Resources and FAQs
Your World Vision account
How do I find my tax receipt? Find answers to this question and learn more about managing your World Vision account, auto-giving, making changes to your account or scheduled donations, and more.
How do I find my tax receipt?
How do I find my tax receipt?
Your annual tax receipt is located in your My World Vision account. Once you log in, select “My Account” in the gray navigation bar at the top. Then click “My Giving History” from the options on the lefthand side. There you’ll see two ways to access your tax receipt:
(1) “View giving by year” allows you to view every year of giving
(2) “Print annual tax receipt” allows you to print or download your most recent year of giving
If you experience any issues with downloading or printing your receipt, please contact us at 1.800.678.2168.
How do you use my donation?
We promise to use your donation in the most effective way possible. The needs shown in the Gift Catalog reflect World Vision projects at the time the catalog was written, and each item is representative of its gift category. Donations will provide assistance where it’s needed most within that category, or to address a similar need. With the larger items, such as wells, clinics, and schools, World Vision pools donations in order to provide as many wells, clinics, and schools as possible. These items are not matched to individual donors.
Can I change my giving method or provide a new credit card number online?
Yes. Sign in to My World Vision and visit the “My Account” page. Under “Payment Information,” you can add or edit your credit card or bank information.
We keep your personal information as secure as possible. All web forms requesting your confidential information (such as credit card numbers) on the My World Vision website use “SSL,” an Internet security protocol that encrypts your information.
Will I receive a receipt for my gift, and is it tax-deductible?
Yes, we’ll mail you a receipt for your gift to World Vision. Your gifts are tax-deductible, excluding the amount for shipping and handling charges or the fair market value for any items, if applicable.
How do I cancel my donation?
To cancel your recurring donation or sponsorship give us a call at 1.888.511.6548. We’re here to take your call during normal business hours (Pacific Standard Time).
Can I increase my donation?
Yes. Sign in to My World Vision and visit the “My Account” page. Under “My Giving” select “View Recurring Donations.” You can increase your giving amount by adding the dollar amount to the selection field that you would like to increase by.
Why should I sign-up for autogiving?
When you give by EFT or CC, you can help us save over $1.3 million dollars each year on mailing and processing costs. This puts more of your gift to work in the field.
Why is EFT better?
By choosing to give through EFT, you are helping save even more in credit card fees! Imagine what that can do to transform lives of the most vulnerable!
Resources for child sponsors
FAQs for current sponsors
If you’re already a child sponsor and have questions, we have answers! Seriously, ask us anything. We’re here for you.
Once I sponsor a child, when will my sponsored child be notified?
We’ll let your sponsored child know they’re sponsored as soon as possible. You should receive an introductory letter from your sponsored child within three or four months of signing up to sponsor. Note that although your sponsored child will now know they’re sponsored, they won’t know anything about you until you begin to write to them.
Why isn’t my child smiling in his/her photo?
When our staff take photos of the children they do encourage them to smile. However, in some cultures, smiling for the photograph is not the norm. In other cases, the children may have never seen a camera or have rarely been photographed. They tend to take the practice very seriously.
Can I post a picture and share about my sponsored child online?
Yes, but… We want you to have the opportunity to develop a meaningful relationship with your sponsored child in a way that is safe, secure and fulfilling for both of you. Because of this, we ask our sponsors to abide by the following standards while participating and partnering in World Vision’s Sponsorship program:
- In order to protect children’s security and privacy, please don’t post your sponsored child’s last name or child ID number on the internet or social media sites. For example, it’s fine to update your Facebook status by saying “I just sponsored a little girl named Maria from Bolivia!” – in fact, this is encouraged! But it’s not okay to post her photo and say “This is my 12-year-old sponsored child, Maria Cruz, from a little town named Tiraque in Bolivia.”
- And remember that we discourage direct, unmonitored communication with your sponsored child or family without World Vision’s knowledge. This includes contact through the internet or social media (e.g. Instant Messaging, Facebook, Skype, etc.).
- We’re fully committed to protect the security, privacy, and dignity of the children whose parents/guardians and community leaders have graciously allowed us to be a part of our child sponsorship programs. Children have the right to be completely secure from the fear or reality of any potential abuse (either physical or emotional) resulting from an inappropriate contact by a sponsor or any other person.
Learn more about World Vision’s policies on Child Security and Child Protection.
Why does someone else write letters on behalf of my sponsored child?
Although it may seem your sponsored child is now at an age when they should be able to write, it’s possible not many children in the community can write well or write a complete letter in English. Also, the standard of education in rural areas is not as advanced compared to those in urban areas where children start school earlier. A disadvantage to living in rural areas is that children need to be fully grown in order to walk the distance to school, many of which are a far walk from home. Because children in rural areas generally start school late, their ability to read and write is limited. This is one reason why letters are sometimes written by a family member or helper on behalf of the child.
How can I get my child to answer my questions when I write?
