For partner organisations

You already know the families in your community who are struggling this month. The Helping Hand finds people to pay their bills, and sends the money to your organisation so you can pay the bill directly.

What partners do

1. 1

   Meet the family and see the bill

   A municipal statement, a school fees letter, an empty prepaid meter, a pharmacy quote. You only add needs you have checked yourself.

2. 2

   Ask permission

   Donors see a first name or nickname, the area, household size and a short story. Never surnames, ID numbers, addresses or photos. If the story mentions children, their parent or guardian must agree.

3. 3

   Add the case on your phone

   A four-step form on the partner desk. For electricity, add the prepaid meter number. For school fees, the learner's number at the school. Our team reviews every case before donors see it.

4. 4

   Receive the money

   Once the bill is fully funded, the payout to your organisation's account starts within two working days, and usually reaches the partner within three to four working days.

5. 5

   Pay the bill and upload the receipt

   Within 14 days. A photo of the till slip or token, or a PDF proof of payment, is enough. For food, buy it yourself and hand over the parcel. No vouchers, because they can be sold for cash.

6. 6

   Share an update if you can

   A line of thanks from the family means a lot to the people who helped.

Limits

• Prepaid electricityup to R1 000
• Food parcelup to R1 500
• School feesup to R3 000
• Medicineup to R1 200

• One open case per person, and 30 days between cases.
• The same prepaid meter or learner number can only be helped once every 45 days, even by a different partner.
• Children's homes can also ask for their own electricity (up to R3 000), food (up to R5 000) or medicine (up to R3 000), one open case at a time for each.
• New partners can add 5 cases a month. This rises to 15, then 40, as you upload receipts on time.
• If there's no proof of payment 30 days after the money reaches you, your organisation is taken off the platform and your open cases are paused until we've sorted it out together.

What you need to join

• Churches, NPOs and community groups: your DSD NPO number (like 123-456 NPO), and your SARS PBO number if you have one
• Public schools: your DBE EMIS code. Payouts go to the School Governing Body account
• A stamped bank confirmation letter for an account in the organisation's own name. We never pay into a personal account
• One or two people with a smartphone to use the partner desk
• Someone we can phone to check new payees

Privacy

You keep the family's full details in your own records. The Helping Hand only stores what donors see, plus receipts. We follow POPIA, South Africa's privacy law.

Already a partner? Sign in to the partner desk