expense for an event using the event fund to reimburse the expense through a normal Reliant reimbursement form. If you are using that method (and not using an event advance or having Reliant purchase it for you directly then you need to follow Events Gifts Policy (which adhere to the traditional Reliant reimbursement rules instead.)

What is Allowed

Expenses for an event should be reasonable to the type of event and must fit within Reliant's set category of expenses. The church leader and the event leader should be in agreement about appropriate and necessary event expenses, both prior to the event during the budgeting phase and during the event should questionable expenses arise. Expenses for individual event participants that are needed may also be covered. Reliant's Events Department is available to provide guidance as needed. Event Admins are responsible for sharing these guidelines with other event participants that may be making purchases using event advance funds.

Examples of Allowable Expenses

If the event purpose is a work trip to build a playground, every purchase needed to build the playground would be acceptable expenses.
A team is going overseas to help a church rehab a building for services. Allowable expenses might include new windows or flooring materials.
It the event's purpose is to do evangelism in a city or on a campus, paying for participants and locals to do an outing for evangelism purposes would be acceptable.
A team is going to help a church build relationships in a surrounding community through evangelism and service. Buying groceries to gift to each house in the neighborhood while doing evangelism would be an acceptable expense.
Event participant needs during an event such as medicines that can be purchased without a prescription or laundry are acceptable expenses.

Other allowable expenses:

Although medicines that need a prescription are not covered by the event fund, medicines requiring a prescription or doctor visits may possibly be covered by Reliant event's supplemental medical insurance. Please see the Reliant Events Department for guidance.

International phone SIM cards, or payment for a month of international phone service with a phone provider is approved for event leaders as this is a necessary expense for communication for event leaders for planning, finances, etc. during the event. For your receipt, for international phone service if you are paying for a month of added international plan (vs buying SIM cards) go online with your provider and take a picture of how much it costs for a month (or per day) for that plan and we will use that as the receipt. Typically a phone plan/SIM card is not necessary or needed for all the individual participants to have for the purpose of the event. Therefore, it would be considered a personal expense for the rest of the participants to also buy an international phone plan/SIM card and would not be reimbursed using event funds. (The only exception to this would be the purpose and goal of the event directly correlates to each participant needing their phone to work in that country in order to accomplish their role during the event. Before purchasing international calling ability for each participant to be reimbursed by the event fund directly, please discuss with Reliant the purpose and reasoning for that need so that we can verify that it has a purpose for the event and not just a personal reason such as wanting to socialize with family and friends, etc.) If Reliant agrees with the decision that it is needed for all participants to also purchase using event funds an international plan for a month (or a few days, etc.) or buying a SIM card, we suggest allotting a specific amount that is the same for all participants to receive from the event. Please show us how you came to that amount (example show a picture of your international calling plan amount online) and say you decided to give all or a portion of that amount of the cost to each person to pay for their phone plan for the week then have everyone sign (either via paper or by replying to an email) that they have received $x amount on x day for that purpose.

You are also allowed to also purchase Visas for your event participants if that was a budgeted expense approved by your church. Since Visas are specific to the country you are visiting it would be an event related expense. If you are going to a more secure country we do not suggest buying Visas all together. We suggest having the individuals purchase their Visas and you can use the event advance to reimburse them for their purchase. (Passports and immunizations are not allowed to be purchased with event funds as they are considered a personal expense that can continue to be used by the participant after the event.)

Many events want to bless their host family, or interpreters, etc. We suggest bringing a few token gifts from the U.S. to hand out as thank you’s. Or, you can take them out for a meal, create a gift basket, etc.

Unfortunately you can not give straight cash or gift cards directly to a foreign individual. See Leftover Funds for ways to give to the specific ministry.

If a larger purchase has to unexpectedly be made with expense advance funds while overseas (for example something breaks like a camera that is needed for the purpose of the trip) then, Reliant would need to make sure that whatever is bought becomes local church property after the trip is over and not an individual property since we cannot use event funds for personal expenses. Before you were to buy for example a brand new camera overseas because a lens broke, we would want to see if you could first try to get it repaired or just purchase that part for the camera before resorting straight to buying a brand new one if possible. Please contact Reliant before purchasing something expensive with expense advance funds so that we can help you figure the best course of action. In all cases, something big like that would need to be the church property after the event is over and not personal property and an email would need to be sent to Reliant from the church leader explaining/affirming that the church will be using it or storing it there for use on the next trip.

What is Not Allowed

Expenses not related to the direct purpose of the event are not allowed. This would include items meant to bless a local church in the middle of a trip just because it feels right or the church asks, but it was not part of the original objective of the event.
- Note that once all expenses related to the event have been paid for, that it may then be possible to bless the church with anything truly leftover. See Leftover Funds for for more information.
Alcohol cannot be purchased using Reliant funds.
Passports and immunizations are not allowed as those are personal expenses for the individual.
No straight cash or gift cards can be given directly to a foreign individual.

Examples of What is Not Allowed

A team is going overseas specifically to do evangelism with a local church, and while there the local church asks the team for money for new windows. New windows are not tied to the original purpose of the event so the expense would not be allowed as a reported expense.
A team is going to help a church build relationships in a surrounding community through evangelism and service. The team is asked by families in the neighborhood for money to buy groceries. The team is not allowed to give cash to them out of the Event Advance.

Collegiate events are subject to additional guidelines as determined by the Collegiate Church Network. See solomon for further information.