Welcome!
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your guide to sponsorship
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Welcome to the Unbound community. We’re so grateful you’ve chosen to partner with your sponsored friend on their path out of poverty. With your help, your friend has the opportunity to work toward a better future. But sponsorship through Unbound goes even further than your encouragement and financial support. As an Unbound sponsor, you’re putting families at the center of decision making, giving them resources to set their own goals and build stronger communities. For many families, goals focus on their children's education, but they may also choose to use funds for other needs like food, housing or developing livelihoods. Through participation in small groups, parents and guardians, primarily mothers, have created savings and microloan programs, livelihood cooperatives, and started or expanded small businesses to provide for their families, encourage each other and work toward self-sufficiency.
have questions?
HERE’S HOW TO REACH US: CALL:
800.875.6564
EMAIL:
mail@unbound.org
GO TO:
Unbound.org
VISIT:
1 Elmwood Ave. Kansas City, KS 66103 h 2h
WHAT IT MEANS
to be a spo nso r
Sponsorship is a journey. It’s not a quick fix and it’s not permanent. It’s an investment over a finite period when you accompany an individual and family as they set realistic goals and make plans toward achieving them. Through your sponsorship, you show you believe in your sponsored friend and family as they embark on a journey toward a better future, one that takes courage and heart.
4 things you’ll find in this guidebook: Why writing your friend is important Our policy on child and elder protection How to connect with Unbound What we believe
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Building relationships of mutual respect is central to our mission. The policies and practices highlighted in this guidebook support respectful relationships, privacy and security for you, your sponsored friend and all members of the Unbound community. Thank you for taking a moment to review them. h 3h
what'nexts
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SEND A LETTER AND A PHOTO
Now that you’re a sponsor, the most important thing to do next is send your friend a message. • Register online • Use the eLetter feature to write or send a photo • Or use the stationery and mailing labels we'll be sending to you
As you and your friend get to know each other, you’ll have a chance to share about your lives and cultures. This mutual encouragement is part of being a member of the Unbound community. It means so much to sponsored friends to know someone in another part of the world believes in them. So send an eLetter, photo, letter or postcard today. Check your mail! Once your initial contribution arrives at our office, your friend will be notified of your sponsorship and will begin writing to you. You'll receive letters from your friend at least twice a year.
JOURNEY OF A LETTER Go to Unbound.org/Letters to watch a video about the journey a letter takes and for more information about writing to your friend.
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o GO ONLINE
• Send eLetters and photos to your sponsored friend • View your sponsored friend’s profile and most recent photo • Learn about your sponsored friend's community and Unbound's work there • Make a contribution • View your account history • Update payment information • Download annual statements • Find out what makes our program different • Read stories from around the Unbound world
Visit Unbound.org/Register to access these features.
HELPFUL LINKS Our website is your destination for answers to frequently asked questions and everything you need to know about Unbound and our programs. Check out these links: • Unbound.org/FAQs • Unbound.org/History • Unbound.org/Financials
l important info
CHILD AND ELDER PROTECTION Unbound serves children and others who live in conditions that render them particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Protecting their best interests, including their privacy and personal safety, is of utmost importance to us.
We take seriously our responsibility to maintain a safe and dignified environment for all members of the Unbound community, both internationally and within the U.S. This allows us to facilitate the development of healthy, mutually beneficial relationships. Letters are the only approved form of communication between sponsors and sponsored friends. Contact via social media is against Unbound policy and could result in the termination of a sponsorship. Visit Unbound.org/ChildProtection for more information.
NO PACKAGES, PLEASE! Our international offices cannot accept packages, and sponsors should not send packages to their sponsored friends. Gifts could be lost, damaged or stolen in the mail. If they do arrive safely, the time and expense required for our field staff to pick up, process and deliver packages can be considerable. Our policy allows our staff to focus on providing sponsorship benefits, letters of encouragement and personalized support to sponsored friends and their families. Sending packages might also create feelings of inequity and cause tension among sponsored friends in their communities.
