NeighborWorks Training Institute Event Policies

Transcription

1 NeighborWorks Training Institute Event Policies NeighborWorks America is committed to the equal treatment of and opportunity for all people without regard to race, religion, ethnic background, age, sexual orientation, marital status or gender. Our practice is one of zero tolerance for discrimination. EVENT INFORMATION FOR ALL ATTENDEES Registration: Check-in is required at On-Site Registration for all events. Your event transcript, including course selections and classroom locations, is ed to you approximately one week prior to the event. If you didn t provide an updated address when you registered, please send your most current to nti@nw.org. Attendance and Certificate Policy: Courses begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. Monday Wednesday; on Thursday courses begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m.; on Friday courses begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. Certificates of completion are issued only to participants who attend and complete 100% of the course. There are no exceptions to this policy. In an effort to better meet participant travel requirements, courses will end promptly at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. The additional time will be made up based on the consensus between the instructor and course participants. Check with your instructor for more details. Participants should schedule their return travel to depart at least three hours or more after their last course ends- so they can attend 100 percent of the course, receive their certificates, and make it safely to the airport in time for their flight. Special Needs: If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify NeighborWorks one month prior to the event - at nti@nw.org. You should also indicate your special need on your registration form so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you have a medical situation that may hinder a person from sharing a room with you, you will be required to pay for an upgrade to a single room. Accommodations: Guestrooms are available the day before your courses begin and checkout is on the last day of your courses. Please refer to the Travel & Logistics Guide for your hotel s specific check-in and check-out time. For hotel services (business center, fitness center, etc.) or driving directions, please refer to the hotel s website. A block of rooms are available at each of the Training Institute hotels. The hotel requires an incidental deposit upon check in equivalent to the number of nights you are lodged times the daily deposit amount. If you spend the deposit, you are required to provide an additional deposit. Please refer to the Travel & Logistics Guide for your hotel s specific deposit requirement. If you use a debit card, please check with your banking institution for the most updated regulations that may affect the fees charged to your account. Upon receipt of your confirmation letter, please read it carefully for important details about your registration and course locations, if applicable. All requests to change room locations, or roommates should be made 5 weeks prior to the event or at the latest- by the deadline date indicated on the respective Travel & Logistics Guide. Please check the respective event brochure and the TLG for the specific hotel change deadline date. No changes will be made onsite. 1

2 Cyber Café: Information will be provided in your event registration packet. Meals: Meals are at your own expense. A light continental breakfast is served from 6:45 8:15 a.m. at specified hotels. A morning coffee break is provided at the venue where your course is located. SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS OUTSIDE THE NEIGHBORWORKS NETWORK Pre-event registration: Participants who submit their registration form by the early-bird deadline noted in the event brochure can deduct $50 from the registration fee. Forms received after the designated date will be assessed the $100 registration fee. Forms will be accepted up until three weeks of the event date. After this date, participants wishing to take courses at this event must wait to enroll during the onsite registration. To register for courses, locate the classes you wish to take and indicate your first and second choices for each day on the registration form. Use both course letters and numbers. Also, list the tuition for each first choice course only. Complete the entire form and mail or fax to NeighborWorks America. Register early; classes fill up quickly, and we cannot guarantee onsite or late registrants the classes of their choice. We recommend you do not confirm your travel and accommodations until you receive confirmation of your enrollment in selected courses. Online registration: Instead of mailing or faxing a registration form, consider signing up through our online registration system. Participants choosing to use the online system will be able to access their online transcript history, update profile information, streamline payment transactions and make course registration changes. Access the online registration tool at As a first time user to this online tool, you will need to create a user profile before registering. Onsite registration: Onsite registration opens at 3 p.m. on the Sunday before courses begin. Check daily hours of operation onsite. All participants must stop by the onsite registration to pick up their registration packets before attending courses. Your registration packet will have the most updated information about courses, locations and events. Payment policy: Institute courses and symposia are individually priced. A $100 registration fee must be added to the final tuition total. If you submit your registration form by the early bird registration deadline, you can deduct $50 from the registration fee. Tuition and registration fees include courses, materials and site visits (where applicable), afternoon workshops, networking opportunities, light daily continental breakfast and a beverage break. Payment is due with your registration form and may be made by check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express. If your organization requires a purchase order, we will bill you and hold your registration form until three weeks before the event date, to allow for receipt of payment. All tuition and registration payments must be received in full before obtaining a confirmation packet prior to the event. Send completed registration form(s) and payment to: 2

