Risk, Ethics and Due Diligence in Corporate Partnerships
Agree what your organisation will refuse, and on what evidence, before there is a cheque on the table.
What you will learn
Seven lessons on vetting as an income-protecting discipline — criteria agreed in advance, assessment proportionate to the deal, and decisions that are recorded and defensible.
Risk, Ethics and Due Diligence in Corporate Partnerships
Seven lessons on vetting as an income-protecting discipline — criteria agreed in advance, assessment proportionate to the deal, and decisions that are recorded and defensible.
1Ethical Fit Is Not Commercial Fit
What is actually at risk when screening is skipped, and why criteria have to be agreed before money is in view.
2Write the Partner Acceptance Policy
Deriving criteria from mission, beneficiaries and published conduct standards, and naming who decides and what escalates.
3Assess Reputational Risk
What to look for, which sources carry weight, and how to weigh severity, proximity to mission, recency and remediation.
4Run the Internal Check
Conflicts of interest from board, staff, supplier, volunteer and personal relationships, and the discipline of declaration and recusal.
5Red Lines and Conditional Risk
Distinguishing absolute exclusions from risk that can be managed with conditions, mitigations and recognition limits.
6Make and Record the Decision
Proportioning process to the size and visibility of the partnership, and what the written record must contain.
7Monitor, and Exit Well
In-life risk monitoring, walk-away triggers, and the mechanics of ending a partnership cleanly whatever the grounds.
A practical fit for teams who need a defensible basis for saying no.
Write a partner acceptance policy, assess reputational risk, manage conflicts of interest, and define walk-away triggers that actually work.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers for fundraising leaders deciding whether this course fits their team, training needs and practical workflow.
Is this about refusing corporate money?+
No. It is an income-protecting discipline. Most cases resolve as conditions and terms rather than refusal, and the course guards explicitly against purity tests that quietly end a corporate programme.
We’re a small charity. Is this proportionate?+
Yes, and proportionality is taught directly. A $5,000 local partnership should not run through a board-level process, and the course sets how the depth of assessment scales.
How long is the course?+
The course contains 7 lessons. Lesson reading time totals roughly 75–90 minutes, with practical application likely taking it into the 2–3 hour range.
Is the course Australian-specific?+
Yes. It uses the Australian regulatory frame and the National Fundraising Principles, and instructs you to verify the current position in your own state.
Does it cover contract clauses?+
No. It decides the conditions in substance. Turning them into binding clauses is covered in Structuring and Contracting Corporate Partnerships.
What should a team be able to do by the end?+
Operate a written acceptance policy, assess a named company proportionately, record a defensible go/no-go decision and act on a walk-away trigger.
Risk, Ethics and Due Diligence in Corporate Partnerships
Decide your red lines when no money is on the table — and be able to defend the decision when it is.
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