FAQs

We know that everyone is different. Many supporters want to hear everything we share with them, while others may prefer only some communications. If you would like to tailor the communications you receive, please call us on 1800 633 622, Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm AEST.

In Australia today there are more than 1.2 million children and young people living in poverty.²

For these children, the effects of their family’s financial disadvantage go beyond the pressures of not having enough money for the basics in life. Their disadvantage holds them back from accessing the same educational and life opportunities as their peers.

Research shows that supporting children’s education and learning is one of the most effective means of breaking the cycle of disadvantage.

Fundraising for The Smith Family can be a fun and rewarding way to make a life-changing difference to young Australians in need. To find out more, please visit the fundraising page which outlines all the information you need to get started. You can also contact us at community.fundraising@thesmithfamily.com.au – good luck!

A list of all our offices and their contact details can be found on the Contact Us page.

Events are a great way to raise much needed funds as well as generate awareness of the work we do to help Australian kids in need. At The Smith Family we try to make it as easy as we can for you to join existing events or organise your own. Visit our fundraising page to find out more.

The Smith Family may telephone, email or approach you from time to time. If we do, we will always introduce and identify ourselves clearly. The Smith Family representative will always ask you questions so that we can be sure we are talking to the correct person.

All phone systems are occasionally subject to attempts by people trying to engage in fraudulent activity. Generally these types of calls, or scams, are very rare in proportion to the total number of genuine calls.The Smith Family will never ask you to:

• transfer money, or
• provide passwords or PIN numbers to bank accounts

• your address
• your bank details
• any special numbers or words such as passwords, codes, pension or card numbers.

If someone approaches you or comes to your door, always ask to see their identification. You do not have to let them in and they must leave if you ask them to.

You can check on any communication that you aren’t sure about, or report a phone or email scam, by contacting Dylan Rose, National Support Care Manager on 1800 633 622 or via email to SupporterCare@thesmithfamily.com.au.

If you have concerns that a call or email you have received might not be genuine, contact us on 1800 633 622 and we can investigate if such activity fits a pattern with other possible scam reports.

If you believe you have been a victim of a scam relating to The Smith Family, please contact Dylan Rose, National Support Care Manager on 1800 633 622. You should contact your bank or financial institution immediately if you think you may have provided your account details to a scammer.

When you include The Smith Family in your Will you will be leaving the gift of a better future for disadvantaged Australian children. For more information about bequests to The Smith Family, visit our bequests webpage or call Jakki Travers 02 9085 7118.

All donations and sponsorships over $2 are fully tax deductible. If you make a one-off donation online, you will be receipted instantly via email. If you make a one-off donation via mail or over the phone, you will receive a tax receipt in the mail within 1-2 weeks.

If you become a sponsor or regular donor and make monthly payments, you will receive a consolidated tax receipt covering all your donations during that financial year in late July each year.

As a financial supporter, you can also download your receipt from the My Smith Family web portal. Simply login or, for new users, create an account. For more information please contact us on 1800 024 069.

Last year our work reached more than 209,128 children, young people and their families. For more information, please see our latest Annual Report.

There are many ways to easily donate to The Smith Family to help create better futures for disadvantaged young Australians.

Online: Make a quick and easy tax-deductible donation through our secure website. All data is encrypted to ensure your privacy.

Telephone: Call 1800 024 069 and a team member will be happy to assist you.

Mail: If you would prefer to donate via cheque or send your bank/credit card details via the post, please download and print the Donation form and send to: The Smith Family, Reply Paid 10300, Sydney NSW 2001.

Fax: If you would prefer to donate via fax, please download and print the Donation form and fax to 1800 001 822.

VIEW (Voice, Interests and Education of Women) Clubs of Australia is a nationwide self-governed women’s organisation formed in 1960 by The Smith Family as a service to women and the community. Through strong VIEW networks, women are empowered to achieve new skills and confidence and give voice to issues of national concern.

When families join the Learning for Life program, they are paired with a Learning for Life Program Coordinator who offers students encouragement and support with their schooling; links children and their families to learning opportunities in their community and helps children and young people to fully participate in their education.

The Smith Family is a national children's charity helping disadvantaged Australian children to get the most out of their education, so they can create better futures for themselves.

Through the Learning for Life education program, disadvantaged children and young people are supported all the way through their education, from pre-school and primary school, to senior school and on to tertiary studies if they choose. Learning for Life support is provided in three main ways:

• Through Learning for Life Workers, who connect them to learning opportunities in their local community and also encourage them to fully participate in their education;
• By enabling access to Smith Family literacy programs and mentoring support;
• And through financial assistance to help families afford the cost of their children's essential education items

This holistic, long-term support gives young Australians the assistance they need to develop vital life skills, stay engaged in their education and have the best chance to realise their potential.

Through Learning for Life, The Smith Family connects students to sponsors whose support helps families by providing students with:

• financial support for school essentials, and
• guidance and support from a Learning for Life Coordinator, and
• greater access to out-of-school educational opportunities. These can include our learning and mentoring programs.

Research shows that it is the combination of these three components that deliver the best educational outcomes for disadvantaged children.

