Openness and Transparency
As an open-source non-profit, Tidepool is committed to operating openly and transparently in all regards.
Tidepool's finances, including how we spend our money, our revenue, grants and expenses, are shared internally with employees on a regular basis, typically monthly after our accountants complete the monthly close.
Our tax returns and audited financials are also published openly at tidepool.org/documents.
Expense Policy
Like all nonprofits, Tidepool attempts to minimize expenses as much as possible in order to extend our financial runway. We are frugal, but we are not "frupid" (frugal + stupid). Over 80% of our expenses are people-related: salaries and benefits (especially health insurance), and contractor expenses.
Several of the executives (CEO and VPs) have Tidepool business credit cards. If you need to purchase something, just ask one of us.
All that we ask when it comes to spending is that you be reasonably frugal, but don't be "frupid." Some guidance:
When you book travel, please use Kayak or a similar service and look for good fares. If you have a long flight, it's OK to book an "extra room" seat in coach. We don't do business or first class or eat at super-fancy 4-star restaurants or take town cars everywhere. Wherever you stay, please inquire about tax exemptions for nonprofit organizations. Some states will remove taxes from the hotel bill for nonprofit organizations.
At Tidepool, we have budgeted for travel and want to ensure we do our best to stay within those limits. If you have questions about travel expenses (and travel budget), please direct them to your supervisor or VP of People and Finance.
Online services that save us time and effort are worth the money. We subscribe to a bunch of them: GitHub, Slack, Confluence, Jira, and ZOOM, to name a few.
Tidepool doesn't pay for home internet connections (nor for electricity or water or garbage service, for that matter). Having a fast internet connection at home for work and personal use is routine these days.
Pending your role, Tidepool will provide a laptop and an external monitor if you need one, but you are also welcome to use your own machine(s) as long as it has been set up and audited according to our HIPAA and security policies. Please note that Tidepool-purchased equipment remains the property of Tidepool unless other arrangements are made in writing.
Reimbursement and Invoice Submission
Tidepoolers use Expensify to collect and organize reimbursable expenses and Bill.com for reimbursement. Reimbursable expenses are due no later than the 5th of the following month. Expense reports are then automatically imported by Bill.com at which point they are reviewed by an internal team member and approved for payment. All reimbursement requests must be accompanied by receipts.
For international team members who submit for reimbursement for expenses paid in non-US currency, Tidepool will reimburse in US dollars based on the published exchange rate, on the day of repayment. If that exchange rate results in the loss of funds from the date of purchase, Tidepool will compensate for the difference.
All external invoices [non-Tidepoolers] should be directed to tidepool.org@bill.com.