Frequently Asked Questions About Child Sponsorship
General Answers:
Can I become a child sponsor through Save the Children?
As the world changes, so do the needs of children. Save the Children’s pioneering spirit inspires us to continuously innovate and adapt to keep pace with the dynamic environment around us. Through this learning, we have found the most effective way to help one child in a community is to focus on systemic and sustainable solutions that can benefit all children in that community.
As a monthly supporter of Save the Children, your contributions will enable us to provide both urgent and ongoing support where it's needed most, to address the needs of children and the communities where they live. Instead of sponsoring an individual child, this approach allows us to deliver consistent funding and high-quality programs while reducing administrative costs. Ultimately, we seek to allocate resources as effectively and efficiently as possible in partnership with supporters like you and the communities we work with in the U.S. and around the world.
I’m currently sponsoring a child – what’s changing?
As our world changes due to factors like the climate crisis, conflict and growing inequality, the needs of the children, families and communities we work with change too. That’s why we consistently transform the way we work, innovating and adapting our programs to ensure the best and most inclusive experience possible for all children in the communities where we work. Save the Children pioneered child sponsorship in the early 1900s. Over 100 years later, we’re evolving to meet today’s challenges. Our child sponsorship donors can expect to hear directly about program changes from our CEO in the coming months and learn more about how their impact will grow in 2025.
Is Save the Children’s sponsorship program leaving certain countries or communities?
Save the Children establishes long-term commitments with children and communities, and we work collectively to develop and deliver successful programs that achieve lasting results. We transition out of sponsorship communities once we can ensure that their members are equipped and empowered to independently continue the progress we have made together for children —this allows us to keep reaching more children while ensuring that what we’ve achieved in partnership with the community is sustainable. The only time we make an exception is when there is a significant safety risk for children, communities or staff. For specific questions related to your sponsorship, please contact us at [email protected] or 1-800-728-3843, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (EST).
How else can I support Save the Children on an ongoing basis?
Thank you for trusting Save the Children to help kids grow up healthy, educated and safe. One of the most effective ways to support our work and help children today is by becoming a monthly donor through Team Tomorrow. With your generous, ongoing commitment, we can direct more money towards programs by decreasing administrative costs and providing greater flexibility for funding to reach children most in need. Your consistent contribution also helps our program teams to better forecast and plan for the future.
We live in a highly interconnected world and cannot solve systemic issues in isolation. Save the Children is working to holistically address the needs of children and quickly adapt as these needs evolve within communities. With your sustained support, we’re consistently among the first to respond and the last to leave when an emergency strikes. We do whatever it takes for children —every day and in times of crisis— transforming their lives and the future we share.
What do monthly donors receive?
As a monthly donor, you’re part of a passionate and dedicated community of supporters. When you join Save the Children, you’ll receive digital and print communications introducing you to the children and communities you help support. You’ll also get ongoing updates about the issues you care about most, hearing directly from the children and communities we’re working with to build a better tomorrow. Additionally, you’ll have access to an easy-to-use, personalized online account, which will be periodically updated with photos, videos and program information and where you can edit your personal details and make changes to your gift.