Sponsoring a child with Children Incorporated is a very simple process. You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.
to sponsor a child online
To sponsor a child online, start by clicking the blue “SPONSOR” button, located at the top of any webpage within the Children Incorporated website, to view information about children currently awaiting sponsorship.
For each child, his or her photo (if international), name, country in which he or she lives, and birthday and age will display by default. You may view additional details about a specific child (such as his or her current grade level and favorite school subject or color) by hovering your mouse over his or her “About [Child Name]” link. (Please note: In accordance with our Child Protection Policy, photos for children living in the U.S. do not display on this screen. However, upon sponsoring a U.S. child, you will be able to view his or her photo in your online account within a business day and will also receive a copy as part of your sponsorship welcome packet!)
To narrow your search to a specific age range, gender, and/or country, please use the corresponding dropdown fields, located along the left side of the screen, to select your preferences and then click “SEARCH”.
Once you have found a child you’d like to sponsor, click the child’s “SPONSOR ME” button. Then, to finalize the sponsorship process, click the heart-in-cart icon within the popup window that appears OR located in the top right corner of the screen.
It is very easy to sponsor a child by going to our website, calling our office, or emailing Children Incorporated.
Lastly, if you have not already logged into or created your Children Incorporated web account, the site will prompt you to do so now. Then/otherwise, you may select your desired frequency for recurring sponsorship contributions (monthly, yearly, etc.), select or add a method of payment, and click “CHECK OUT”.
Congratulations! Once you have completed these steps, you will receive a confirmation email, and, within a few business days, you will also receive a sponsorship welcome packet containing additional details about your sponsored child or children!
DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR GIVING
Outside of sponsoring a child, we also have other ways in which you can donate to help children in need. Donations to our special funds help children, families, and communities in need by offering support beyond sponsorship, often due to unexpected emergencies. These funds include our Clothing Fund, Back to School Fund, Mosquito Net Fund, Hope In Action Fund, and Feeding Programs Fund.
You can also donate to our Special Projects, which allow our donors to support construction projects, expansion projects, community and school gardens, and other efforts to help improve our affiliated sites around the world. Throughout the year, our volunteer coordinators inform us about Special Projects at their particular sites. You can donate directly to these Special Projects online through our Hope In Action Fund. If you would like to receive additional information about our current Special Projects to make a donation to a particular type of project, please contact us today.
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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.
Child sponsorship has a direct impact on the children that are supported. Children have an overall improvement in their confidence, resilience, and well-being. Child sponsorship also can break the cycle of poverty, creating lasting change for individuals and their communities.
Sponsors help children develop confidence and resilience, which can help them overcome challenges and break the cycle of poverty.
How sponsorship empowers communities by creating sustainable change
When you choose to sponsor a child, you transform not only their life, but the lives of everyone in their community. That’s because the most effective way to make sure positive changes have a lasting impact is to empower them to make a lasting impact for their families and their communities.
Although your donations to your sponsor child go directly to them, and are not shared with their families or the community at large, when you help an individual child succeed, they are then able to help their own families and their own communities. Sponsors help children develop confidence and resilience, which can help them overcome challenges and break the cycle of poverty. This in turn, can help them as they grow into adults who are contributing members of their own communities, therefore creating sustainable change.
A story from our volunteer coorDinator
Children Incorporated has helped so many students at Swansboro Elementary School gain access to the basic needs that help them focus on what is important: school. One of my students this year has struggled with consistently having food in the home. The parents are doing their best but they are unable to work due to intellectual and physical disabilities. Sometimes there are gaps in when they receive their benefits, so they don’t always have a fully stocked refrigerator or pantry. Children Incorporated funds help feed this family when their benefit funds are low. It doesn’t happen often, but every few months we go grocery shopping to get them by until their benefits kick in.
