“What are your best letter-writing tips?”
We put out a call on our Facebook page asking for the best advice about writing to children in Compassion’s sponsorship program. Incredible people answered with great tips on things like:
What to ask.
What to say.
When to write.
Remembering or making time to write.
I’ve sponsored through Compassion for many years, and I seriously would never have thought of some of these ideas. While some of the letter-writing tips come from people who sponsor one or two children, others come from correspondents who write to many children in our program.
From practical to unique, these letter-writing tips will inspire you to send a note to the child you sponsor — and remind you that your words make a world of difference.
Creative & Artistic Exchanges
1. Sharing Handprints
“I traced my hand and sent it along with a letter where I asked them to trace their hand and send it to me. I got a big hand from the teenage boy I sponsor in Tanzania and small hands from the little girls.” — Shirley
2. Collages
“I love sending the kids collages of their ‘old’ profile photos, artwork and/or extra photos that they’ve sent with their letters. These have been a big hit!!” — Hannah
3. Thoughtful Drawings
“Draw a picture with elegant and beautiful flowers and use the background to address the child you sponsor. Everything to be well received should always be associated with beauty to show love.” — Fredrick
4. Comparing Thoughts
“I have some younger children who just answer a few questions on a template. I usually add my answers next to them and send a copy back with my letter. I usually ask the kids what God is teaching them and share what I have been learning too. The kids enjoy sending artwork and sometimes I will include a coloring page or stickers.” — Kathy
5. Postcards
“I grab a postcard almost everywhere I travel … I think it’s fun to send these and use them to launch a conversation.” — Mallory
Sending Photos
1. Showing God’s Creation
“I try to share pictures of something about Wisconsin, animals or scenery she may not experience otherwise. I bring it around to how amazing God is and how he created things and end with reminding her that God created her with an even bigger and more important purpose!” — Stef
2. New Things
“I usually send pictures of me, my family, my pets or things they might not see in their home countries like certain flowers, animals or buildings such as lighthouses.” — Lydia
3. Consistency
“I always send a picture. A lot of times it is of the nature around me as to not showcase possessions.” — Teri
4. Creative Themes
“My letters almost always have a theme that I can use for two pages full of photos — such as corn mazes, hot air balloons, strange insects, easy animals that they can draw by starting with a circle. … If their letters to me include a drawing, I either take a selfie of me holding the drawing or copy the image into the letter (on the first page, not the photo pages).” — Mary
5. Easy Uploading
“I write my letters through the MyCompassion app. It makes it super easy to upload photos. For our sponsored kiddo, Janina, I think photos probably mean more than the letters themselves because she is younger.” — Kalen
Using the MyCompassion App
1. Handwritten First
“I use the app, but I often hand-write my letters and upload them. I always include words of love and encouragement, truths from scripture/scripture quotes (depending on the country), assurance of my daily prayers, news on my family, weather, celebrations, etc.” — Debbie
2. Reminders
“Love the app. I have a monthly event on my Google calendar to remind me.” — Barb
3. Simple Photos & Reminders
“I also use the app. Super easy. I start with a little about the time of year I’m writing since there’s a lag of when they receive it. I send pictures of my family's activities and descriptions. I also remind her that God loves her and so do I.” — Peggy
4. Monthly Sends
“I write to our sponsored child, Bruce, every month through the app. I just make sure that, at some point each month, I write to him. Bruce is 5 and was born on the exact same day as our 5-year-old son! Our son chose him to be his special friend. So, I can relate a little to what is happening in his life because my son is the same age.” — Bek
5. Keeping Track
I use the app to write letters because it makes it easy to keep up with how long it has been since the last letter. Even though I don’t get replies as often as I send letters, I think it’s important to give them a steady flow of letters, so they don’t feel forgotten.” — Lydia
If you want to make letter writing easier, download the MyCompassion app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Essential Encouragement
1. Being Committed
