It is important that third sector organisations consider carefully all the implications of being associated with a given company or body that offers an in kind contribution. This would include considering practical issues as well as ethical ones. The terms of the arrangement should be clearly spelt out and transparent. The following key steps are useful to consider if your organisation has never used this funding approach before.

Make sure you do some background research on companies that you want to approach. Not only do you have to be sure that you are comfortable being associated with them ethically, but also bear in mind that the core function of a business is to make money – not to give it to charity. Before approaching a firm, ensure you are clear about what you want from them and what you have to offer in return.

Key steps toward securing help in kind:

• identify and do research on organisations that may want to support your organisation. Identify why they might want to help
• produce a ‘case for support’ statement that shows how their help will translate into support for your organisation and its prime objectives. This should feature facts and figures where possible
• smaller voluntary and community organisations have more chance of getting a donation from a company willing to support a local project
• companies that give tend to support activity related to their core business – so developers support homeless charities and housing associations, while pharmaceutical firms support health charities.
• Remember that an organisation’s image is important. Businesses do not like to court controversy and so tend to back causes that are simple to understand and universally popular. Sport for children is more likely to be supported than rehabilitating drug users. It’s worth thinking about where you fit in the popularity stakes before you start.
• Your organisation should not change what it does or how it does it to be attractive to any of these bodies. The danger of mission drift is high when you are ‘chasing the money’.