I cannot afford my missed donations at this time; how do I cancel?

We are sorry to hear this and would be happy to assist you with your request. There is no obligation to cover the missed donations, and we do not wish for the sponsorship contributions to be a burden on our sponsors. Please call us at 1-800-762-9593 to speak with a representative who can assist you and discuss possible solutions so you can keep your relationship with your sponsored child.

Do I have to make up my previously missed donations?

No, you do not. We are so grateful for all you can donate. To continue your sponsorship, we only need to verify your information for contributions moving forward.

If I make up my donations, where do those funds go?

Any donations that are made for sponsorship are sent regularly to the field to continue the programs and services in your sponsored child’s country and community. These donations help us provide aid to enrolled children without sponsors and continue programming in the country. If you make up donations for gifts, these will go 100% to your sponsored child as always.

Can I make up my previously missed donations online?

Currently, donors are unable to schedule one-time sponsorship contributions online. We are looking forward to being able to offer this in the future! In the meantime, you may email us at sponsorsupport@ChildFund.org to authorize donations with your financial account on file or call 1-800-762-9593 and one of our representatives will be happy to help. If you would like to email us, please specify the amount, date, and financial account you would like to use for your donation.

Can I make up my previously missed donations later?

Of course! Once we receive a donation, we consider your contributions to be current, but we can always schedule additional donations for your sponsorship.

Can I send my missed/future donations by wire transfer/money order/check?

Yes! If you choose to send donations by money order or check, please include Donor Name, Donor Number, Child Name, and Child Number. If you would like for your contribution to be applied to previous donations, please add a note with the money order/check. If you would like to send a wire transfer, please send an email to sponsorsupport@ChildFund.org to receive instructions.

Why is the donation request on my statement higher than normal?

Many donors have shared with us that they would like any missed sponsorship donations to be included on their statement to prevent falling behind on their commitment and to ensure the most resources are going to their child’s community. Therefore, you may see a larger amount due than your typical pledged amount.

Why am I getting emails about my sponsorship donation?

After a routine system review, our records indicate that we were unable to process or did not receive your sponsorship donation. To ensure that this is not a mistake, we reach out to our donors as soon as possible to ensure we have the correct information for their contributions.

I received an email about a discrepancy with my account, is this legitimate or a scam?

We routinely review our records and reach out to sponsors through email to ensure we have the most up-to-date account information. If you are unsure about an email you have received, please call us at 1-800-776-6767 to speak with a Supporter Care representative.

Why is your phone number on the email different from the one listed on the website?

We have a dedicated team to help donors with any challenges they have with their donations so they can continue their sponsorships. Because we want to ensure our donors have the best experience possible, we have a direct line which is 1-800-762-9593. However, if you feel more comfortable using our 1-800-776-6767 number, simply let the representative know you received an email from us about your contributions, and they will transfer you to the appropriate team!

My sponsorship is set up for automatic donations. Why are you not processing them?

Although your sponsorship may be set up for automatic donations, there are many reasons why we may have not been able to process your donations, such as an expired credit card, or missing or incorrect billing information. If you have added a new funding source online, please ensure it has been linked to the desired giving (e.g., your child’s sponsorship). You may also email us at sponsorsupport@ChildFund.org or call us at 1-800-762-9593 to further go over why your donations did not process.

Why didn’t I hear that my donation did not go through sooner?

We try to reach out to our donors as soon as possible when we notice a donation did not process. If we were unable to get in touch with you, we may have outdated contact information, or our email messages may have been moved to your spam or junk folder. Please call us at 1-800-762-9593 to update this information and review your sponsorship preferences. You may also check and update this information in your donor portal.

Can I update my financial information through the website?

Yes! Our website allows you to make changes to your financial information at your convenience. To update the existing credit card or bank account on file, or add a new donation method, please follow the steps below.

• Go to childfund.org and log in. If you have not registered your account, please do so using your email address and Contact ID. If your sponsorship account does not have an email address or you do not have your Contact ID, please let us know so we may assist you.
• Select the My Giving tab and scroll down to the Payment Information section.
• To update an existing donation method, select Update next to the desired card or bank account, make the necessary changes, and click the Update button.
• To enter the new credit card information, select Add Funding Source and click the Add button. Please note that your name on the donation method should not contain any special characters, including ampersands (&).
• In the Scheduled Giving section, select Update next to the donation schedule you wish to apply the new donation method to.
• Select the new card or bank account in the drop-down and click Update.
• It may take up to 30 minutes for the changes to be displayed, but once the process is complete, your new card will be listed in the Funding Source section.
• Please let us know once you have updated your financial information so we can ensure future contributions are set up correctly.
• If you would like to make up any missed donations, please let us know so we can schedule it for you, as that function is not currently available on our website.

I updated my donation method online already, why is there a discrepancy?

Thank you for taking the time to update your information online. Our system may not have properly processed your update. To ensure that there is no disruption to your account, we reach out to our donors as soon as possible to confirm that we have the correct information for their contributions.

My card has a new expiration date, do I need to update it?

To ensure the card will be able to process donations successfully moving forward, our system requires an updated expiration date. Although many credit card companies now will allow funds to continue to process, the best way to prevent any interruptions to your contributions is to update your card information. You may update your card online or by calling us at 1-800-762-9593. If we were previously unable to process a donation with this card, we may need to add it to your account again to ensure your donations process successfully.

I have updated information for my missed donations online and now see several pending transactions, how can I remove them?

When account changes have been made, our system may show temporary pending transactions. If the transactions remain pending after 1 hour, please call us at 1-800-776-6767.

I cannot update my card online, what should I do next?

If you are unable to update your donation method online, please give us a call at 1-800-762-9593 and one of our representatives will be able to assist you in adding your donation method.

I do not currently live in the United States. How do I update my card info?

You may call us at 1-804-756-2700 to speak with a Supporter Care representative or update your donation method online. Once you have entered your new account information, please let us know so we can ensure it all went through appropriately in our system.

Was my child affected by the lack of donations?

As all sponsorship donations are pooled to maximize impact of programs and services for your sponsored child’s country and community, your sponsored child was not aware that this happened, and their sponsorship was not affected. However, if you had recurring gifts scheduled during this time, we were unable to cover those. We are happy to reschedule any gifts and get them sent out as soon as possible.

What happens to my sponsorship if I do not make my sponsorship donation?

Your sponsorship will stay active for up to six months after a pledged donation is not received. At this point, we will close your sponsorship and begin the process of finding a new sponsor for your sponsored child. We do have options to help you if you cannot meet your original commitment and would love to discuss them with you at 1-800-762-9593.

Can I send my child a 1x gift donation to make up for the missed sponsorship donations?

Because gift donations to your child go directly to them and sponsorship contributions are sent for programming and services, gift donations will not cover missed sponsorship donations.

If I have missed my pledged donations for over 6 months, can I be reunited with my previously sponsored child?

We will do our best! Many times, we can connect sponsors with their previously sponsored child if the sponsorship has ended due to a lack of contributions. We want to ensure that if you wish to continue to sponsor, you can. However, sometimes, during this time, children may graduate or receive another sponsor. If this happens, we can connect you with another child in the community or help you find another sponsored child. We also understand if your commitment was to your first sponsored child and do not wish to sponsor a different child at this time.

What if my sponsorship closed because I was not able to make donations for 6 months, can I sponsor again?

Of course, we would love to have you back. Just call us at 1-800-762-9593 and we will get you connected with a new child!