3 Neighborhood Reinvestment Training PO Box , Boston, MA When using a credit card, please fax it to: (800) Travel: Non-Network participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements. Accommodations: Make your own lodging arrangement. A block of rooms are available at the hotels specified on the event Travel & Logistics Guide (TLG). To guarantee a room at the special NeighborWorks/NTI rate, reservations must be made by the deadline noted in the event TLG -- rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call the hotel directly to make your reservations and ask for the NeighborWorks rate. (*rate is subject to change) Changes, Substitution, Cancellation and Refunds: Change requests can be made by calling or e- mailing nti@nw.org and are subject to course availability. During the event, check the Course Availability Board and make changes at the on-site registration area. If you need to cancel your registration to the event, you must provide notice of cancellation via to nti@nw.org at least three weeks prior to the start date of the event in order to receive a full tuition refund. Participants should check the event brochure and respective TLG for the specific cancellation deadline date. If NeighborWorks covered your travel costs to attend the event and you need to cancel your registration for the event, you should also contact Direct Travel at either nwa@dt.com or nwanyc@dt.com or , in addition to sending your notice of cancellation to nti@nw.org. If cancellation notice is received less than three weeks and up to five business days before the start date of the event, NeighborWorks will assess a $150 cancellation fee and provide a tuition credit voucher for the balance. The credit voucher expires if not used within one year of issuance. If a cancellation notice is received less than five business days prior to the start date of the event, or if you do not complete your coursework, no tuition or hotel refund or credit voucher will be issued. Participants should check the respective event brochure and the TLG for the specific substitution and cancellation deadline dates. NeighborWorks America reserves the right to cancel any course at any time. If your course is canceled, you may choose another course or request a tuition refund. Other than refunding your tuition in the event that the course you chose is cancelled, NeighborWorks America is not liable to you for any other damages, including, without limitation, any obligation to provide a refund for any travel and/or lodging costs associated with attending any NeighborWorks event or other direct, indirect or consequential damages. Refunds: Refunds are made in the same form that the original payment was received. Credit refunds are processed within three weeks after an event and normally appear on your credit statement within three to five business days. Check refunds may take up to 45 days for processing and mailing. 3

4 Scholarship Recipients: Most scholarships (nontransferable) cover single-room lodging and tuition only; however review your scholarship award letter for details. If NeighborWorks covered your travel costs to attend the event and you need to cancel your registration, you should also contact Direct Travel at either or in addition to sending your notice of cancellation to A hotel early departure fee will be assessed for scholarship recipients who check out of the hotel early without notification to NeighborWorks. If hotel reservations were confirmed on your behalf and you do not cancel and then do not show up at the event, the hotel will assess a no-show charge to NeighborWorks America; this hotel no-show charge will then be billed to your organization. Please review your confirmation letter for assigned lodging and dates. If you are a NO SHOW to an event, your scholarship eligibility may be revoked for a period of 12 months. Scholarships are non-transferable to other individuals or events. NeighborWorks reserves the right to cancel any course at any time. If your course is cancelled, you may choose another course within your scholarship parameters. NeighborWorks is not liable to you for any obligation to provide a reimbursement for any travel and/or lodging costs associated with attending any NeighborWorks training event or other direct, indirect or consequential damages. Lodging for Scholarship Recipients Most scholarships cover lodging and tuition only; however, review your scholarship award letter for details. Most scholarships do provide single-room accommodations. The hotel requires an incidental deposit upon check in equivalent to the number of nights you are lodged times the daily deposit amount. If you spend the deposit, you are required to provide an additional deposit. Please refer to the Travel & Logistics Guide for your hotel s specific deposit requirement. If you use a debit card, please check with your banking institution for the most updated regulations that may affect the fees charged to your account. If you cannot secure a return flight to get you to your home airport by 11:00 p.m. on the last day of your course, you may stay an additional night at our expense, when we are notified by the hotel lodging deadline date specified in the event TLG. No changes will be made onsite. Because of the significant growth of the NeighborWorks training events, we may use multiple hotels to accommodate the required number of guestrooms and meeting rooms. It is possible that your guestroom and courses will be held in different properties. 4

