The MDF Partner Experience
Administrators do not use the partner side of MDF, but they are the people partners call when something does not work. This page describes what a partner sees and does, so you can support them without logging in as one.
What a Partner Sees First
A partner opens MDF in the partner portal and lands on a dashboard of their own funds: Allocated, Committed, Spent and Available. Alongside it are their requests and current status, activities awaiting action, and claims in progress.
A partner sees only their own account. They cannot see another partner's budget, requests or balances under any circumstances, including partners in the same program.
If a partner cannot see a program at all, it has not been shared with them; if they see it but every figure reads zero, they have no allocation. Sharing controls visibility, the allocation gives them a budget to spend. This is the single most common partner support call - check both.
What a Partner Does
- Creates a fund request against a program shared with them.
- Adds activities to it, choosing from the activity types that program marks eligible, optionally starting from a template.
- Submits the request, accepting the terms attached to the program.
- Waits - the request is auto-approved if under the threshold, or routed through your approval chain.
- Runs the activity, then submits a claim with receipts.
- Uploads proof of performance into the named slots the activity type requires.
- Is reimbursed, and sees the money move from committed to spent.
What Partners Commonly Ask
| Question | Answer |
|---|
| "My MDF page is empty." | The program must be shared with them to appear, and they need an allocation for any budget to show - a shared program with no allocation appears with zero balances. |
| "I can't add the activity I want." | That activity type is not in the program's eligible types. A program with none selected accepts nothing at all. |
| "My available balance didn't go up when you paid me." | Correct and expected. The money left available when the request was approved. Payment moves it from committed to spent. |
| "My claim was refused for being too big." | A claim cannot exceed the approved amount. If the activity was approved at a reduced percentage, that lower figure is the ceiling. |
| "I can't claim any more." | Either the claim deadline has passed, or the activity is set to allow just one claim. |
| "I was asked for evidence I've already sent." | Required proof items live on the activity type, so adding one applies to activities already in flight. Check whether requirements changed. |
Rejected Versus Declined
A rejected request comes back to the partner editable, with a reason, and can be revised and resubmitted. A declined request is a final no. Partners receive different notifications for each, so use the one that matches what you want them to do next.
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