Sports Clubs Edition — Phase 1
The previous version of this document was built for a schools context, where CFH acted as a formal gatekeeper — reviewing business applications, coordinating with PTAs, and conducting ongoing monitoring. That model made sense for schools, where CFH carries significant responsibility for what reaches children and their families.
Sports clubs are different. Club committees are made up of adults who know their local community, their members, and their values. They are well-placed to make sound judgments about which businesses are appropriate to associate with their club. Requiring every business to go through a formal CFH vetting process would be bureaucratic, slow, and frankly unnecessary.
This document reflects that reality. Responsibility for sponsor suitability is shared — with CFH doing the groundwork upfront, and clubs exercising judgment at the club level.
| Applies to | Sports clubs using the CFH platform — Phase 1 |
| Replaces | CFH Sponsorship Vetting Process v1 (schools model — no longer applicable) |
| Maintained by | James Renall, Founding Trustee |
| CFH is responsible for… | The Club is responsible for… |
|---|---|
| Providing the Ethical Sponsorship Guidelines to every club at onboarding Filtering the AI business list to exclude prohibited categories (tobacco, adult content, predatory lenders, MLMs) Applying conditional logic to the AI list (alcohol and gambling businesses appear only for adult-membership clubs) Responding to any concern raised about a specific business on the platform Maintaining and updating these guidelines as the platform evolves |
Reading and understanding the Ethical Sponsorship Guidelines before beginning outreach Applying good judgment when approaching businesses from their own network Considering their membership composition when assessing conditional categories (alcohol, gambling) Declining to proceed with any sponsor whose values clearly conflict with the club's own Notifying CFH if a concern arises about a sponsor relationship |
When a club approaches a business that isn't on the CFH AI list, run a quick mental check. This is not a formal submission process — it's a prompt to use good judgment.
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Is this business in one of the approved or conditional categories from the CFH Ethical Sponsorship Guidelines? | ✓ OK | Do not proceed — check prohibited list |
| If it's a conditional category (alcohol or gambling), is your club's primary membership adult? | ✓ OK | Use your judgment — may not be appropriate |
| Does the business have a reasonable local reputation? (No recent serious controversy, legal issues, or public complaints?) | ✓ OK | Flag to CFH before proceeding |
| Would you be comfortable if your club's association with this business appeared in the local paper? | ✓ OK | Reconsider or discuss with your committee |
| Have your fellow committee members raised any concerns about this business? | Discuss first | ✓ Likely OK to proceed |
If a business passes this check, proceed. If something feels off, trust that instinct and either don't proceed or contact CFH at hello@cfh.org.nz. You know your community.
Under the previous vetting model, businesses were required to submit a Sponsorship Application Form before a club could approach them. This process no longer applies for sports clubs.
Businesses do not apply to CFH. Clubs approach businesses. There is no application form, no formal CFH review, and no approval workflow before outreach begins. The safeguards are:
This is a deliberate design choice. CFH is not a regulator. We are a platform that helps clubs fundraise well. Treating every local business like a formal applicant would undermine the speed and simplicity that makes CFH useful.
| Contact CFH if… | You don't need to contact CFH if… |
|---|---|
| A business that donated starts behaving in a way that conflicts with your club's values A club member or community member raises a formal complaint about a sponsor You're unsure whether a specific business fits within the guidelines A business is pressuring the club in exchange for their sponsorship |
A local business you already know well wants to donate — use your judgment A business from the CFH AI list donates without any issues You decide not to approach a business — no notification needed |
hello@cfh.org.nz — CFH will respond within 3 business days.
When CFH extends to schools in Phase 2, this framework will not apply. Schools will operate under a more formal process — closer to the original vetting model — reflecting CFH's greater responsibility in a school environment. Alcohol, gambling, and other conditional categories will be excluded entirely.
Clubs that are also affiliated with school programmes should apply the stricter schools-phase standards to any school-facing campaigns, even during Phase 1.