5 SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR NEIGHBORWORKS NETWORK PARTICIPANTS ONLY Registration: The NeighborWorks network slot registration deadline is communicated when each event is launched. Indicate your first and second choices for courses each day on the registration form using the course letters and numbers. To verify that your organization is a NeighborWorks network organization, please check the members-only website at Online registration: Consider enrolling through our online registration system. Network participants choosing to use the online system will be able to enter travel and lodging requests, access their online transcript history, update profile information and make course changes. If you are using a training slot, you will need the slot code in order to submit your travel and lodging needs. Only those online registrants listed as working for a chartered NeighborWorks Network Organization and with a user profile set up as working for that organization by selecting it as your organization in the online pull-down menu will be able to access and use a slot in our online registration system. You may access the online registration tool at As a first time user to this online tool, you will need to create a User Profile before registering for the event. Training Institute slots: Each NeighborWorks network organization receives an annual (fiscal year: Oct. 1 Sept. 30) number of training institute slots. Each NeighborWorks network training slot covers a round-trip airline or train ticket to the institute and double occupancy accommodations. The organization name listed on the Network registration form must be the official Network organization chartered name; abbreviations and affiliate names will not be accepted. Upon receipt of your confirmation and travel and logistics guide, please read carefully for special details about your course selections and hotel assignment for your lodging. Tuition rate: NeighborWorks network members register for the training institute at a special flat rate. Tuition includes courses and materials, afternoon workshops, networking opportunities, light daily continental breakfast and a beverage break. Paying your own expenses (POE): If your organization has exhausted institute slots and still wishes to have staff attend, you may pay the flat fee tuition rate, as well as arrange and pay for your own staff travel and lodging. Complete the registration form and check the Pay Own Expenses box. Submit the form with your tuition payment by the designated deadline date. Payment: Tuition and accommodation (if applicable) payment(s) must accompany your registration form. Illegible, incomplete forms or forms submitted with no payment attached will delay the registration process. Send completed registration form(s) and payment to: Neighborhood Reinvestment Training PO Box , Boston, MA When using a credit card, please fax it to: (800)

6 Accommodations: Each NeighborWorks organization s training slot covers shared lodging accommodations, and are not transferable without approval from NeighborWorks America. Please read your confirmation letter carefully for your hotel assignment. While we cannot guarantee your roommate preference, we make every attempt to match you with your preferred roommate provided that the hotel and check-in/check-out dates match. All requests to change room locations, or roommates should be made 5 weeks prior to the event, or at the latest- by the deadline date indicated on the respective Travel & Logistics Guide. Please check the respective event brochure and the TLG for the specific hotel change deadline date. No changes will be made onsite. You are required to notify the NeighborWorks on-site housing coordinator no later than 8:00 a.m. on the next day if your roommate does not check in to your shared room so that you can be paired with another roommate. By selecting shared accommodations, you assume full responsibility for any risks of loss, property damage or personal injury that may be sustained by you as a result of your voluntary request to share a guest room with another NTI participant. You agree to hold harmless NeighborWorks America, its directors, officers and other employees from any loss, liability, damages or costs, including reasonable attorney s fees that may incur due to your participation in the guest room sharing program. Roommate Guidelines NeighborWorks has established the following guidelines to ensure a successful roommate experience. All participants in shared accommodations should be able to: Experience a clean environment. Have a room free of smoking and any illegal substances. Experience peaceful enjoyment. Unreasonable noise, excessive distractions, inappropriate behavior from guests, damage to property, etc. is unacceptable. Expect that their roommate will respect one's personal belongings. Have unfettered access to the room without interference from the roommate or the roommate guests. Sleep without intentional disturbance from noise, guests of roommate(s), etc. Be free from fear of intimidation and physical or emotional harm. If the above guidelines are not adhered to, NeighborWorks reserves the right to exercise the following: Remove a participant from the shared room and require the participant to pay for single accommodations. If relocation to another hotel is required, participant will assume all fees. Remove a participant from the entire event without refund of any applicable registration fees. If you do not request a roommate, you will be randomly assigned a roommate based on arrival date and gender. We strongly encourage you to consider upgrading to a single occupancy room if the roommate of your choice is not attending the event. Requests for roommate changes after the housing deadline will be evaluated on a case by case basis, approvals are not guaranteed. Onsite requests for a new roommate will not be honored. If we are made aware that your assigned roommate has not arrived, you may be re-assigned another roommate. Additionally if you prevent your roommate from entering or occupying the room (i.e. deadbolt lock, placing personal items outside of the room, etc,) you or your organization will be automatically billed for a single room. Please note when opting for shared accommodations: You agree to the Roommate Guidelines and assume full responsibility for any risks of loss, property damage or personal injury that may be sustained as a result of your voluntary request to share a guest room with another participant. You agree to hold harmless NeighborWorks America, its directors, officers and other employees from any loss, liability, damages or costs, including reasonable attorney's fees that may incur due to participation in the guest room sharing program. 6

