Simon Cox Blog: What Current, Past, and ‘Never’ Child Sponsors Think

Tuesday 19 December 2017

What Current, Past, and ‘Never’ Child Sponsors Think

Survey finds one of America’s most popular forms of ministry remains misunderstood.

As charities roll out Christmas giving catalogs, some will ask for a longer commitment than a one-time December gift of a goat or cow for a needy family.

The practice of asking for a monthly commitment to a specific child is well-known—it’s been around since the 1930s, and nearly 9 out of 10 Americans are familiar with it (87%), according to a study by Grey Matter Research and Opinions 4 Good of 1,000 American charitable donors.

In addition, 1 in 4 donors either sponsors a child now (9%) or did so in the past (17%). Another 1 in 4 has considered doing so.

But just because donors have heard of child sponsorship—or have done it—doesn’t mean they understand all the details.

“There have been reports of deceptive practices and questions of whether the model is ethical, but also independent studies that confirm the widely positive impact of sponsorship,” researchers explained. “In qualitative research, Grey Matter has heard many individual perceptions of sponsorship, ranging from ‘It gives me so much joy—it’s the best thing I’ve ever done’ to ‘My friend has one of those pictures on her fridge and I keep telling her it’s a total scam—a thousand other people have that same picture.’”

The power of child sponsorship lies in the direct connection between the donor and the child. But it can also be confusing.

Almost three-quarters of donors believe that child sponsorship doesn’t really help one specific child (74%), instead going to the charity’s overall programs. Those who currently sponsor a child feel even more strongly about this than those who don’t.

But it turns out there is no right answer to this question. “Each ...