“They need to know that you love them and that you care, no matter what! Make sure you are fully committed and make sure you always let your child know how important they are to you.” — Benjamin
2. Jesus Loves Them
“Let them know they aren’t alone and that Jesus loves them. Let them know you care about their well-being.” — Kevin
3. Simple Encouragement
“Don’t try to make the letter too long, complicated, or ‘creative.’ It is more important that your child is hearing from you — just a few sentences to express your care, prayers and support.” — Jane
4. Share in the Struggles
“I try to remember to share my challenges and struggles with my sponsored kids, not just the triumphs! I had a sponsored child who shared with me that he was having a hard time academically in school. I shared with him that I too had had some struggles when I was in law school, but that it was all part of the journey.” — Emily
5. Important Prayer
“We talk a lot about their interests and tell them that we pray for them every day to be in good health and good spirits. I end each letter with a question back to them to learn more about their dreams, questions and hobbies.” — Teri
Keeping the Faith
1. Sending Scripture
“If I am stuck about something to write, I will pull out a scripture verse, quote it, talk about what it means and then how to apply it to their lives.” — Jenny
2. Sharing Bible Verses
“I send Bible verses and encourage them to send me a Bible verse. We have 5 grandchildren; the kids we sponsor are similar to their ages. I share stories about them.” — Janiece
3. Mini Devotionals
“I have started to pick a topic and write about it including a few verses, kind of a mini devotional. The first was how to love like Jesus.” — Mike
4. Reminders of God’s Promises
“I include scripture of God’s promises. We all need to be reminded of the truth! Example: Psalms 139.” — Laurie
5. Bible Stories
“I have received the greatest enthusiasm from my children when I’ve written about Bible stories, where they pretend to be in the story. Then I ask questions so they can consider how they might apply such to their lives.” — Jan
6. Written Prayer
“I enjoy writing out my prayers for the kids I sponsor or sending them prayers written by famous Christians like Thomas Merton, St. Patrick or C.S. Lewis and letting the kids know that I prayed that prayer over them.” — Katie
Writing Together
1. Working Together
“Everyone in the family writes a letter at the same time. We address and stamp them and send one out each month.” — Jessica
2. Church Group
“We like to write paper letters, and when I say ‘we’ I mean a small group of ladies from our Soul Care Resource Centre support two children. And we all sign our names to the letters.” — Judy
3. Getting Children Involved
“Our 9-year-old daughter loves to write to the kids we sponsor. She normally writes to the younger ones because they can relate to each other, while I write to the older ones. She writes in person [handwritten letters] because I think it’s fun and personal for them to see her writing and I usually write online, otherwise I’m horrible at remembering!” — Tammy
Making the Time
1. Prompt Writing
“I try to write back as soon as it comes in the mail, within that day. If I put it aside to think of the ‘perfect’ thing to say, it gets forgotten. And I’m sure my sponsored kids enjoy a prompt reply!” — Kristin
2. Template Letters
“I do a template letter that sends to every child and individual letters in between the template letters. … Lately I’ve also added in the new Sort by Birthday function [on the app] and used that to tell which kids have birthdays coming up in the next month so I make sure they get at least a birthday card.” — Sarah
3. Writing Many Letters at Once
“I often go through letter-writing spurts whether I will write several letters at once and then keep some in drafts to send in later. I have also based letters on the online stationery that Compassion offers on the app/website. If I see new stationery I like, I’ll start writing a letter and leave it saved as a draft until I can think of more to say. Since I have multiple sponsored children, I write one letter. When I send it, I click on the button to use it for another child. Then I can change the name and edit things as needed before sending it out to the next child.” — Cara
We know that writing letters to the child you sponsor can be hard to do at times. If you’re not sure where to start, begin by simply sending a birthday card and a Christmas card each year. At Compassion, we recommend sending 2-6 letters per year, but we’re always happy to deliver more as they mean so much to each child.
We hope these sponsors’ letter-writing tips encouraged and inspired you. Remember: Your words mean the world to the child you sponsor — even if they are few.