Oftentimes, listing your questions instead of writing them in a paragraph can make it easier for our staff and volunteers to translate and get answers too.
Why does my sponsored child draw pictures that appear to have been drawn by a younger child?
There could be a variety of factors that contribute to this. A few to consider are:
- Your child lacks motor skills to draw
- Your child doesn’t know how or what to draw
- Your child was interrupted from play or chores at the time
- Your child wasn’t feeling well at the time (hungry, ill, etc.)
- Your child wasn’t feeling artistic at the time
How often will I receive a progress report on my sponsored child?
Each year, we’ll send you a progress report in the mail updating you about your child’s health and educational status. This report will also include a new photo, so you can watch your child grow up.
If it’s been more than a year since you last received a progress report, we will be glad to communicate with the national office for you. Please give us a call at 1.800.777.5777.
How do I change or cancel my sponsorship commitment?
We understand circumstances arise that make it difficult to continue sponsorship. We would love to work with you to make adjustments to your account so you can continue your relationship with your sponsored child if you would like to. Give us a call at 1.800.777.5777 and we can let you know about options such as a temporary reduced rate or putting your sponsorship on hold. And if you would like to cancel your sponsorship we are happy to assist you with that.
Communicating with my child
Can I write to my sponsored child?
Yes! Being a child sponsor is also about building a wonderful friendship. Exchanging letters, cards, or sending emails is a great way to connect with your sponsored child. Be sure to ask your child some questions to get the conversation started! Find more information on sending mail and get ideas on what to write.
Note: For the protection of the children, sponsors, and our staff, we read all letters that are exchanged between sponsors and their sponsored children. The letters are reviewed to ensure people do not threaten children, put their lives in danger, or try to develop inappropriate relationships. In some countries and communities where we work, Christian expression is restricted so we monitor the letters to make sure nothing written could endanger the child or family. We also review letters to our sponsors to ensure they do not receive inappropriate solicitation of funds from children’s families.
What topics should I avoid when sending a message to my sponsored child?
When writing your letter, it’s important to consider your sponsored child’s environment and culture. For example, it’s best not to write about the things you own since your child might have very few possessions. But do write about yourself, your family, and friends.
Can I mention Jesus in my letters, emails, or cards?
Please look for the Sensitive Area Alert icon under your child’s picture in My World Vision for more explanation. If your child lives in an area that welcomes Christianity, please feel free to share your faith and spiritual encouragement with your child.
However, if your child lives in a community where Christian expression is restricted, please don’t refer to Jesus or send Christian tracts or Scripture in your messages. Doing so could jeopardize World Vision’s work in your child’s country, or even endanger the child or our staff. If you have any doubts about what’s appropriate in your child’s community, please give us a call at 1.800.777.5777.
Do my letters need to be written in English?
Our overseas staff prefer that letters are written in English. The only exception would be if you fluently speak the same language as the child. Please don’t use a translation service (such as Google Translate). Also, we ask that you keep in mind that our staff translating the letters may only be fluent in English and their country’s official language.
Why does it take so long to receive a letter from my sponsored child?
Your letters travel a long way! Here’s why correspondence takes time.
- Remote locations: Many sponsored kids live in rural communities — far from highways and without phones, internet, or sometimes even postal service. This can delay round-trip communication by up to three months.
- Translation: Letters usually need to be translated by a staff member or volunteer in our local office.
- Delivery and reply: Our dedicated team oversees letter writing and personally delivers letters to sponsored children. They help kids who may be new to letter writing or need some help with reading or writing. If your child receives additional support, you’ll find it noted in your letter.
Your child will love to hear from you as often as you’d like to write, and you’ll hear back up to four times a year!
Besides writing, are there other ways I can communicate with my sponsored child?
Throughout the year, we’ll mail you fun greeting cards you can sign and return for delivery to your sponsored child. They’re a great way to encourage and connect with your child–children eagerly hope for their name to be called when mail is delivered.
A small donation is suggested to help cover the costs of handling and mailing the cards, but this donation isn’t required in order for the card to be forwarded to your sponsored child.
We print messages on the cards primarily in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili because these are the primary languages spoken in our World Vision offices around the world. Our staff translates the card into the local dialects of the children.
If you’d like to send your sponsored child a letter, but want to avoid the cost of a stamp, you can include a letter with one of these greetings cards. Please note, because of how these cards are distributed, it will likely take longer to receive a reply from your sponsored child than if you were to mail the letter directly.
Can I continue to write my sponsored child after they leave the sponsorship program?
No. It’s against our Child Protection Policy to agree to ongoing communication between a sponsor and their child after the child leaves our program. All communication must be in overseen by World Vision to ensure the protection of the child, their family, community, and for sponsors as well.
Why does the card I got in the mail for my sponsored child seem to be for a much younger child?
For stewardship reasons, we usually develop one greeting card and design it with an 11-year-old in mind because this is roughly the age of the single largest group of children, as well as the median sponsored child age. However, for birthdays we typically create two cards: one for older children and one for younger children.
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