Charity partners

What it is

The charity directory is your company's list of partners: charities, community groups and social enterprises. For each one you record its details, contact person, areas of work and verification status, and then its registrations: the register number with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) (numbers starting SC) or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, its HMRC charity reference (useful for exempt or excepted charities with no register number) and its Companies House number if it is a company.

The register number or HMRC reference matters for tax: on the Giving and social value page, cash payments count as qualifying charitable donations only when the charity has one of them recorded. A community interest company (CIC) has a Companies House number but is not a charity, and donations to it are not charitable donations. Nothing is required and nothing is blocked, but a sponsorship request can only be approved for an organisation you have marked verified. CorpHands helps you keep records; it does not check the registers for you and is not legal or tax advice.

What you can use it for

• Record each charity's register number (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland), HMRC charity reference and Companies House number.
• See each charity's registrations and verification status on its page.
• Store the agreement, latest accounts and other documents, each with its own expiry date.
• Choose the charity on an activity or donation, so the payment counts in the qualifying donations and the UK report pack.
• See the activities and recorded donations for each charity on one page.
• Invite charity staff to the partner portal to confirm attendance, upload photo proof and sign off activities.

How to do it

Add a charity

1. Open CharitiesGo to CSR workspace → Charities and click + Add charity.
2. Enter the detailsFill in the charity's name, contact person, email and phone, and tick the Areas of work. Click Save.
3. Set the verificationLeave it as Pending verification for now. Mark it Verified only after checking the charity on the public register (name, number and status) and its latest accounts. Use Government body for public bodies.

Record its registrations

1. Open the Registrations cardAfter saving, the charity's page opens. The Registrations card lists the Charity Commission (England and Wales), OSCR and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland numbers, the HMRC charity reference and the Companies House number.
2. Add each registrationClick + Add and enter the number. CorpHands checks the format, for example SC followed by six digits for OSCR.
3. Confirm itTick the box once you have checked the number against the register. The card then shows the date it was checked.

Invite charity staff to the partner portal

1. Find the panelOn the charity's page, scroll to Partner portal users.
2. Add the personEnter their Name and Email and click Add and invite. They receive a sign-in link by email; there is no password.
3. Manage accessUse Resend link or Deactivate when staff change.

Tips and good practice

• Before year end, check that every charity you gave to has its register number or HMRC reference recorded; the Giving and social value page lists payments to check.
• Check each charity's entry on the register and its latest accounts once a year.
• Charities created from a sponsorship request start as Pending verification. Check them before approving money.
• Add the register number or HMRC charity reference before the year end, so cash donations to the charity count as qualifying donations.
• On Starter, the directory holds up to 10 charities, including those added from requests. Business and Enterprise have no limit.

Questions