Frequently Asked Questions

Compassion Canada artists and speakers are available for your church/event. For all enquiries relating to having Compassion represented at your event, please visit our Ambassador page.

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.

You can send a Christmas gift to your sponsored child by making a donation to the Christmas Gift Fund.

We recommend giving $25 per child. Donations to the Christmas Gift Fund are pooled to ensure no Compassion-assisted child goes without a gift, even if they are not yet sponsored. Gifts that might be purchased for the children by the child development centre staff include clothing, shoes, small toys, household items, linen, food and livestock.

You can donate to the Christmas Gift Fund online or by calling our office .

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.

You can easily donate to Compassion Canada through internet banking. Just like adding a payee for paying bills, search for Compassion Canada and use your supporter number as the account number. Your supporter number will start with an “8-,” and be followed by 8 digits.

Depending on the bank you may need to omit the “8” or the dash. If your donation is for anything other than sponsorship—such as Urgent Needs, Christmas Gift Fund, etc.—please provide instructions in the notes section.

Presently, we work with Royal Bank, Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust, Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Canadian Western Bank, Citizens Bank and Credit Unions located in the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Alternatively, you can make a donation by credit card through our secure website.

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.

Once you have signed into your My Compassion account, hover over your name in the top right corner. Select “Tax Receipts” from the dropdown menu options. Scroll down to the box that says, “I only want a digital tax receipt”. If you wish to receive a mailed copy of your receipt, please ensure this box is unchecked.

Compassion’s child development ministry is not based on material handouts. We facilitate individual child development by providing learning opportunities that a child may not encounter in another situation. Learning is central to Compassion’s mission-we provide life skills that foster each child’s success. Learning opportunities also are provided for parents, which enables them to improve their parenting skills and provide for their families. Therefore we do not allow extra money to be given every month, but there are several opportunities over the year for you to bless your sponsored child and family with a special monetary gift.

To give a child, family or project gift online click here or connect with our office directly.

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.

Due to the limitations of customs regulations, only paper items can be sent to sponsored children. Items made of paper up to 8.5″ by 11″ and up to .25″ thick can be sent on. Compassion cannot send on or return items that do not fall within these guidelines. If you would like to bless your child in other ways, please send a financial gift, which your child can use to purchase something they really need. Your money will go a lot further in the countries where we work and it will help stimulate the local economy.

Examples of what you can send in the mail include: photos, greeting cards, stickers, bookmarks, postcards, colouring pages, booklets, small calendars, scripture cards, decorative writing paper, paper dolls, and paper planes.

Items which we cannot send include: pencils, crayons, balloons, gum, jewelry, candy, magnets, clothes, toys, seeds, etc.

Yes, we have a Gifts of Compassion catalogue.

Our office would also be happy to provide you with paper copies of the catalogue, please contact us with your request.

In the event a sponsor misses a monthly donation, Compassion has a fund that covers the sponsorship cost. We realize that credit card changes and other financial complications are an inconvenient reality for many of us. Our goal is to ensure children receive the same benefits and attend the program as usual while we try to contact the sponsor to resolve the missed donation. Please note, Compassion cannot cover a sponsorship indefinitely and if we were unable to contact the current sponsor, we would have to find a new sponsor for the child.

You can update your financial information through our secure website.

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

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.

All donations given through Text to Give for Unite to Fight Poverty are receipted separately through the Mobile Giving Foundation of Canada. For more information, please visit their website here. If you did not receive a tax receipt for your Mobile Giving donation, please email us at info@compassion.ca or call us at 1-800-563-5437.

Once you have signed into your My Compassion account, hover over your name in the top right corner. Select “Tax Receipts” from the dropdown menu options. Scroll down to see your available tax receipts and choose “Download” next to the receipt you’d like to view.

All contributions of $10 or more to Compassion Canada are tax-deductible in Canada. To be eligible for a receipt, all year-end gifts and donations to Compassion must be received by December 31st. Compassion receipts for income tax purposes are issued by February 28th of the following year. Receipts can be sent by mail or are accessible through your My Compassion account.

Compassion Canada’s CRA Business number is 11887-1516 RR0001

We understand your concern for your sponsored child. Our staff are working hard to provide us with specific information concerning Compassion children and their families. Communication is difficult as many centres do not have a phone. We are in regular communication with our office and they will let us know which children have been directly affected in time. As we gain specific information that would relate to a particular Compassion child, we will let sponsor’s know by email.

While gifts can be ordered year-round, if you require gift cards for Christmas, we recommend you make your order by December 15th. Digital versions of the cards tied to each gift are available at any time for download through the website. Please allow at least 10 business days for your card to arrive.