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PAYMENT OPTIONS You can pay monthly, quarterly or yearly. 1. Automatic bank withdrawal This is the most cost-effective way to contribute. 2. Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express 3. Online at Unbound.org 4. Check payable to “Unbound� Mail to: Unbound P.O. Box 219114 Kansas City, MO 64121-9114 Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law unless otherwise noted. Unbound is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, federal EIN: 43-1243999.
get connected LEARN ABOUT OUR WORK Learn about what makes Unbound different and stay up to date with the work happening in Unbound communities around the world. It’s easy. • Like us on Facebook • Follow us on Instagram and Twitter • Receive eNews, event updates and more Sign up today at Unbound.org/Signup
/sponsorachild
@unboundorg
@unboundorg
VOLUNTEER WITH UNBOUND Want to start a conversation about Unbound? Our Ambassador program offers several ways to do just that. Visit Unbound.org/Conversation to watch a video about volunteer opportunities and how you can be an Unbound Ambassador.
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YES, YOU CAN VISIT YOUR SPONSORED FRIEND Whether meeting your sponsored friend or experiencing the beauty of another culture, awareness trips offer an adventure like no other. Since 1988, Unbound has led thousands of sponsors and others interested in learning about our work to visit our program sites in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Our staff-guided trips are affordable and educational. Visit Unbound.org/Trips to learn more, or call us at 1-800-875-6564.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP Unbound is more than sponsorship. We also support scholarships, livelihood initiatives, disaster response and more. Visit Unbound.org/Donate to learn how targeted donations support families and communities.
Education Microfunding Homes Disaster Response
what we believe in
t OUR MISSION
Unbound’s mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world.
Through one-to-one sponsorships, we’re building community and fostering relationships of mutual respect, understanding and support that are culturally diverse, empowering and without religious or other prejudice.
It’s our belief that the surest path out of poverty is a self-directed one. Our local teams listen to the children, elders and families we serve, helping them develop goals and plans based on their individual challenges, needs and skill sets.
OUR CORE VALUES
1. Theological Base: We are grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor.
2. Dignity of the Person: Recognizing the God-given dignity of each person is essential to sincere, lasting, loving relationships.
3. Integrity and Accountability: Honesty and transparency are necessary to operate an efficient and effective organization. 4. Respectful Relationships: Relationships of mutual respect between sponsors and sponsored friends are central to Unbound's mission.
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the founding vision The vision for Unbound began in 1981 with Bob, Bud and Jim Hentzen, their sister Nadine Pearce and their friend Jerry Tolle. Bob and Jerry were former missionaries who witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of poverty while working in Latin America. There they met hard-working families struggling heroically to make better lives for their children. Unbound’s founders envisioned a program that would invite people to partner with these families in order to support and encourage them. Guided by their faith and rooted in Catholic social teaching, our founders created a personalized sponsorship program. The goal was to empower families and connect the world with their struggles. The founders’ commitment to these principles, demonstrated by their passionate and dedicated example, continues to inspire us today. Go to Unbound.org/History to see a timeline of historical milestones.
BOB
JERRY
BUD
JIM
NADINE
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relationship log A TOOL TO TRACK YOUR CORRESPONDENCE
Life can be hectic, and when you only send a few letters a year to your sponsored friend, it can be difficult to remember what you talked about last time. Did you already send this photo? Did you mention getting a new cat? What date did you last send a letter? Our handy relationship log will help you keep track of the details! Just write down the date, topic and type of correspondence each time you send a letter, postcard or eLetter to your sponsored friend. And don’t forget to visit Unbound.org/Letters for ideas and tips for your next letter!
DATE
TOPIC(S)
TYPE
00/00/00
Introduce myself, my family, my pet
eLetter, photo
UNBOUND.ORG | 800.875.6564