Marketing Development Funds (MDF)

Marketing Development Funds (MDF) programs in Journeybee can be linked to a payment provider so that approved MDF claims are paid out directly to partners through the platform. This article explains how to connect funding wallets to MDF programs, process claim payouts, and track their status.

Overview

When you link a payment provider wallet to an MDF program, Journeybee can send claim payouts to partners automatically. This eliminates the need to process MDF payments outside of the platform and gives you end-to-end visibility from budget allocation through to payment completion.

Prerequisites

Before using MDF payouts, ensure:

• A payment provider integration is connected in Settings > Integrations (e.g., XTRM)

• You have at least one funded wallet in the connected payment provider

• You have an active MDF program

• Admin access in Journeybee

Linking a Funding Wallet to an MDF Program

When Creating a New Program

1. Go to the MDF page from the left navigation

2. Click Create Program

3. Fill in the program details:

   • Name -- A descriptive name for the MDF program

   • Description -- Optional details about the program's purpose

   • Total Budget -- The total amount available for this program

4. In the Funding Wallet dropdown, select the wallet you want to use to fund payouts for this program

   • The dropdown shows each wallet with its currency and current balance (e.g., "USD - $10,000.00")

   • Selecting a wallet automatically sets the program currency to match the wallet currency

5. Set the program Status, Start Date, and End Date as needed

6. Click Create

Tip: If the total budget exceeds the selected wallet's current balance, you will see a warning. The program will still be created, but you should ensure the wallet is funded before processing payouts.

When Editing an Existing Program

1. Go to the MDF page

2. Click on an existing program to open its details

3. In the program sidebar, go to the Details tab

4. Select or change the Funding Wallet from the dropdown

5. Changes are saved automatically

Clearing the Wallet Link

If you want to remove the wallet association from a program:

1. Open the program sidebar

2. In the Funding Wallet dropdown, clear the selection

3. The program will no longer be linked to a specific wallet, and claim payouts will use your company's default payment provider wallet instead

Allocating Funds to Partners

Before partners can submit MDF claims, you must allocate a portion of the program budget to each partner.

Creating an Allocation

1. Open the MDF program sidebar

2. Go to the Allocations tab

3. Click Add

4. Select a partner from the dropdown

When you select a partner, Journeybee checks whether the partner is registered as a payment recipient:

5. Enter the Allocated Amount (cannot exceed the remaining program budget)

6. Click Create

Important: You cannot save an allocation if the partner has missing contact information or has not been registered with the payment provider. Resolve these issues first.

Editing an Allocation

1. In the Allocations tab, click the edit button next to an allocation

2. Adjust the allocated amount

3. Click Save

Processing MDF Claim Payouts

How Claim Payouts Work

When a partner submits an MDF claim and an admin approves it, the claim becomes eligible for payout through the payment provider. The payout uses the funding wallet linked to the program (or falls back to the company's default payment provider if no wallet is linked).

Approving a Claim

1. Go to the MDF page

2. Click on a program, then go to the Claims tab

3. Click on a claim with Pending status to open its details

4. Review the claim details (title, activity type, amount requested, description)

5. Enter the Approved Amount (which can be less than or equal to the amount requested)

6. Click Approve

Initiating the Payout

After a claim is approved:

1. Open the approved claim from the Claims tab

2. At the bottom of the claim sidebar, you will see a Pay via Provider button

3. Click Pay via Provider

4. A confirmation dialogue appears showing the approved amount and currency

5. Click Confirm to initiate the payout

Journeybee will:

1. Create a transaction record for the payout

2. Update the claim status to Processing

3. Transfer the funds from the program's linked wallet to the partner's wallet

4. Begin monitoring the transaction status

Tracking MDF Payout Status

Claim Status Flow

MDF claims move through the following statuses after payout is initiated:

Monitoring Processing Claims

To check the status of MDF payouts:

1. Go to the MDF page

2. Open a program and go to the Claims tab

3. Claims in Processing status have an active payout in progress

4. Once the payout completes, the status automatically updates to Paid

The status is displayed as a coloured tag on the claim:

• Yellow for Pending

• Green for Approved

• Indigo for Processing

• Blue for Paid

• Red for Rejected

Program Budget Tracking

The program sidebar shows real-time budget statistics:

• Total Budget -- The total amount available for the program

• Allocated -- The total amount allocated across all partners

• Remaining -- The budget available for new allocations

• Spent -- The total amount paid out through completed claims

If a funding wallet is linked, the wallet ID and currency are displayed below the budget statistics.

Troubleshooting

"No payment provider connected" error when initiating payout

Problem: Clicking "Pay via Provider" shows an error that no payment provider is connected.

Solution:

1. Verify a payment provider integration is connected in Settings > Integrations

2. If the program has a linked wallet, ensure the associated integration is still active

3. If the integration was recently reconnected, try refreshing the page

"Payout already initiated" error

Problem: You see an error that a payout has already been initiated for this claim.

Solution: This means a payout is already in progress or has been completed for this claim. Check the claim status -- if it shows "Processing," wait for it to complete. Each claim can only have one active payout.

Claim stays in "Processing" for an extended period

Problem: An MDF claim payout has been in processing status for longer than expected.

Solution:

1. Journeybee automatically checks payout status at increasing intervals

2. Most payouts complete within a few minutes

3. Log in to your payment provider's dashboard to check the transaction status directly

4. Contact support if the status does not update after 30 minutes

Partner registration fails during allocation

Problem: You cannot save an allocation because the partner's registration with the payment provider fails.

Solution:

1. Ensure the partner company has a valid email address

2. Ensure the partner company or their primary contact has a phone number

3. Try clicking the Register button again after adding the missing information

Budget exceeds wallet balance warning

Problem: When creating or editing a program, you see a warning that the budget exceeds the wallet balance.

Solution: This is an informational warning. The program will still be created, but you should fund the wallet before processing payouts to avoid failures. Log in to your payment provider account to add funds to the wallet.

Best Practices

• Link wallets during program creation: Setting the funding wallet when you first create the program ensures that all claim payouts for that program are routed to the correct wallet.

• Register partners during allocation: The allocation flow checks beneficiary status and lets you register partners immediately. This avoids delays when processing claim payouts later.

• Match wallet currency to program currency: When you select a funding wallet, the program currency updates to match. This prevents currency mismatch issues during payouts.

• Monitor the Spent metric: Use the program's budget statistics to track how much has been paid out versus allocated. This helps you manage program budgets proactively.

• Keep wallets funded: Ensure the linked wallet has sufficient balance before approving and paying out claims.

Limitations

• Each MDF claim can have only one active payout at a time. If a payout fails, you must wait for it to be marked as failed before retrying.

• MDF payouts use the program's linked wallet or the company's default payment provider. You cannot select a different wallet per individual claim.

• The payout amount is determined by the approved amount on the claim. To change the payout amount, you must update the approved amount before initiating the payout.

• Partners must be registered as beneficiaries with the payment provider before payouts can be processed. This registration is handled during the allocation step.

Need Help?

If you experience issues with MDF payouts that are not covered above, contact us at support@journeybee.io or through the in-app support chat.