The family is so appreciative, and the student understands that these funds are coming from individuals who are caring enough to donate their own money. Just recently, the sponsored child told me, “Ms. Greenshields, thank you so much for getting food for my family.” I wish that this student didn’t have to be so aware of the reality he is facing, but children are smart and they pick up on more than we think. I’m glad that at least he knows there are people out there that are willing to help. With funds from Children Incorporated, I can help the family in a way that is not judgmental and is actually very easy and seamless. These generous donations from his Children Incorporated sponsor help this student have dinner and breakfast so that he can come to school prepared to learn, and that is truly a gift.
Children Incorporated also helps in ways that people may not think of. Food is vital for everyone, but funds from Children’ Incorporated also help provide items or experiences that are important in different ways.
Several of my sponsored students have been given the chance to go to camp this summer for free. While the tuition is paid for, the students don’t always have the clothing necessary to go away for a whole week. They would probably get by, but they wouldn’t have as many options as the other students at camp. Some of our students don’t have bathing suits, bath towels, swim shoes or extra pillow cases for example. These things aren’t 100% necessary, but being able to help buy these items will make their camp experience so much better. They won’t have to worry about swimming in their shorts and tee shirts or not having the right bedding for the bunk beds.
Sometimes it isn’t always about necessities, but ways we can make students feel comfortable enough so they can focus on having fun like all the other children. Children Incorporated funds allow us to buy them the items that will help them have a fun time at things like summer camp, so they can come back to school in the fall feeling refreshed and feeling like a kid who is ready to learn. I am so appreciative to partner with Children Incorporated, as it truly makes a difference in the lives of my students. The funds that individuals so generously send really help our students in the biggest way.
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.
Children Incorporated consistently provides more than 85% percent of all donations directly to the child or children you are supporting. Even with administrative and management costs fluctuating year after year, we often donate as much as 88% of all donations to our programs. Your sponsored child directly receives your sponsorship donation every month — our efforts to support families, healthcare, and community initiatives are made through contributions to our Special Funds and Special Projects. Your individual sponsorship donations are not shared among family members or community members. You can rest assured that your donations are going directly to your sponsored childrne for their immediate needs only.
How we maintain our transparency
One of the ways that we ensure our transparency with the public is through third-party charity rating websites. Ratings of charitable organizations exist to provide the general public with knowledge about the finances of particular charities, including identifying their incomes, business expenses, and the amount of money it takes for them to acquire donations.
Information from charity rating organizations also tells donors how much of their donations will be used to support charitable causes and what portion of them will be dedicated to the charities’ operating expenses. Additionally, it lets donors know how financially stable and self-sustainable charities are. In the case of charities that do not appear to be self-sustainable, because donations may not actually reach their intended recipients, donors’ money might be better spent with other organizations.
HOW ARE CHARITIES RATED?
Most often, charities are rated by evaluating their financial health, accountability, and transparency. This way, donors can see how efficiently charities will use their support, how well they have sustained their programs and services over time, and their level of commitment to accountability and transparency.
Information from charity rating organizations also tells donors how much of their donations will be used to support charitable causes and what portion of them will be dedicated to the charities’ operating expenses.
The financial health of organizations is based on the financial information they provide in their informational tax returns, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Forms 990. Accountability and transparency are also determined from the same forms, as well as from information that organizations present on their websites involving best practices of governance and ethics and whether or not charities make it easy for donors to find critical information about them, such as their bylaws.
TOP RATING AGENCIES AND THEIR METHODOLOGIES
There are a few very reputable charity watchdog agencies: Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, and GuideStar are at the top. Though each of these agencies uses a different methodology for rating charities, they all utilize charities’ financial documents, particularly their Form 990, as their primary sources of information.
CHARITY NAVIGATOR
Charity Navigator is an independent American charity watchdog organization that evaluates charitable organizations in the United States. Its stated goal is “to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome the nation’s and the world’s most persistent challenges”. Children Incorporated has a four-star charity rating with Charity Navigator – the highest rating that an organization can obtain.
CHARITY WATCH
Charity Watch exposes nonprofit abuses and advocates for the interests of donors. Their ratings include the percentages of charities’ budgets that are spent on program services, how much it costs charities to raise $100, an accountability measure, and the salaries of the charities’ highest-paid employees. Children Incorporated is a top-rated charity with Charity Watch, with an “A” grade.
