Run the MDF request-to-payout flow

Have a fund in place

Confirm write access to MDF and forms

Let partners reach the request form

Open the fund in Configure mode

Go to Marketing Funds, open the fund, and use Configure to enter edit mode. The left navigation lists the four lifecycle steps as tabs: Request Fund, Claims, ROI, and Invoices.

Confirm the form on each step

On each tab, the Intake form section shows the form partners complete for that step, already provisioned with the fund. Use Go to form if you need to change fields, layout, or who approves; otherwise leave the default in place. The request step captures the activity plan and budget ask, the claim step captures proof of spend, the ROI step captures outcomes, and the invoice step captures billing details for payout.

Enable only the steps you use

The Claims, ROI, and Invoices tabs each have a switch at the top to turn the step off. Disable any step your program does not need, so partners are never asked for something you will not act on. The request step is always part of the flow.

Set the deadline on each step

Each tab has a timeline you can enable so expectations are explicit:

• Request decision timeline - your team’s SLA to decide a request, measured from when it is submitted.
• Claim submission window - how long partners have to submit proof of spend, measured from the activity date.
• ROI reporting window - when partners must report outcomes, measured from the activity date.
• Invoice reimbursement deadline - the last date to submit an invoice for payout, measured from the activity date.

For each, choose Relative (a number of Days, Weeks, Months, or Years) or Fixed date (a specific date), then Save.

Open incoming requests

On Marketing Funds, open the Requests tab for every fund, or open the fund and use Inbox to see just its requests. The status sub-tabs (All, Pending, Accepted, Declined) let you focus on what still needs a decision. You can also work requests from the central Submissions inbox.

Review the details

Open a pending request and check what you are funding: the requested amount against the fund’s available budget, the planned activity, and the expected outcomes. This is where you decide whether the spend is worth the budget it draws down.

Accept, decline, or return it

Give the request a decision using the standard submission actions:

• Accept - approve the request so the partner can proceed and later claim against it.
• Decline - reject the request when it should not be funded.
• Return - send it back for more information when the plan or amount is unclear, so the partner can revise and resubmit.

Add a message with your decision so the partner understands why, then submit it. The partner is notified, and the request moves to the next step. See Run a submission approval workflow.

Make sure partners can claim

Once a request is approved, the partner submits the claim form to prove spend, in the portal or via a shared link. Claims are accepted only while the claim window is open, so confirm the window covers the activity.

Receive and open claims

Claims arrive on the fund’s Claims tab and in the central Submissions inbox. Open each claim to see the amount claimed against the approved budget and the attached proof of spend.

Check the proof and decide

Verify the documentation supports the amount, then accept valid claims or return ones that need more evidence. Accepting records the claim against the request so reimbursement is based on real, documented spend rather than trust.

Open the funded request's record

Once claims are approved and you have reimbursed the partner, open the request’s record, from the fund’s inbox or its CRM record.

Mark it as paid

Use the record’s actions menu and choose Mark as paid, then confirm. This sets the request’s status to Paid and logs the change as an activity, closing the loop on the funded activity.

Confirm the status synced