Official website of
National Tarbiyat Department,
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA
Budgeting and Expenses
Policy and Guidelines
Officeholders should spend Jama’at funds with extreme care. Under no circumstances should there be wastage. (April 12, 2013)
Khalifatul Masih V
Quoted from "I Solemnly Pledge"
Budgeting and Expense Guidelines for National Approved Programs
Spiritual Fitness Camps
What is Covered and How Much?
- National Tarbiyat Department (NTD) will typically reimburse up to $15/student/day as food and related supplies budget. This year we are holding a 1-day Camp only, so budget formula will be $15 x number of students.
- Another $20/student (please note: the student number should not include any chaperones, organizers, etc.) can be reimbursed for a fun activity/field trip or sports facility rental and equipment. Students/parents (or local jamaat funds) should contribute towards the difference if any fun activity costs more than $20 per student.
- Use the above formula whenever applicable in preparing your budget. For example, if you have 63 students, then the maximum amount reimbursable for Food & Supplies by NTD is $15 x 63 (Number of Students) = $945. The maximum amount reimbursable for the Fun Activity/Sports by NTD is $20 x 63 (Number of Students) = $1,260. Maximum approved budget is therefore $2,205.
Reimbursement Process
- Obtain Pre-Approval → Please obtain pre-approval before incurring any expense in connection with the Fun Activity. Pre-Approval may be obtained by confirming your Camp dates, the nature of the proposed fun activity, and the estimated Number of Students attending the Camp. If the actual Number of Students who attend the Camp is less or more than earlier anticipated, the reimbursement will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the actual attendance. For budget approval please contact Hazeem Pudhiyapura at hazeem.pudhiapura@ahmadiyya.us
- Pre-Authorization received from NTD based on budget formula and guidelines.
- Incur expense → maintain receipts (proper receipts are required for audit and must show seller's name, date, itemized cost and grand total).
- Complete an Expense Report → A sample Expense Report (Excel file) will be circulated with Camp materials and also available on the website.
- Submit Expense Report via email → attach receipts (scan or photo taken with a mobile device is fine) with a short description or report of the event and actual attendance/participation (especially highlighting separately the number of boys and girls who actually attended the Camp) → submit to expense.tarbiyat@ahmadiyya.us
Note: Please include the full name (as it appears on bank account) and the mailing address of the person to whom the reimbursement check is being sent to.
Salat Ashara
What is Covered and How Much?
- If requested by any local jama’at, NTD will reimburse up to $2/participant/day for no more than 10 days as food and related ziafat supplies budget to help the local jamaat with providing dinner/snacks at Maghrib or Isha time to the salat congregation at the Masjid (we do not encourage the practice of offering food/snacks at Salat Centers as this may make it inconvenient for the host, difficult to sustain in the long run, and doing so even during Salat Ashra may create a sort of expectation for such hospitality).
Reimbursement Process?
- Maintain Salat attendance record → To the best of your ability, please maintain a record/log of the attendance at congregational salat (Maghrib/Isha). If exact numbers are difficult to log, you may submit average attendance over the Ashra (10-day) period → Maximum reimbursable amount for NTD will be $2 x the average daily attendance x 10 days. For example, if 40 namaazis, on average, attended, then the total reimbursable expense is $2 x 40 x 10 = $800.
- Submit expense claim or request for reimbursement via email → attach receipts (proper receipts are required for audit and must show seller's name, date, itemized cost and grand total) with a short description or report on the Ashra and attendance/participation (as mentioned above) → Submit to email address: expense.tarbiyat@ahmadiyya.us
Note: This reimbursement is intended only as a subsidy from NTD. It is very likely that the cost of dinner every night for your jamaat membership is higher than the $2/person offered by NTD. We respectfully ask you to still remain mindful of the subsidy set forth above and only request this budgeted amount as maximum reimbursement from NTD. Please obtain additional funding, if any is needed, from local jamaat funds (or similar sources).
Shura Decision 2023 (Programs for Training of Youth & Parents
What is Covered and How Much?
- National Tarbiyat Department (NTD) will reimburse documented expenses in connection with activities/programs that are specifically in-line with the Shura Decision 2023 pertaining to conducting programs/sessions for the training of youth and the training of parents. Please refer to the Shura Decision 2023 (especially items 3 and 4) for a description of such programs/sessions.
- A funding, oversight and accountability system (as per Shura proposal) is currently being developed. In the interim, NTD is applying a budgeting formula of $10 per person for such activities/programs. For example, if 30 youth are attending, then the total reimbursable expense is $10 x 30 = $300.
- It may be that the cost of the activity/program your jamaat is considering is more than $10 per person, or that in addition to the youth and/or parents, a larger part of the local jamaat membership will be participating in the activity/program. In both cases we respectfully ask you to still remain mindful of the expense budget set forth above and obtain additional funding, if any is needed, from local jamaat funds (or similar sources).
Reimbursement Process?
- Obtain Pre-Approval → Submit budget (or expense estimate) to NTD along with specific details of the program/session and the expected number of attendees; e.g. 30 youth between the ages of 18 to 35 will be attending a session on the importance of financial sacrifice (as mentioned in the Shura Decision) and the cost is $10/person or $300 total ($10 x 30).
- Pre-Authorization received from NTD based on details of planned event and budget formula/guidelines.
- Incur expense → maintain receipts (proper receipts are required for audit and must show seller's name, date, itemized cost and grand total).