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WISE GIVING ALLIANCE
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance implements a rating system in which 501(c)(3) organizations are required to meet a minimum of twenty standards before receiving a “BBB Accredited Charity” designation. The Alliance’s standards include spending at least 65 percent of total expenses on program activities, no more than 35 percent of donations on fundraising activities, and having no more than three years of financial resources in reserve. Children Incorporated is a BBB Wise Giving Alliance recipient.
GUIDESTAR
GuideStar specializes in reporting on nonprofit organizations in the United States. In 2016, its database provided information about 2.5 million charities. GuideStar was one of the first central sources of information about nonprofits in the United States, and it is the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations. GuideStar serves to verify that organizations are established and that donated funds are spent where donors intend them to be – for individuals hoping to give in the wake of disasters. Children Incorporated is a Gold Participant with GuideStar – the highest rating that a charity can receive.
AccountabIlity on our Website
Children Incorporated believes in full transparency of our financial management. This protects the trust that you place in us as stewards of your generosity. For more information about our financial status, accountability, and transparency, visit the Accountability page of our website to find our most recent Form 990s and financial reports, as well as other administrative documents.
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child with Children Incorporated in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.
The sponsorship relationship enables a donor to support a child by means of monthly contributions and, if the donor so desires, through the exchange of correspondence. A sponsor’s friendship and encouragement are priceless to a child in such circumstances. Indeed, many children value the relationships they establish with their sponsors as much as they value the financial help they receive. Our current monthly sponsorship rate is $35, and it goes toward providing basic necessities, such as school supplies and fees, food, clothing, and access to healthcare, among other services.
It is possible to visit sponsored children; however, since we work with a network of volunteers and sites, and circumstances vary from area to area, we cannot guarantee that all affiliated sites are open to sponsor visits. If you are interested in visiting a sponsored child, please contact us for specifics relating to the child and the location.
If your child’s affiliated site does allow visits, we ask that you contact us at least 45 days prior to your planned visit. One of our sponsorship managers will assist you in making arrangements with the affiliated site, parents, and site volunteers. Children Incorporated has forms to request the visit and a child protection policy that we ask sponsors to follow. This includes a background check at the sponsor’s expense.
HOW LONG CAN I SPONSOR A PARTICULAR CHILD?
We hope that you will assist your sponsored child until he or she leaves our program. This typically occurs when a child graduates from high school or moves out of our service area. Due to the transient state of many families and the trying circumstances of the regions where they reside, we cannot predict or guarantee how long a child will remain enrolled in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program, although we make every effort to provide services to children for as long as possible.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL MY SPONSORSHIP?
Sponsorship is not a binding agreement, and you may cancel your child sponsorship at any time. We recognize that circumstances change, and you may be unable to continue your regular contributions. We simply ask that you notify us of your decision so that we may find a new sponsor for the child you sponsor. If you would like to continue supporting Children Incorporated, there are many ways you can help that do not require a monthly contribution. Please see “Other ways to give” for more details.
Yes. We will send you updated information and an updated photo about once a year, although the frequency may vary depending on the child’s location. The typical progress report includes information on the child’s grade level in school, hobbies, and interests.
HOW DO I PAY FOR MONTHLY SPONSORSHIP?
Sponsorship contributions may be made by check, money order, credit/debit card, or ACH transfer (debit from a checking or savings account). Please call us or visit our website if you would like to set up automatic recurring contributions on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly basis.
Yes! Sending a gift can be a great way to give your sponsored child extra help at certain times of the year or to simply let the child know you are thinking of him or her. Here are some suggested guidelines: Please send monetary gifts directly to our North Chesterfield, Virginia office, as our site coordinators are not able to process checks or cash. Packages of already-purchased items should be mailed directly to your sponsored child’s site address. We recommend using a tracking service, if possible, when shipping a package to the child you sponsor.
MAY I SEND PACKAGES TO THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD I SPONSOR?
