This is so much more than just business and charity/social enterprise matchmaking!

Pluggin operates as a structural, legally binding bridge within public sector procurement, whereas standard matchmaking portals (like whatimpact, Neighborly, or Matchable) act primarily as voluntary directory platforms for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Pluggin uses the power of public buying and a live, dynamic marketplace where social value is legally binding to drive resources in clusters of charities & social enterprises who are already making the community impact buyers need to sustain.

Feature	Matchmaking Portals	Pluggin Ecosystem
Primary Role	Corporate CSR, voluntary giving, and ad-hoc corporate volunteering.	Public sector procurement contracts (e.g., Procurement Act 2023, PPN 06/20).
Support Legal Status	Informative matching; commitments are voluntary and separate from tender awards.	Contract-Locked Agreements: Pledges are written directly into Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Strategic Alignment	Topic-based matching (e.g., environmental, poverty, local sports).	Hyper-localised to the specific public buyer's strategic regional priorities.
Resource Continuity	One-off or project-based funding/volunteering.	Multi-year, stable operational resource streams tied to long-term public contracts.
Verification & Impact	Self-reported outputs or simple impact metrics.	Digitally updated collaboration update data, audit-ready against live contracts.

 

Unlike the traditional CSR matchmaking portals that rely on voluntary corporate goodwill, Pluggin anchors business support directly into the legally binding mechanics of public sector procurement.

While conventional directory sites connect non-profits with ad-hoc corporate favors—such as one-off team volunteering days, surplus office equipment, or micro-donations—Pluggin converts the multi-billion-pound public purchasing system into guaranteed, long-term operational resources.

When a business bids for a public contract, its social value pledges made via Pluggin are locked directly into the Service Level Agreement (SLA) as legally enforceable metrics when the contract becomes live - this is then tracked in the Pluggin environment which is open to the public for scrutiny.

For charities: this transforms social value from unpredictable, corporate hand-outs into multi-year, contract-backed streams of funding, pro-bono expertise, and supply-chain integration that endure for the full duration of the public contract. Furthermore, Pluggin elevates charities from passive recipients of corporate charity to essential civic partners that directly reduce demand on frontline public services.

The Traditional Portals

They treat causes as CSR line items, often placing a heavy administrative burden on non-profits to continuously pitch for short-term help without any guarantee of a match.

Pluggin: We flip this power dynamic, because suppliers must collaborate with hyper-local, impactful organisations to win and maintain lucrative public contracts - businesses are directed within tenders to actively seek out Pluggin-listed charities & social enterprises and are then evaluated to win the contract by how social value contributions align with the objectives of the beneficiary who is then directly supporting the local community health, safety and resilience objectives of the area.

But, you have to be invited to join!

Our public buying partners across the UK decide which charities & social enterprises can be invited to join Pluggin and access this free and ongoing support.

Your can only join if you've been invited:

1. 1. Already Vetted: You are already vetted and evaluated as part of Police & Crime Commissioner or Community Safety Partnership funding programmes where your organisation and activities already meet the scrutiny and now need a longer-term support through social value within Pluggin. 
   2. Recommended: Your access has been requested by any major suppliers who have already supported your organisation and impact as part of their CSR relationship with you - but this must be approved by our public buyer community in your area/areas.