How Smallinks works — and why you can trust us
We believe transparency is the foundation of trust. Here is everything you need to know about how Smallinks selects providers, makes matches and protects the organisations that use us.
How support providers are selected
Every provider is reviewed before going live
No provider appears in match results without being manually reviewed and approved by Smallinks. We check that providers are genuine, relevant and appropriate before approving their profile.
Matching is based on relevance — never on payment
Providers are matched to charities based entirely on the relevance of their expertise to the charity's stated need. Paying for a corporate profile never improves a provider's position in match results. This is a founding principle of Smallinks and will never change.
Sector providers are always free
Charities, voluntary organisations, CVSs, community groups, social enterprises, faith groups and individual volunteers can always register and appear as support providers completely free of charge. There are no hidden fees, no subscriptions and no barriers.
Corporate providers pay an annual fee
Commercial organisations such as law firms, accountants, tech companies and consultancies register on a paid annual plan. This fee funds the free access that sector providers and charities enjoy. Corporate providers receive a verified badge and enhanced profile — but are never ranked above sector providers in match results.
Our commitment to fairness
No favouritism
Smallinks does not promote providers based on personal relationships, referrals or commercial arrangements. Every provider is treated equally in our matching system.
Clear matching criteria
Providers are matched to charities based on the keywords, support types and regions they have declared in their profile. The closer the match to the charity's stated need, the higher the relevance. No other factors influence this.
Conflicts of interest
Smallinks is founded and operated by Shahida Siddique who has over 30 years experience in the voluntary and community sector. Where any potential conflict of interest exists — for example a provider known personally to the founder — that provider is subject to the same review process as all others and is never given preferential treatment. Smallinks maintains a conflicts of interest register and any declared conflict is managed transparently.
Governance boundaries
Smallinks operates independently and does not allow any individual provider, funder or sponsor to influence how charities are matched or which providers are approved. Our advisory board provides independent oversight of the Pay It Forward Fund and reviews our approach to fairness annually.
Provider removal
Smallinks reserves the right to remove any provider from the platform at any time if we believe they are not acting in the best interests of small charities. Reasons for removal may include:
- ✕Providing misleading information on their profile
- ✕Failing to respond to charities who contact them
- ✕Acting in a way that is harmful or inappropriate towards charities
- ✕Breaching our terms of service or ethics policy
- ✕Receiving consistent negative feedback from charities
Raising a concern
If you have a concern about a provider, a match result or how Smallinks is operating, we want to hear from you. We take all concerns seriously and will respond within 5 working days.
Any questions about how we work?
We are always happy to explain how Smallinks operates. Transparency is at the heart of everything we do.
Get in touch