Child Sponsorship FAQs

You can become a force for change in the lives of children and their communities for just over a dollar a day. That’s $42 per month.

It’s completely up to you how long you choose to sponsor a child. Many of Plan’s sponsors have continued their support of children across decades.

We understand that circumstances can change; you can end your sponsorship at any time. However, we encourage sponsors to continue their support whenever possible. Seeing a child through to graduation has a profound impact – not only on that child’s future but on their entire community.

When a child is sponsored, it’s the beginning of an amazing journey that creates lasting change spanning generations. We call this the Plan Effect. Children and their communities lead the way by telling us about the positive changes they most want to see. Then we work together to make those transformations happen. This includes things like:  

• Improving health centres 
• Launching school meal programs  
• Building clean water systems  
• Helping families grow their savings so they can buy what they need most 

Through sponsorship, we build deep connections in a child’s community. Those roots then become the foundation for even more positive change: Our existing relationships in communities can attract bigger opportunities, including large-scale education and health projects, funded by partners like the Government of Canada, that can reach thousands more children! 

Children graduate from the sponsorship program when they turn 18. Children may also leave before they turn 18 for various reasons – sometimes their family moves away, or the child decides they no longer want to be sponsored. They may also live in a place experiencing a crisis or conflict that is so dangerous that it’s no longer safe for Plan to continue working there.

Even if a child leaves the sponsorship program, that doesn’t mean they have to stop participating in Plan’s activities. Because our programs benefit entire communities, all children continue to enjoy the positive changes, like access to clean water and improved health centres.

Your Child Sponsorship contributions help fund community improvements – so every child benefits. Our 85+ years of experience have taught us that the best way to create better opportunities for children is through improvements that benefit their entire community. 

We work directly with children, families and communities to understand the positive changes they most want to see. Then we work together to make those changes happen. These might include:  

• Improving health centres 
• Launching school meal programs 
• Building clean water systems 

In 2024, 83 cents of every dollar we spent went toward programming for children and their communities worldwide. We focused on improving education, health, protection from violence, humanitarian response and resilience, and youth leadership and economic empowerment. Some of these projects take place in the communities where sponsored children live.

Tax receipts for all recurring gifts with a cumulative annual total of more than $25 will be issued in February of the following year. Sending tax receipts once annually helps reduce administrative costs to ensure more of your contributions reach children in need. Only official receipts issued by Plan International Canada, either by mail or digitally, which include our business number, are valid for Canadian income tax purposes. If you make one-time donations of $25 or more, you will receive an instant tax receipt documenting this individual gift.

If you are a group member sponsoring a child, project or program, official receipts are available for individuals in the group. If you need a tax receipt before February, please contact our Donor Care team by via Live Chat, by emailing info@plancanada.ca. or by calling 1-800-387-1418.

All Plan International Canada supporters with an email address on record will receive their tax receipts electronically to help save paper and keep costs low, maximizing funds for Plan International Canada initiatives. If you want to change your preferences, please contact us via Live Chat, by emailing info@plancanada.ca or calling 1-800-387-1418. If you have more questions about tax receipts, please visit the income-tax receipts page.

Yes! It’s natural to want to send something to the child you’re sponsoring. Here are some gifts you may choose to send: 

• Letters, photos, postcards, stickers or balloons 
• Writing and drawing materials like pens, paper, a pencil case and crayons 
• Learning and exploring materials like maps, small puzzles and colouring books 
• Inflatable beach balls, skipping rope or other things children can use to play with their friends 

We ask that you keep your gifts small enough to fit into a 9-by-12-inch envelope. Your package should not weigh more than 150 grams or be thicker than five centimetres. A deck of cards, for example, would weigh approximately 150 grams. Please do not send money. 

You can change your information online, by using the Live Chat feature or by calling Donor Care at 1-800-387-1418. For anything related to payments, please contact the Donor Care team.

Please call us at 1-800-387-1418 to update your financial information, including your credit card information. One of our Donor Care representatives will be happy to help you.

Our Donor Care team is happy to answer any questions you have. Please feel free to contact us using the Live Chat feature or by emailing us at info@plancanada.ca or calling us at 1-800-387-1418 Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.