The Fundraising Regulator’s project on the marketing of child sponsorship has concluded. Led by the proactive regulation team, the project has resulted in a clear and positive shift across the sector, with charities now more closely aligning their marketing of sponsorship programmes with the Code of Fundraising Practice (the code).
This work began in early 2024 following concerns that some child sponsorship programmes could mislead potential donors. Some marketing gave the impression there would be a direct one-to-one relationship between a donor and a child, when in reality, funds were often used for a wider community benefit.
Our focus was to improve clarity and transparency for donors. We wanted to make sure that people understand how their donations are used before they choose to give.
Working with the sector
We identified 53 charities offering child or orphan sponsorship programmes and invited them to engage with the project. We then held a series of workshops, attended by 18 charities that took place during summer 2024, where we explored examples of compliant and non-compliant marketing.
The feedback we received was valuable. It helped us develop clear, practical guidance for charities, which was published in April 2025. This guidance sets out how charities can present their sponsorship programmes in a way that is honest, clear, and consistent with the code.
Approximately four months after the publication of the guidance, we carried out a monitoring exercise to look at what changes had been made to ensure that marketing was compliant with the guidance and by extension, the code.
What has changed
We have seen several positive changes across charity websites and marketing materials, including:
- clearer explanations of how sponsorship works
- explicit information about how donations are used
- more accurate descriptions of the relationship between donors and sponsored children
- increased use of language that reflects community-based support where relevant
These changes help potential donors make informed decisions and build trust in the charities they want to support.
Looking ahead
We will continue to monitor any complaints or concerns raised in this area and where necessary, support charities to follow the guidance and meet the standards set out in the code.
We would like to thank all the charities that engaged with us throughout this project. Their cooperation and commitment have helped deliver improvements for donors and for the sector as a whole.