ApplyDeskPartnership apps rot for a different reason than staff apps: everyone sends a media kit, nobody answers whether they will raid you with unvetted promo, and the decision lives in DMs with one admin.
Ask for proof, not adjectives
- What they want: partnership, creator role, affiliate, event slot. One choice.
- Where they actually have an audience: Discord invite, YouTube, Twitch, or TikTok URL you can open today.
- Size they claim, and a screenshot date. Numbers without a source are fanfic.
- What they want from you (role, channel, event) and what they will do in return (raid, recap, code).
- Whether they have been removed from a partner program, and why.
Staff still need a queue
Creator applications are political. Put them in the same review tool as staff so notes survive when the partnership admin quits. Route the Discord ping to a partnerships channel if you have one, not to ping-mods.
Decide what “yes” does in Discord
A partner role, a creators chat, or nothing but a handshake. If approval should assign a role, say so on the form and let the bot do it. Manual “we’ll add you later” is how partners follow up for three weeks.
Do not grant Manage Webhooks or mention @everyone to partners. Partnership is a relationship, not staff. Keep the permission gap obvious on the application so nobody “accidentally” lands in the admin hierarchy.