7 Changes, Substitution, Cancellation and Refunds: Change requests can be made by calling or e- mailing and are subject to course availability. During the event, check the Course Availability Board and make changes at the on-site registration area. If you need to cancel your registration to the event, you must provide notice of cancellation via to at least three weeks prior to the start date of the event in order to receive a full tuition and/or hotel refund. Participants should check the event brochure and respective TLG for the specific cancellation deadline date. If NeighborWorks covered your travel costs to attend the event and you need to cancel your registration for the event, you should also contact Direct Travel at either nwa@dt.com or nwanyc@dt.com or , in addition to sending your notice of cancellation to nti@nw.org. If cancellation notice is received less than three weeks and up to five business days before the start date of the event, NeighborWorks will assess a $150 cancellation fee and provide a tuition credit voucher for the balance. The credit voucher expires if not used within one year of issuance. If a cancellation notice is received less than five business days prior to the start date of the event, or if you do not complete your coursework, no tuition or hotel refund or credit voucher will be issued. Participants should check the respective event brochure and the TLG for the specific substitution and cancellation deadline dates. NeighborWorks America reserves the right to cancel any course at any time. If your course is canceled, you may choose another course or request a tuition refund. Other than refunding your tuition in the event that the course you chose is cancelled, NeighborWorks America is not liable to you for any other damages, including, without limitation, any obligation to provide a refund for any travel and/or lodging costs associated with attending any NeighborWorks event or other direct, indirect or consequential damages. Refunds: Refunds are made in the same form that the original payment was received. Credit refunds are processed within three weeks after an event and normally appear on your credit statement within three to five business days. Check refunds may take up to 45 days for processing and mailing. Travel Policy NeighborWorks America provides a travel report to the designated travel agency to cover the cost of a roundtrip ticket at the lowest fare rate available for participants whose travel is covered to attend the Institute. In accordance with the Transportation Security Admin (TSA) you must provide your travel arranger with your legal name, exactly as it appears on your non-expired government-issued photo identification (e.g. a driver s license or a passport), your date of birth and gender. Please register for the training event using the name on your government-issued photo ID. If the airline ticket is issued in a name other than your legal name, and the ticket is changed, you may be responsible for the airline s change fees. TSA reserves the right to prevent you from flying unless your name matches that on your photo ID. 7

8 Direct Travel is the official travel agency of NeighborWorks America. Direct Travel s normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). To avoid incurring an extra fee, please refrain from contacting Direct Travel after its normal business hours, over the weekend, or on holidays unless it is a true emergency. This policy applies to all participants, including scholarship recipients, for whom NeighborWorks is covering their travel costs. You should make your travel arrangements after you receive your confirmation letter, or at the latest by the date indicated on the respective Travel & Logistics Guide for the event you are attending. Your arrival to the event is scheduled for the day before your first course begins and your departure date is the last day of your class. NeighborWorks does allow participants to arrive at the NTI two days before and stay up to two days after the last day of the NTI at the participant s expense and upon approval. Courses begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Monday Wednesday; on Thursday courses begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m.; on Friday courses begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. Participants should schedule their return travel to depart at least three hours or more after their last course ends so they can attend 100 percent of the course, receive their certificates, and make it safely to the airport in time for their flight. Delays in making your travel arrangements may increase the amount of the ticket, when this occurs, you or your organization may be responsible for the difference in fare, especially when your travel is booked after the deadline communicated in our Travel & Logistics Guide. Please adhere to the respective deadline date to avoid being charged for increased fares. Travel by Air Once you receive your letter confirming your registration and NeighborWorks is covering your travel costs, contact Direct Travel at or your information to nwa@dt.com or nwanyc@dt.com. Direct Travel s normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). You should be prepared to provide your name as it appears on your government-issued photo id (such as your driver s license or passport), date of birth, and phone number (TSA required information) and preferred flight times to the travel agent when making your travel arrangements. NeighborWorks network organizations and event faculty must use Direct Travel. The Training Division provides updated travel manifests periodically to Direct Travel and pay for participants who are attending the events on a training slot. Tickets reserved through Direct Travel are charged directly to NeighborWorks America. You are required to fly on the airline that Direct Travel chooses. Direct Travel will try to book participants on the government contract carrier when feasible. The government contract carrier must be used (provided there is one) unless to do so would cost substantially more than a non-refundable ticket, cause scheduling problems, such as excessive layover, or result in additional travel costs (for lodging and meals) not associated with the price of the ticket. Connecting flights may be required when it is less expensive than a direct flight. You are not required to fly from the airport nearest your home if another airport in your vicinity would significantly lower their total travel expenses. Family members and/or friends of training participants are not eligible to receive government travel fares. 8

