Mediated Sponsor-Child Correspondence & Contact Guide
The operating manual for the most powerful retention driver in sponsorship and its single largest safeguarding liability — letters, photos, gifts, and visits between a sponsor and a child, all mediated and screened.
Draft: pending review
This starter document is signed off by International-NGO counsel (child-safeguarding) + safeguarding lead + CFRE before it ships. The guardrails below define that review.
What’s inside
- Mediation workflow: every letter/photo routed through field staff for translation and safeguarding review
- Prohibited-content list: no personal contact details, no money/immigration promises, no grooming-pattern language
- In-person visit protocol: advance vetting, background checks, chaperoned-only, never unsupervised or overnight
- Signed sponsor code of conduct and escalation path for flagged concerns
Legal & ethical guardrails
The sector-specific compliance points this document must honor.
- Child-safeguarding (paramount): all contact must be mediated and screened; unsupervised or direct adult-child channels are prohibited and create severe liability
- Consent and data protection: child's and guardian's consent required; PII in letters must be protected across borders
- Duty of care and mandatory reporting: staff must know local and HQ-country reporting obligations if abuse or grooming is suspected
- Dignity: guidance must prevent transactional/savior dynamics positioning the child as indebted to the sponsor
Held for professional review.
The native PDF and full working text ship only after sign-off by International-NGO counsel (child-safeguarding) + safeguarding lead + CFRE on this exact version. The summary and review requirements remain visible in the meantime.
Not legal advice. Not legal, tax, or accounting advice. The Fundraising Co. provides educational fundraising materials and is not a law firm; nothing here creates an attorney–client relationship or substitutes for advice from professionals licensed in your jurisdiction. Laws and IRS rules vary by state and change over time. Review every document with qualified counsel before use.