Child Sponsorship Frequently Asked Questions

Tax receipts are issued in February for donations of $25 and above for the previous calendar year. If we have your email address, you will get your tax receipt through email. If we do not have your email address, and you want to receive your tax receipt by email, click here to update your MyPlan account now or call us at 1 800 387-1418.

It’s natural to want to send something extra to your sponsored child, but we ask that you limit your gifts to educational items that can fit into a 22cm x 30cm (9” x 12”) envelope. To help keep our mailing costs low, your package should not weigh more than 150 grams (5 ounces) or be thicker than 5 cm (2”). A deck of cards is an example of an item that weighs around 150 grams. Please do not send money. If your package is bigger or heavier than what is allowed, we will be unable to deliver it to your sponsored child.

Gifts you might consider sending:

• Signals of friendship – e.g., photos, postcards, stickers, balloons 
• Writing and drawing – e.g., pens, paper, pencil cases, crayons 
• Learning and exploring – e.g., maps, booklets, small puzzles, colouring books
• Sporting and outdoor activities – e.g., inflatable beach balls, skipping ropes 

Contact us at 1-800-387-1418 or update your information online through MyPlan.

Please call us at 1-800-387-1418 to update your financial information. One of our Donor Support representatives will be happy to assist you.

If you would like to update your credit card information, fwe ask that you call our Donor Care team. We look forward to providing you with the ability to update your credit card in the near future.

No. Sponsorship contributions are pooled centrally, and used to fund programs benefiting sponsored children, their families and communities. More than 80 years of experience have taught us that helping families and communities become self-sufficient is the best way to secure the child’s future.

We understand circumstances change, especially during this unprecedented time. We have options available to you if you need to make changes to your monthly contribution while continuing to support your sponsored child. Please call us at 1-800-387-1418 and one of our representatives would be happy to talk to you about your options. To ensure the health and safety of our staff with accordance to all public safety guidelines, our Donor Care team is working at reduced hours from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM EST.

The length of your commitment is up to you. Many sponsors have been with us for many years, which allows us to make long-term commitments to our partner communities.

If you choose to end your sponsorship for any reason, please call us so we can introduce your sponsored child to a new sponsor.

At the age of 18, all sponsored children officially “graduate” from the program, although they will continue to benefit from our involvement in their community. If a sponsored child’s family moves out of the area where Plan International works, or if the community decides that it has become self-sufficient and is no longer in need of Plan International’s assistance, the sponsorship will come to an end. When that happens, you’ll receive a profile and photograph of a new child to sponsor. If you don’t want to make the transition to a new child or want to shift to another way to give to Plan International’s work, contact us and let us know your wishes.

Letter Writing

Your letter leaves our office in a parcel along with other sponsor letters for the same Plan International country office. Letters are generally sent monthly in bulk by courier to save costs. After being cleared by customs the package continues to Plan International’s country office where the letters are translated into your sponsored child's language and sent on to the relevant field office.

Plan International staff and community volunteers ensure the letter is delivered to the family. Reaching some communities involves a long journey by bicycle, boat, foot or donkey! For example, your child's village may be 50 km from the country office, which can be a day's journey or more.

Community volunteers deliver most of the letters and collect replies from children to sponsors. These volunteers also help children and families who cannot write by writing down what the family wants to say. If this happens, the letter should make it clear who has written it.

The entire process can take many months between you sending a letter and receiving a response. If you haven't heard anything after eight months and you are getting concerned, please contact us and we will look into it.

There are practical reasons why this would be difficult. There may not be any mail delivery system where your child lives, the family may not have a postal address and there are language barriers. Plan staff and community volunteers act as the postal workers for delivering your correspondence as well as translating them when necessary.

In addition, we screen all letters to sponsored children as part of our child protection procedures, and we do not share addresses from letters or any other communication to protect you and the children.

Politics and religion are likely to be sensitive topics. In more extreme situations where local politics are unstable, your comments could actually put the family at risk.

Pets may not be a familiar concept to some children. Animals have different roles and significance in other religions or cultures.

Avoid being too familiar. What is acceptable in our country might be inappropriate in the child's culture. It's a very fine line but parents of a sponsored child might be offended or concerned by open expressions of affection made towards their children. We always advise sponsors to err on the side of caution, however close they feel to the child.

Give careful thought to the pictures and photographs you send. For example, images of people in swimsuits or cuddling pets can cause offence.