9 Most airlines and travel agents, including Direct Travel, are now using the electronic ticketing system. Direct Travel will indicate whether the participant is receiving an electronic ticket or mailing one to the participant within a week of their reservation provided that: your reservation is made before 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time; you have not requested an itinerary contrary to these guidelines; and you have received a letter from the Training Division confirming your registration. If you have not received your airline ticket or itinerary within two weeks of making your reservation, call Direct Travel. If you have a question about the ticket you received, contact the Training Division s Customer Response Manager at or nti@nw.org. Since Direct Travel uses the electronic ticketing system, when it is available, be advised that you may have an electronic ticket reserved. Double-check with Direct Travel before contacting the Customer Response Manager. If you need to make a change which affects your arrival or departure date, contact us at or nti@nw.org. We will approve the change with Direct Travel only if your itinerary is in line with your training schedule and meets the guidelines. Direct Travel charges a fee to issue and make any airfare reservation changes- so please plan wisely.if you prefer to make your own travel arrangements and seek reimbursement, you must contact NeighborWorks America for approval before purchasing the ticket. Send your request to nti@nw.org. The NeighborWorks staff will provide you with the necessary instructions and details to facilitate your reimbursement. NeighborWorks will reimburse you or your organization for the fare, as detailed on the participant reimbursement form; up to the amount the ticket would have cost NeighborWorks. If the cost of the ticket is less, you or your organization will receive the lesser amount. Reimbursements will be processed after the Institute and all travel is completed. Please allow up to 60 days for reimbursement. If you cannot secure a return flight to get you to your home airport by 11:00 p.m. on the last day of your course, you may stay an additional night at our expense when we are notified by you prior to the hotel lodging deadline date specified in the event TLG. However, if you paid for a single-room upgrade you will be responsible for the additional night upgrade fee. No changes will be made onsite. If your flight gets you to your home airport before 11:00 p.m. local time, and you still want to stay the additional night in the hotel, you will need to contact the hotel directly and arrange to extend your stay at your own expense. Direct Travel has been advised not to make any return travel beyond the Sunday following the NTI. If you plan to travel outside of this schedule, you will need to make separate travel arrangements and are solely responsible for your expenses. In addition, Direct Travel has been advised not to make any multiple-destination travel reservations. Direct Travel can only fly you from your home to the NTI and back to your home. We cannot allow you to extend your flight prior to or after the NTI for personal pleasures such as vacations. If you need to deviate from this policy, you must contact us. We may give you approval to purchase your own ticket and we would reimburse you the amount up to what the ticket would have cost us for your travel related to the NTI. 9

10 We encourage you to send any written compliment or complaint regarding Direct Travel to the Training Division s Manager of Customer Response at nti@nw.org. Describe the incident or issue as clearly as you can, giving dates, names, disputed fares, itineraries, and any other relevant information. This will help us work with Direct Travel. Travel by Automobile Driving in lieu of flying is permitted; however, you must contact the Manager of Customer Response at or nti@nw.org for prior authorization. Permitted reimbursable expenses include parking, tolls and mileage up to the cost of the round-trip airfare. NeighborWorks America will reimburse you at the prevailing IRS rate. If you do not notify us before the NTI, you may not be reimbursed. Carpooling is encouraged and rental of a vehicle if your team is coming together may be reimbursable. If carpooling, the list of all registered participants in the carpool must be included with the reimbursement request. Please stop by the NTI office or onsite registration booths while onsite to pick up a NeighborWorks America Non-Staff Expense Form. Please allow up to 60 days for reimbursement. Travel by Train Train tickets can only be issued Monday through Friday and must be requested at least three business days prior to departure. This will allow tickets to arrive to the participant in a timely manner. Tickets are delivered overnight and must be sent to a physical address. The carrier is unable to deliver tickets to a post office box. If your travel question has not been addressed, please contact the Manager of Customer Response at NeighborWorks America, Training Division, 999 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20002, telephone or at nti@nw.org. Comments, Questions and Suggestions If you have questions or opinions about any aspect of your NeighborWorks Training Institute experience, please call us at , or us at nti@nw.org. You can also write to us at NeighborWorks America, Training Division, 999 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20002, ATTN: Customer Response. Your opinions are important to us! 10