Tips on Being a Great Sponsor

Write letters to your sponsored child.
Send gift money to your child once or twice a year.
Display photos of your sponsored child(ren).
If you go to visit your sponsored child, stay as long as possible!
Do not hesitate to contact the National Director if you have questions about your
sponsored child, or his/her project.
Expect that there will be some miscommunication with the child and/or the Project and
National Office administration.
If you can, find a local friend who is from the same place as your sponsored child.
Don't send anything that you wouldn't want to lose.
Pay attention to the siblings of your sponsored child.
Talk to others about your sponsored child(ren).

• Write letters to your sponsored child. This will help develop the relationship. All of the children in your sponsored child's family receive services by the CCF Project. In many cases, all children in the community receive services. But, not all children are sponsored. The special benefits that your child receives are letters and gifts from you. Take a look at the section, Tips for Letter Writing for more ideas on this topic. Return to top.

• Send gift money to your child once or twice a year. Birthdays and Christmas are a good time for this. You'll be amazed at what can be purchased for $10. It sure doesn't hurt to send a few dollars every once in a while as a suprise gift, either. But, be sure that this is not the extent of your relationship! Sponsorship is about much more than money... Return to top.

• Display photos of your sponsored child(ren). Color photocopies are great. This way you can have copies of your photos at work and at home. Keeping photos prominently displayed can do several things, not the least of which is to remind you to write letters (and to send your sponsorship payments on time).

  This is also a perfect way to share your CCF experiences with others. When walking into my office, people will often say, "Who are the kids?" When I say that they are the kids I sponsor through CCF, I'll often receive more questions. If they aren't interested, they simply won't ask any more questions. But, maybe they'll ask another time... Return to top.

• If you go to visit your sponsored child, stay as long as possible! It is my understanding that many sponsors will visit the project and the child for only a few hours. If you simply want to give the child a chance to say "thank you" that will be fine. But, if you want to get to know your child and to learn about the project, you'll have to stay much longer. I stayed in Bangalore for 10 days. I only wish I could have stayed longer. If I had only had that first meeting with Asma, I would have missed out on so much. Visit the section, Tips to Help if You Plan to Visit your Sponsored Child...for more ideas on this subject. Return to top.

• Do not hesitate to contact the National Director if you have questions about your sponsored child, or his/her project. The National Director will forward your question to the appropriate person. It is my experience that CCF people *love* it when sponsors are interested in their sponsored children. Return to top.

• Expect that there will be some miscommunication with the child and/or the Project and National Office administration. Remember, you're dealing with another culture, and your request or question may likely not have been understood. It is my experience that the translation of letters is very good, but cultural differences can sometimes lead to miscommunication. If you can't get your message across right away, just keep trying. Return to top.

• If you can, find a local friend who is from the same place as your sponsored child. In preparation for my trip to India, I decided to search for a woman from India at my workplace. "So-and-so is from India," I was told. To my surprise, So-and-so was not only from India, but from Bangalore, Asma's city! She has been an invaluable resource. I also recently met a man who is from the same district in Uganda as Alaso. I was thrilled! Now I just have to muster up the courage to contact him again... Return to top.

• Don't send anything that you wouldn't want to lose. Mail delivery is not always terribly reliable. We just can't expect CCF to be responsible for everything that we send. Return to top.

• Pay attention to the siblings of your sponsored child. Sending a little extra money to provide gifts for the family can be nice. (Though often the gift money is shared with a sibling anyway...) Remember, the siblings likely don't have a sponsor, so your interest in them will be special for them. Remember, though, that you are *his/her* sponsor. Don't make him/her share too much. Return to top.

• Talk to others about your sponsored child(ren). Don't make a nuisance of yourself, of course... :) But, your sponsored children are a part of your life, a part of your family. The people around you should know who they are. My little surrogate nephew knew all of my sponsored children by the time he was 2. This made it easier for him when I left for 3 weeks in India. "Auntie Angie is going to see Asma." he would say... Return to top.