FAQ

Q: What is the allowed mileage reimbursement rate?
A: Pioneers Units can reimburse up to any amount they would like. The IRS allowed rate for volunteers is 14 cents per mile. Anything above 14 cents may be taxable income to the recipient. Most Units reimburse around 50 cents per mile so 36 cents would be taxable income ($00.50-$00.14=$00.36).

Q: What is the date range for the quarterly percentage reports (65% Rule and 35% Rule)?
A: Quarterly percentages are based on the year-to-date income statement information. 1st quarter = January 1st through March 31st 2nd quarter = January 1st through June 30th 3rd quarter = January 1st through September 30th 4th quarter = January 1st through December 31st

Q: My group sells candy and we are not meeting the 65/35% Rule; why do candy sales count against us as a fundraising expense when we're trying to raise the money for our projects?
A: Government agencies do not consider what you eventually plan to do with the income; they only consider how you received it in the first place. The act of selling candy, in and of itself, is not charitable. Retail/resale is a fundraising activity. It also requires a license issued by the state, and may be subject to sales and use tax.

Q: What is the difference between a Project and a Program?
A: In reference to Pioneers, a Project and Program are charitable activities and the words are interchangeable. The literal difference is that a Project is an activity with a deadline or end date, and a Program is an activity that is ongoing without an end date. We use the terms Projects and Programs interchangeably because what one Pioneers Unit has for a project may be another Unit's program. For example, if a group works on military boxes, month-after-month, then this may be a program because it's ongoing and has no end date. A different group may work on military boxes just for Thanksgiving. For them this may be a project because once Thanksgiving is over the activity is done.

Q: What is the difference between Pioneers Accounting Center (PAC) and the Finance Department?
A: Each is a separate department with separate responsibilities. In general, the Finance team handles the accounting for TelecomPioneers organization, TelecomPioneers Foundation, and Headquarters. Some responsibilities are the IRS 990 filings, business registrations, insurance, etc. The PAC handles the accounting for the individual chapters/councils/clubs. Some responsibilities are chapter state sales tax licensing and filing, financial training, etc.