To cancel a Compassion International child sponsorship, call donor services at (800) 336-7676 at least three working days before your next billing date. Compassion runs sponsorship as a voluntary recurring donation rather than a contract, so you can end it at any time without penalties or fees, and your sponsored child keeps receiving program benefits while Compassion looks for a new sponsor.1Compassion International. Conditions of Use
What to Have Ready Before You Call
Gather a few details first so the representative can pull up your account quickly. You’ll need your Sponsor ID, which appears at the top of billing statements and inside your profile on the My Compassion app, plus the full name on the account as Compassion has it on file.
Your sponsored child’s name and identification number speed things up further. Both are printed on the child packet you received when you started sponsoring and in past emails from Compassion. Having them in front of you means the call runs a few minutes instead of a long hold while someone hunts through records.
Making the Cancellation Call
The number Compassion’s own terms direct you to is (800) 336-7676, staffed Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time.2Compassion International. Contact Compassion International Tell the representative you want to cancel your child sponsorship and stop all recurring payments. The standard sponsorship is $43 per month, though yours may differ if you chose a different giving level or enrolled at an older rate.3Compassion International. Sponsor a Child
Timing matters. You need to give at least three working days’ notice before your next billing date to avoid another cycle going through, and Compassion’s policy states that donations are generally not refundable.1Compassion International. Conditions of Use Before you hang up, ask for a confirmation or reference number. If a charge does slip through after the cancellation, that record is what you’ll use to dispute it with your bank.
Backing Up the Cancellation in Writing
The phone call is what actually cancels the sponsorship, but a written follow-up gives you a paper trail if billing problems come up later. You can send a request through the contact form on Compassion’s website or mail a signed letter to:
Compassion International
12290 Voyager Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Include your Sponsor ID, your full name as it appears on the account, your sponsored child’s name and ID number, the date you called, and the reference number the representative gave you. Keep a copy for yourself. Written notice doesn’t substitute for the call, since Compassion’s terms specifically direct you to phone in, but it strengthens your position if you ever need to prove when you asked to cancel.
What Happens to Your Sponsored Child
This is the part that weighs on most sponsors. When you cancel, Compassion works to match your child with a new sponsor. During that gap the child continues attending their local child development center and receiving program benefits, minus the personal sponsor letters and gifts. If a new sponsor isn’t immediately available, the Unsponsored Children Fund provides supplemental support to the child’s center so care doesn’t get interrupted.
Canceling doesn’t pull a child out of the program. The structure is built to absorb sponsor turnover, and the local church partners running each center keep operating regardless of individual changes. If your reason for canceling is financial, ask the representative about alternative giving levels before you finalize; reducing your commitment may be an option instead of ending it entirely.
If Charges Keep Coming After You Cancel
If Compassion processes a payment after your cancellation, federal law gives you a way to stop it at the bank. Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, you can halt a preauthorized recurring debit by notifying your bank or credit union at least three business days before the scheduled transfer. Your bank may ask you to follow up an oral stop-payment request with written confirmation within 14 days.4FDIC. Laws and Regulations EFTA – Electronic Fund Transfer Act
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends both calling and writing your bank to revoke the company’s authorization to pull payments. Once you’ve done that, any further charge is treated as an error, and your bank can refund it.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Stop Automatic Payments From My Bank Account? Some banks charge a fee for a formal stop-payment order, often around $25, so ask what your institution charges before you request one. Keep dated records of every cancellation notice, both to Compassion and to your bank, in case a dispute becomes necessary.
Getting Your Tax Receipt After Canceling
Compassion International is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your payments before the cancellation date are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.6Compassion International. Disclosure Statement You’ll still receive a year-end summary reflecting everything you gave that calendar year, sent electronically or by mail in January.
Because monthly sponsorship adds up past $250 over a year, federal tax law requires a written acknowledgment from Compassion for any single contribution of $250 or more if you want to claim the deduction. That acknowledgment has to state the amount and whether you received anything of value in return, and you need it by the time you file your return or by the filing deadline, whichever comes first.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 170 – Charitable, Etc., Contributions and Gifts If the receipt hasn’t arrived by late January, call Compassion for a duplicate before the filing deadline gets close.