Should I give up my sponsor child?

[mustachepungoeshere]

I've been thinking about this for a while but haven't made a decision, so I need your wisdom. Or permission.

The past:

- I got a sponsor child when I started working full time
- It currently costs $48/month plus occasional extra contributions for birthday, Christmas
- I/we have now given the charity more than $6000
- I honestly regret that I did not put that $48/month to my uni debt instead (since paid off)
- It's a faith-based charity because my husband was raised Christian but he no longer believes, and we abhor 'food for conversion' programs
- I support a couple of local charities that I'm much more passionate about, where we can better 'see' the results of our contributions
- When our first one 'graduated' from the program we requested one from an area we had recently visited
- Yes, I understand the 'sponsor child' concept is symbolic and our kid is not actually receiving $48/month

The present:
- We are debt free, renting, and saving
- I want to give it up the sponsor child to reassess our charitable giving and better focus on our goals
- I'm worried that it looks callous

[HappierAtHome]

Your only real concern seems to be that it looks callous? Do it. Redirect the money to a charity more in line with your values (there are even non-religious child sponsorship programs if that's your thing).

[Duke03]

I prefer to give my donations to a direct cause.  Not one where a bunch of money get's skimmed off the top for administrator's, advertising, ect.  I'd rather hand a family in need $500 or $1,000 then to give to these main stream charities that pay their top people millions of dollars a year.

[microwaves]

It's just another charity, not child support. Your money is not going to a child directly, and there is no shortage of people who are looking for your money--if you're feeling charitable, find a cause that you're passionate about and contribute your resources to that however you see fit.

Permission granted.

An aside:

I'd rather hand a family in need $500 or $1,000 then to give to these main stream charities that pay their top people millions of dollars a year.

The "top people" are not working in the nonprofit sector for the purpose of making millions of dollars; that's usually secondary to why they're doing it. You pay for what you get, right? If you want "top people," you have to either pay them comparable wages, shower them with benefits, or convince them that your charity (and your charity alone) is worth them giving up whatever money they can make in the for-profit sector.

[bugbaby]

I did it for a year when I was broke (also a 'Christian' charity), then they asked me for $20 to buy the kid a soccer ball. That just irritated me coz I had a kid too who settled for a $3 ball. I cancelled.

Then I read how scammy these charities are, they skim off *most* of your donation. I'd quit yesterday if I were you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[economist]

It sounds like you want to keep donating the money but just aren't a fan of this specific charity due to the "food for conversion" aspect and the fact that the "sponsor child" probably isn't getting close to the full amount. If you're looking for a secular program where the beneficiaries actually receive most of the donations, Give Directly (https://www.givedirectly.org/) if a great option. 90%+ of donations go directly to the extreme poor, and they have substantial evidence showing the people who receive the money spend it on things like better roofs, food and medical care, and starting businesses. 

[ltt]

If you want to sponsor a child and have an impact, have you thought about being a mentor locally in your area, such as through Big Pals/Little Pals, or volunteering to be a tutor at a local school?

[Kaybee]

If you want to stop your donation and find another organization that aligns better with your values, do it!  I donate to a child sponsorship program but I didn't sign up until I looked into its rankings and how much of its funds actually went to programming vs. operations (not all of those organizations skim large amounts).

Don't ever feel guilty about what you do with your money!