1.Why should I choose to sponsor a child with Plan?
There are hundreds of thousands of children from very poor communities who need the benefits our work brings. Sponsoring is a very personal way to support deprived children. Through the child you sponsor, their family and community, you can learn about a culture very different to your own and gain an insight into lives of children growing up in developing countries. And as a sponsor, you will see the difference you are helping to make. You can sponsor more than one child, but not from the same family – as we want to involve as many families as possible.
2.Can I sponsor for less than the amount shown on the sponsorship form?
We need the minimum commitment of £12 per month to achieve lasting results from your sponsorship. If you prefer, you can choose to make your payments quarterly, half yearly or annually rather than monthly.
For every £1 a sponsor gives, about 80 pence is spent on project work, 9 pence on encouraging new sponsors to join us and 11 pence is spent on general administration including computing and accounting systems.
Every single penny of that 80 pence goes towards making a project work.
The children who you can sponsor in Plan-affiliated communities always have families of their own. However, in the eyes of the child you sponsor, you may still play an important part in their life. As well as helping them and their community implement projects, your participation through letters and cards can inspire and encourage them. It’s amazing how messages of hope can boost children’s self-esteem and motivate them to realise their potential.
Plan only gives funds directly to children or their families in exceptional circumstances. Instead, your money is pooled with other contributions and goes towards projects that benefit communities across the world. This allows for efficient management of the funds.
We’ve been working with children for nearly 70 years, and in that time we have recognised that to bring long-lasting improvements to children’s lives we need to address the needs of the wider community. Before we begin a project, we talk to community leaders, parents and children, and listen to their needs. Then together we plan what would most benefit all the children in that community.
Direct Debit is the safest, easiest and most cost effecient way to pay your donations to us. Provided you have a bank or building society account in the United Kingdom, from which Direct Debit is acceptable, we can automatically collect your donation on a monthly, quarterly, semi annual or annual basis. This process is protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee reported below.
This Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that take part int he Direct Debit Scheme. The efficiency and security of the Scheme is monitored and protected by your own Bank or Building Society.
If the amounts to be paid or the payment dtes change, Plan International (UK) will notify you at least 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.
If an error is made by Plan International (UK) or your Bank or Building Society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid.
You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your Bank or Building Society. Please also send a copy of your letter to us.
Alternatively, you can pay your regular donations to us by a bank or Charity Aid Foundation account cheque or bankers draft drawn in pounds sterling and payable to Plan International UK, quoting your sponsor reference number.
Plan International UK - 5-6 Underhill Street - Camden, London NW1 7HS.
Gift Aid is the government’s way of enabling charities such as Plan to reclaim some of the income tax you pay. Simply by confirming that you are a UK taxpayer and want to Gift Aid your donation, you’ll enable us to reclaim 28p for every £1 you donate. This extra money, which we can use to help more children and communities, comes at absolutely no cost to you.
1.Gift Aid allows us to reclaim the tax you have paid on all donations to Plan International UK's work. This increases the value of your donations by almost a third at no extra cost.
2.You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax Plan International UK will reclaim on your donations in the tax year.
3.Completing a Gift Aid declaration does not affect your tax status or commit you to supporting Plan's work for a specified length of time.
4.If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief in your Self Assessment tax return.
If you want to make a Gift Aid Declaration, tick the box when prompted on our on-line form, give our Supporter Relations team a call on 020 7482 9777 or send us an email to mail@plan-international.org.uk
To help us see our projects through to their conclusions, we hope your link with Plan and the child you sponsor will continue for a number of years. But, if your circumstances change, you can withdraw your support at any time and we will find another sponsor for the child.
7.Can I sponsor a child with my friends and work colleagues?
Yes.
We have many schools, youth groups and businesses that sponsor a child - or several children, and think that sponsorship is a wonderful opportunity for learning. If you decide to sponsor as part of a school, group or business, it is important that you provide us with a clear point of contact for all our and your sponsored child's communications.
You will receive at least one letter, note or drawing each year. Many children love communicating and receiving your responses too. Through this unique and personal connection you can see for yourself what is happening in their local area. Each year, around 200 sponsors from the UK visit the community where the child they sponsor lives to see this work taking place.
You can choose to sponsor either a girl or boy from a community that Plan is already working with. If you have an interest in a particular area, we will do our best to match this.
