Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Gifts of Compassion donations are tax-deductible. A charitable tax receipt for all donations made in a calendar year (excluding donations made through Text to Give or an online fundraiser, which are receipted separately) will be issued no later than February 28th of the following year.

Funds raised from the Gifts of Compassion catalogue are used to support Compassion’s Response Programs. Should excess funds be raised in a particular area, we will meet other urgent needs as they arise.

You can change your automatic withdrawal information through the Payment Methods section of your My Compassion account or by calling our office. Thank you for supporting Compassion.

You can update contact information through your My Compassion account or by contacting our office directly.

In addition to your monthly sponsorship donation and encouraging letters, you may wish to send gifts to your sponsored child. We are delighted when sponsors decide to provide additional support. We do not mail parcels because delivery in developing countries is unreliable and expensive, but you are able to send paper items like stickers, posters and colouring pages.

We also provide an opportunity to send a monetary gift. The options are: Birthday Gift, General Gift, Family Gift or Child Development Centre Gift. Child Development Centre staff assist children and their families to ensure funds are used appropriately and to discuss how to best use the gift to benefit the child and family. If you have a specific gift in mind, we will forward your suggestion, but ultimately the child or their family will make the final decision.

Send your child a gift online.

There are a number of reasons why we ask that you do not communicate directly with your sponsored child. One of the important features of our program is that it enables centre workers to understand the child’s struggles and to provide help and support. Having your sponsored child’s letters processed through Compassion allows the centre staff to become familiar with your child’s needs, and to help them appropriately. Corresponding directly with your sponsored child would prevent the centre staff from knowing what support the child is requesting and may limit their ability to act on any child protection concerns. By limiting all correspondence through Compassion centres, we are also able to protect sponsors from receiving unsolicited or inappropriate requests from members of your child’s community who may otherwise gain access to your personal details. Most sponsored children speak other languages, so by having the correspondence go through Compassion, we are also able to translate the letters, from your child, for you.

Within your My Compassion account you can track the status of your gift (on the “Gifts” tab available on your sponsored child’s record).

Once the gift has been delivered, you should receive a follow-up letter from your sponsored child acknowledging your gift and how the gift money was used. Please remember that each letter may take a few months to come through for translation and delivery. Please check the date of your child’s letter to work out whether he or she would have received your gift before they last wrote back to you. Many times, the children aren’t writing to you on the same day that they receive your gift, rather they reply on a scheduled day when all the children at the centre write to their sponsors.

If you are in doubt whether your sponsored child has received your gift, you are welcome to write and ask or contact our office.

In many countries where Compassion works, letter writing is not a normal part of the culture. Therefore, the letters written by your sponsored child are probably the only ones ever written. Our Compassion centre workers endeavour to teach the children how to express themselves in writing, and will often use the letter-writing days as an educational activity. Many children write what they think their sponsor might want to hear. If your sponsored child is young, please be patient while he or she learns how to write. In some cultures, it is not common to discuss personal things like hopes and dreams, or even what daily life is like. Your sponsored child may need your help to understand that you are interested in the small details. You can help your sponsored child to understand that you want to know him or her better by asking lots of questions in your letters, and telling your sponsored child about your own life. You may consider highlighting the questions you would really like answered.

To graduate from Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, sponsored children need to have at least completed primary school, a vocational training course and possibly secondary education as well. The expected age at which children may complete the program varies from country to country depending on the education system, but will be between 16 years and 22 years. A child may leave the program earlier if their family moves from the area, if the home situation improves, or if the family chooses to withdraw their child from the program. Every teenager with Compassion has a plan for their future, including their likely date for finishing the program. You are welcome to write to your older sponsored child asking about what is contained in their copy of ‘My Plan for Tomorrow’.

For more details on the process, check out this article: When do you graduate from Compassion’s program? 

Children and families receive no cash. Benefits are only ever in the form of goods and services, carefully designed, delivered or purchased according to their needs.

Note: Child and family gifts (donations) are allocated exclusively to the child / family you are supporting. The Compassion centre staff will involve the family in purchasing gifts that are appropriate and meet specific needs.

If you are interested in learning more about how Compassion Canada handles finances, click here.

Yes, we can add your spouse’s name to your sponsorship. Please contact our office by phone or by email so that we can make this change for you.