Due to high customs duties and the likelihood of loss, we do not recommend sending packages to our sites outside of the U.S. Children Incorporated cannot guarantee receipt of any packages you send internationally.
MAY I WRITE TO THE CHILD I SPONSOR?
Yes! Corresponding with your sponsored child can be a wonderful experience. Our site volunteers will translate your letter, if necessary, and deliver it to your sponsored child. You will find the affiliated site’s mailing address in your child’s information brochure.
Children Incorporated provides resources for children in need in the United States and abroad because we passionately believe that children everywhere deserve education, hope, and opportunity.
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?
The children enjoy learning about the lives of their sponsors. Writing about your own family (children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, etc.) is always a good place to start. The children also like to learn about your part of the world, what you do for a living, your hobbies and interests, and any pets you may have.
WHAT IF I HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CHILD I SPONSOR?
Please call us at 1-800-538-5381 or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org. Depending on the nature of a child-specific question, we may need to contact our volunteer coordinator at your sponsored child’s affiliated site. We will get the requested information to you as soon as possible, as long as it does not violate the child protection and privacy laws to which we adhere.
MAY I SEND ADDITIONAL GIFTS FOR MY SPONSORED CHILD (FOR BIRTHDAYS, HOLIDAYS, BEGINNING/END OF SCHOOL YEAR NEEDS, ETC.)?
Yes. Contributions beyond regular monthly sponsorship amounts are always welcome, and there are no minimum or maximum amount restrictions.
With these additional gifts, the needs of the child you sponsor will be addressed first and foremost, and any remaining funds may be shared among other children in need at the same affiliated site at the volunteer coordinator’s discretion. Children Incorporated will designate 10% of your additional contribution to cover our administrative and processing costs; this means your sponsored child and possibly other children at the same affiliated site will benefit from 90% of the total you send as an additional monetary gift.
ARE THERE DEADLINES FOR SENDING ADDITIONAL MONETARY GIFTS FOR THE CHILD I SPONSOR?
Yes. It takes time to process a gift and send it to the child you sponsor, particularly if your child lives in a foreign country. To send additional monetary gifts to your sponsored child, please ensure the gift arrives in our Richmond, Virginia office at least sixty days before the date you would like it to be received by the child.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CHILD I SPONSOR LEAVES THE PROGRAM?
When a child leaves our program for any reason, our policy is to promptly notify you by mail and provide you with information on another child who is equally in need of your support and encouragement in the hopes that you will accept him or her as your new sponsored child. If, in the event that your sponsored child leaves the program, you would like for us to contact you before sending information on another child, please let us know by telephone or email.
Unfortunately, we usually lose contact with children once they leave our sponsorship program. Rest assured: the positive impact of your generosity on each child, as well as on his or her community, endures for a lifetime!
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.
Our sponsorship program is managed by our staff in our office and our 300 volunteer coordinators at our affiliated sites in 20 countries around the world. Our volunteer coordinators work closely with our sponsored children to ensure their particular needs are met and relay those needs to our sponsors.
Sometimes our sponsors chose a child based on age or location, or they chose a child who has been waiting the longest for a sponsor. The decision is yours. We work in 21 countries with children from ages 5-20 years old who are enrolled in schools worldwide. We would love to work with you to match you with a sponsored child that will give you both a meaningful relationship.
Ideally, a child is sponsored throughout their school years leading up to higher education or when they leave our sponsorship program between 18 and 20 years old. However, due to the transient state of many families and the difficult circumstances of the regions where they reside, we cannot always guarantee how long a child will remain enrolled in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program. However, we make every effort to provide services to children for as long as possible.
Sponsoring a child with Children Incorporated is a very simple process. You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.
to sponsor a child online
To sponsor a child online, start by clicking the blue “SPONSOR” button, located at the top of any webpage within the Children Incorporated website, to view information about children currently awaiting sponsorship.
