A business wants to support your charity: what should you agree first?

26 October 2026

Charities & Not-for-Profits Hub

Start by agreeing what the business is offering, what your charity would need to do and who will check the arrangement. The suggested questions below can help a small charity prepare that first conversation without committing to a campaign before the details are clear.

A local employer might offer staff time, a donation or a fundraising promotion. Treat the first meeting as a chance to understand the proposal, rather than a deadline to accept it. This is general information and preparation, not legal or financial advice.

Start with the benefit to your charity

Try writing a short answer to this question before the meeting: what would this partnership help us do for the people we support? Keep it specific enough to discuss. Perhaps you need a contribution towards an existing activity, space for an event or help with a task already on your plan.

Then ask the business what it hopes to achieve. Understanding its expectations gives you something concrete to compare with your own. You might suggest a smaller first activity if the original proposal would need more time than your team can offer.

If the proposal is actually with another charity, rather than a business, use the Charity Commission’s separate guidance on working with other charities. It asks trustees to consider the intended outcome and whether collaboration serves their charity’s purposes and interests.^[3]

Describe the offer without using the word partnership

Ask the business to explain the practical arrangement. Is it giving money directly, lending equipment, providing employee volunteers or promising a contribution from sales? Ask who would organise the activity and when your charity would receive the support.

Make a note of anything still undecided. For a sales promotion, ask how the contribution would be calculated and explained to customers. Avoid filling in gaps yourself because the conversation feels positive.

There is an important distinction to check here. The Charity Commission describes a business that says it will donate money from sales or another commercial activity as a commercial participator.^[1] If that might describe the proposal, check the applicable fundraising rules before agreeing publicity or a launch date.

Get to know the organisation behind the offer

The Commission’s due-diligence guidance recommends a proportionate, risk-based approach to checking the people and organisations a charity works with.^[2] A familiar contact can introduce an opportunity, but your board still needs to understand the organisation and the proposed activity.

As practical starting points, ask for the organisation’s full name, a named contact and a clear description of its work. Discuss whether anything about the proposal could sit uncomfortably with your charity’s purpose or the people it supports. Record questions that need a fuller answer rather than treating silence as agreement.

Keep your notes useful to the next person who reads them. Write what you checked, what remains uncertain and who will follow it up. These are suggested meeting prompts, not a complete due-diligence checklist or a substitute for specialist help where risks are unclear.

Put the workload beside the promised support

Before proposing dates, sketch the work your charity would take on. Include preparation, attending meetings, briefing volunteers, answering enquiries and checking publicity. Ask the people expected to do that work whether the timetable is realistic.

Discuss photographs and personal stories before promising either. You can suggest a conversation about the charity’s work without offering access to people who use its services. If the proposal involves personal information, pause that part until the appropriate person has checked what is permissible.

Try a simple planning question: if we accept this offer, what would we need to stop, postpone or resource differently? The answer need not rule the proposal out. It gives both sides a chance to adjust the activity before anyone starts making public promises.

Agree the paperwork and the review

For professional fundraisers and commercial participators, the Commission says a written agreement containing the required details must be in place before fundraising begins. It also says charities must monitor their fundraising agreements.^[1] Get appropriate advice if you are unsure which requirements apply or what the agreement needs to contain.

The Commission guidance linked here applies to England and Wales and provides links to Scotland and Northern Ireland guidance.^[1] Do not assume identical requirements across the UK. Check the relevant nation and the actual arrangement before proceeding.

For your next conversation, bring the proposal, your unanswered questions and a realistic view of the time available. Suggest named contacts and a review point. Ask how either side would raise a concern or discuss ending the activity. Leave with an agreed next step, even if that step is getting advice before deciding. You can also explore the MH360 charities hub for more practical reading for your organisation.