- Submit expense claim or request for reimbursement via email → attach receipts with a short description or report of the event and actual attendance/participation (especially highlighting the number of youth and/or parents who attended) → Submit to email address: expense.tarbiyat@ahmadiyya.us
Note: All reimbursements are made on the basis of actual expenses incurred and the actual final attendance/participation. For example, if actual expenses are lower than the $300 scenario used above, or the attendance was only 12 people as opposed to the 30 planned, then the final reimbursable amount will also be adjusted accordingly to, in this scenario, $120 ($10 x 12) instead of $300 ($10 x 30).
Note: Please include the full name (as it appears on bank account) and the mailing address of the person to whom the reimbursement check is being sent to.
Less Engaged Members Project
What is Covered and How Much?
- National Tarbiyat Department (NTD) will reimburse documented expenses in connection with activities/programs that are specifically aimed at bringing back less-engaged members. Examples of this are expenses incurred to support and implement programs necessary for engagement such as: small loans, BBQs, gifts, Jamaat picnics or trips, sports or playgrounds at the masjid, etc. (as per the Shura proposal 2021).
- A funding, oversight and accountability system (as per Shura proposal) is currently being developed. In the interim, NTD is applying a budgeting formula of $10 per person for such activities/programs. For example, if 30 disengaged members are attending, then the total reimbursable expense is $10 x 30 = $300.
- It may be that the cost of the activity/program your jamaat is considering is more than $10 per person, or that in addition to the disengaged members a larger part of the local jamaat membership will be participating in the activity/program. In both cases we respectfully ask you to still remain mindful of the expense budget set forth above and obtain additional funding, if any is needed, from local jamaat funds (or similar sources).
Reimbursement Process
- Obtain Pre-Approval → Submit budget (or expense estimate) along with specific details of the activity; e.g. 30 people are attending of which 26 people have been identified as disengaged (as per the disengaged members list mentioned in the Shura proposal) and the cost is $10/person or $300 total ($10 x 30).
- Pre-Authorization received from NTD based on details of planned event and budget formula/guidelines.
- Incur expense → maintain receipts (proper receipts are required for audit and must show seller's name, date, itemized cost and grand total).
- Submit expense claim or request for reimbursement via email → attach receipts with a short description or report of the event and actual attendance/participation (especially highlighting the number of disengaged members who attended) → Submit to email address: expense.tarbiyat@ahmadiyya.us
Note: All reimbursements are made on the basis of actual expenses incurred and the actual final attendance/participation. For example, if actual expenses are lower than the $300 scenario used above, or the attendance was only 12 people as opposed to the 30 planned, then the final reimbursable amount will also be adjusted accordingly to, in this scenario, $120 ($10 x 12) instead of $300 ($10 x 30).
Note: Please include the full name (as it appears on bank account) and the mailing address of the person to whom the reimbursement check is being sent to.
Ramadan Youth Taraweeh
What is Covered and How Much?
- NTD will reimburse the cost of a $25 gift card awarded to each of the boys between the age of 12—25 years who lead at least one-weekday Tiraveeh at the masjid/salat center during Ramadan (provided they have memorized enough Quran to be equivalent to half a part for the first timers and at least one part for subsequent years and keep a beard when possible, and their participation/selection has been made by the respected local missionary).
- We respectfully request that you only give $25 gift cards to the participants. Please do not give cash as we cannot reimburse any cash disbursements (for accounting reasons due to lack of supporting receipts).
Reimbursement Process
- Maintain record → Please maintain a record/log of the names of the youth who participated in the Ramadan Tiraveeh program.
- Recognition → Please hold a brief award ceremony (for example, on Eid day) where the names of the youth are announced and they are awarded the $25 gift cards.
- Submit expense claim or request for reimbursement via email → attach receipts (proper receipts are required for audit and must show the number of gift cards purchased and total amount) with a short description containing the names and number of participants who led Tiraveeh → Submit to email address: expense.tarbiyat@ahmadiyya.us
Note: As mentioned above, please purchase and award gift cards only. No cash awards.
Annual Tarbiyat Secretaries Conference
What is Covered and How Much?
- NTD will reimburse long-distance travel (air-travel and road-travel exceeding 300 miles) for Tarbiyat Secretaries to attend the Annual National Tarbiyat Secretaries Conference.
- Travel specific guidelines (“Travel Policy”) will be circulated closer to the event.
- Travel must be (i) pre-authorized; (ii) with airline tickets purchased before the deadline announced by NTD (typically a month before the event date); and (iii) subject to expense caps (which NTD sets annually based on travel distance from your local jamaat to the venue of the Conference and average pricing of airline tickets at that time of year).
Reimbursement Process
- Read Travel Policy → Familiarize yourself with the Travel Policy, especially the deadline for purchasing airline tickets and the expense cap applicable to you (for example, if the expense cap is set at $500 for all air-travel originating from the West Coast, you must ensure that the ticket you purchase is less than that amount).
- Submit expense claim or request for reimbursement via email → attach receipts (proper receipts are required for audit and must show airline flight numbers, dates of travel and total fare paid) → Submit to email address: expense.tarbiyat@ahmadiyya.us Please submit your expense claim as soon as you have purchased your ticket.
- Reimbursement in person → A reimbursement check will typically be handed to you (i.e., in person) when you attend the Conference.
Note: As mentioned above, please purchase tickets in advance and no later than the stipulated deadline. Detailed guidelines and answers to other FAQs in connection with travel reimbursement (“what is” and “what is not covered”) is contained in the Travel Policy. Please read this document carefully when it is circulated.
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