For each child, his or her photo (if international), name, country in which he or she lives, and birthday and age will display by default. You may view additional details about a specific child (such as his or her current grade level and favorite school subject or color) by hovering your mouse over his or her “About [Child Name]” link. (Please note: In accordance with our Child Protection Policy, photos for children living in the U.S. do not display on this screen. However, upon sponsoring a U.S. child, you will be able to view his or her photo in your online account within a business day and will also receive a copy as part of your sponsorship welcome packet!)
To narrow your search to a specific age range, gender, and/or country, please use the corresponding dropdown fields, located along the left side of the screen, to select your preferences and then click “SEARCH”.
Once you have found a child you’d like to sponsor, click the child’s “SPONSOR ME” button. Then, to finalize the sponsorship process, click the heart-in-cart icon within the popup window that appears OR located in the top right corner of the screen.
It is very easy to sponsor a child by going to our website, calling our office, or emailing Children Incorporated.
Lastly, if you have not already logged into or created your Children Incorporated web account, the site will prompt you to do so now. Then/otherwise, you may select your desired frequency for recurring sponsorship contributions (monthly, yearly, etc.), select or add a method of payment, and click “CHECK OUT”.
Congratulations! Once you have completed these steps, you will receive a confirmation email, and, within a few business days, you will also receive a sponsorship welcome packet containing additional details about your sponsored child or children!
DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR GIVING
Outside of sponsoring a child, we also have other ways in which you can donate to help children in need. Donations to our special funds help children, families, and communities in need by offering support beyond sponsorship, often due to unexpected emergencies. These funds include our Clothing Fund, Back to School Fund, Mosquito Net Fund, Hope In Action Fund, and Feeding Programs Fund.
You can also donate to our Special Projects, which allow our donors to support construction projects, expansion projects, community and school gardens, and other efforts to help improve our affiliated sites around the world. Throughout the year, our volunteer coordinators inform us about Special Projects at their particular sites. You can donate directly to these Special Projects online through our Hope In Action Fund. If you would like to receive additional information about our current Special Projects to make a donation to a particular type of project, please contact us today.
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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.
In late July of this year, we reported on the massive flooding that occurred in Eastern Kentucky, which devastated many of the communities in which we work. Storms followed by rising water damaged homes and schools, leaving families of our sponsored children without a place a live — and in dire need of emergency relief.
In the first week after the flooding, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, sent $1000 to each of the 43 Family Resource Centers at our affiliated schools in the countries and cities with the worst flood damage, all thanks to previous donations to our Hope In Action Fund.
By early August, further contributions to our Emergency Flood Relief Fund totaled more than $22,000.
Helping families through an emergency
By early August, further contributions to our Emergency Flood Relief Fund totaled more than $22,000 as our donors generously supported our efforts to get aid to Kentucky as quickly as possible. We were able to disburse these funds to communities to support clean up and recovery efforts and replace destroyed items that children will need for the upcoming fall and winter months.
Many of our affiliated sites in Eastern Kentucky have been devastated by flooding in July.
We are just now starting to receive thank you letters from our volunteer coordinators, as they have been working around the clock, tirelessly helping rebuild their schools and communities, all while helping to ensure children in our program, who are already living in poverty, are receiving basic needs through this disaster.
A letter from Kelli
Today, we want to share a letter of gratitude from Kelli at Breathitt County Jr.-Sr. High School, who wrote to our donors to say thank you for the support:
“I want to say thank you so much for the Flood Relief Funds. My students, families and county as a whole have suffered so much from this flood. I was able to go to Walmart and buy brand new items for the students. Girls asked for underwear and bras and comfortable clothes. The boys also asked for underwear, as well as socks and hoodies to stay warm.”
“While we had an outpouring of donations after the floods, a lot of items were used and were not always the right sizes for my students. The new items were taken to the students and families that were displaced and living in the homeless shelters. Thanks again for your generosity. You don’t know how much it was appreciated.”
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How Can I Support Families in Eastern Kentucky?
You can help families in Eastern Kentucky by donation to our Hope In Action Fund. You can make a donation one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go click the link below to be directed to our online donation portal.