You can find your supporter number on most correspondence you receive from Compassion Canada, as well as in your My Compassion account. It starts with “8-”, and is followed by 8 digits.

You can also call the Contact Centre at 1-800-563-5437 and we would be happy to provide it over the phone.

To set up a My Compassion account, you will need your supporter number, the one that starts with 8-.

1. Click “Register here.”
2. Click “Register”
3. Enter your supporter number and click “Validate.”
4. Confirm if you want to use the email we have on file as your username; click “Yes” or “No.”
5. Check your email (may be in junk mail) for a message from us.
6. Click the link in the email to complete the activation process.
7. Enter your supporter number and create a password (upper and lower case letters and number).
8. Click “Set up account,” which will forward you to the login screen.
9. Log in and enjoy the many features of a My Compassion account.

Sign up for a My Compassion account today.

Many of the children who Compassion supports have received no, or only very limited formal education prior to being registered in the project. Many are therefore not as advanced in their learning as a child of the same age from Canada. Many are the equivalent of at least two or three years younger in their educational development. If a child is unable to write their own letters, project staff will sit and talk with the child and ask what they would like to say in their letters. Writing letters is a new skill for many children and therefore many will be unfamiliar with how to go about it. The project staff will then write up the letters which are translated and then sent on to us to forward to you. Some projects will also use letter writing as part of their curriculum to help children develop their reading and writing skills, therefore the letters may seem a little formal. Please do be patient as your sponsored child learns to write and is then able to write to you personally. Many children will draw pictures or write their name or a few words that they can, to share with you what they are able to do. Rest assured that the letters you write to your sponsored child will be greatly valued, and will really help to remind your sponsored child that they are precious and loved.

Sponsorship costs $49 CAD per month per sponsored child. Sponsorship provides children with different learning opportunities, healthcare and social activities, including:

• Christian Teaching & Discipleship
• Bibles
• Access to Education & Literacy Training
• School Supplies
• Regular Health Checkups & Hygiene Supplies
• Dental Screenings
• Life Skills Training
• Vocational Training
• Nutritional Supplements
• Education on Proper Nutrition

Compassion’s local church partners tailor the program to address the specific needs of their communities to ensure that children have the greatest opportunity to reach their God-given potential.Together, you and the church are ensuring that the gospel is shared, people are discipled, lives are changed, communities are transformed and poverty ends

Children love receiving letters from their sponsors, but we realize some people aren’t sure what to write to a child they’ve never met. Your letters don’t need to be long to make a huge impact. Knowing that someone cares and is thinking about them will encourage your Compassion child.

Here are some helpful ideas:

Things to share:

• Family, friends, and pets (whatever you’re comfortable with)
• Hobbies or favourite activities
• Bible verses and prayer requests
• Local holidays and special traditions
• Words of encouragement

Things to ask:

• Family and friends (ages and names)
• Favourite activities at school, church and the Compassion centre
• Their country, town or community and its local traditions
• What they hope to be when they grow up

More ideas:

• 80 letter-writing ideas

Children treasure your letters, so we hope you will write one today. Writing from your My Compassion account is convenient and easy.

You can send a family gift of $40-$1,200 CAD up to two times per year (gift limit is cumulative). You can specify that your sponsored child’s family use your gift for livestock by simply asking us to attach a Gift Instruction to your gift. However, the family is free to use the gift for their greatest need. The centre staff will talk with the child and family to help them to spend your gift in the wisest way, with the best long-term improvement for the family. You can send a family gift through your My Compassion account or by calling our office.

Read more about how impactful the gift of livestock can be!

You can send a family gift of $40-$1,200 CAD up to two times per year (gift limit is cumulative). The centre staff will talk with the child and family to help them to spend your gift in the wisest way.

To send a gift online through your My Compassion account click here or contact us for more information.

You can send a family gift online through your My Compassion account or by contacting our office directly. You can send a family gift of $40-$1,200 CAD up to two times per year (gift limit is cumulative). Families often use gifts to buy livestock, items to repair the home, food, clothing, or bedding. Your financial gift to your sponsored child is greatly appreciated as it brings joy and help to ease the struggles of poverty.

You can send a child gift online or by calling our office. Child gifts, including birthday gifts, can be between $15 and $150 CAD. Your financial gift to your sponsored child is greatly appreciated as it brings joy and help to ease the struggles of poverty.