The Smith Family has a long and proud association with Christmas. The organisation was founded in 1922 when five businessmen decided to deliver toys to orphans on Christmas Eve. Since then we have changed our focus to provide education support programs for disadvantaged Australian children, but we still deliver toy and book gift packs to families at Christmas.

This gesture of goodwill ensures that all Australian families can come together at Christmas to share gifts and celebrate life. The Smith Family continues to provide opportunities for disadvantaged Australians to participate fully in society and we believe that Christmas is a time when all Australians should feel they belong.

If you would like to donate to our Christmas Toy & Book Appeal, please visit the Get Involved page.

One off donation:
We welcome and appreciate every donation we receive. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Your donation will ensure disadvantaged Australian children receive critical, out-of-school learning support through our life-changing programs. Make a donation today.

Monthly giving:
Our monthly donors provide Australian children in need with access to important learning and mentoring programs to help them get the most out of their education. We know that providing continual support throughout all stages of a child’s education, is the best way to help a disadvantaged child create a better future for themselves.

The ongoing funds provided by monthly donations mean we can plan ahead, improve the effectiveness of programs, and significantly increase our reach to help even more disadvantaged Australian children.

Monthly giving is simple, easy and efficient. You nominate the amount you would like to give and this will be debited from your bank account or credit card every month. All donations $2 and over are tax-deductible and we'll send your annual tax receipt to you in July. It's easy - sign up for a monthly donation here.

Sponsorships:
As a Learning for Life sponsor, you will be matched with a disadvantaged Australian child. Your donations of $55 a month, combined with that of another sponsor, provides a combination of three vital areas of support for your sponsored child:

• financial support to pay for school essentials such as a school uniform, proper school shoes, text books, and school excursions;
• targeted support from a Learning for Life Coordinator who really gets to know the family and understand their unique circumstances. They can link the student to local learning opportunities that help them to fully participate in their education;
• access to a range of educational opportunities. This includes our out-of-school learning and mentoring programs which help boost their confidence and improve vital skills such as reading so they can keep up with their peers at school.

There's also the emotional support that you provide simply by being their sponsor. Students often tell us how motivated they feel just knowing that someone out there (whom they will never meet) cares about them enough to invest in their future. Find out more about our sponsorship program.

Workplace giving:
Workplace giving or payroll giving enables you to make regular contributions from your pay to The Smith Family, either in the form of sponsorship or a donation. Pre-tax giving results in an immediate tax deduction, without the need to get receipts and claim with your annual tax return. If you’re an employer or employee you can find out more about The Smith Family’s by contacting us.

Volunteering:
By donating your time, talent and expertise to The Smith Family you can help ensure disadvantaged children are getting the opportunities they need to fully participate in their education. Each year we rely on the generosity of more than 8,323 volunteers who partner with us to achieve this goal. To find out more about volunteering, please visit the volunteering page.

The Smith Family was established in 1922. For more information about how we were formed, visit the Our History page.

If you are making a general or monthly donation, your support is directed to the area of greatest need, in the most efficient way possible.

Last year, your donations enabled us to reach 209,128 children, young people and their families in 91 communities across Australia. Our education and learning programs are informed by research and give children and young people the opportunities they need to make better futures for themselves and break the cycle of disadvantage.

Over the five years to June 2020, 72% of funds raised from individual supporters and partner organisations has been spent on our community programs.

To be eligible for Learning for Life sponsorship families must meet the following criteria:

• live in a community where The Smith Family has a presence;
• possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card;
• demonstrate a commitment to education (i.e. children must attend school regularly);
• be referred to us by a community organisation such as a school.

To remain on the Learning for Life sponsorship program families must:

• show a commitment to their child’s education by ensuring children attend school;
• complete a student profile each year (a written update which is sent to their sponsor);
• provide a copy of their end of year school reports (for Smith Family administration and not shared with the sponsor);
• keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested.

Since the end of the 1990s The Smith Family has focused its activities on providing disadvantaged children with a hand up through education support rather than a hand out through emergency relief or traditional welfare activities, including blankets, food parcels and furniture.

Research shows supporting a child’s education and learning is one of the most effective means of breaking the cycle of disadvantage and this is what The Smith Family is all about today.

The Smith Family provides education support programs to disadvantaged children to ensure they have the opportunities they need to fully participate in their education. Many children growing up in disadvantaged communities, lack the support and resources they need to develop and learn key skills.

We provide support for children to develop fundamental skills (such as numeracy, literacy as well as mentoring support). For example we run Learning Clubs outside of school hours, where we have trained volunteers who help students with their homework.

In helping disadvantaged children to get the most out of their education, our aim is to help them create better futures for themselves and break the cycle of disadvantage.

Our Learning for Life offices are based in 91 communities around Australia, often out of local schools. This helps us identify and respond to students in need in that area. The communities have been identified as having higher concentrations of families living in economic disadvantage.

We carefully select them so we focus our resources in places where we can make the most difference. We would like to reach more children in need our resources restrict how fast we can grow.

Yes. We encourage sponsors and children to exchange cards and letters throughout the year. Many sponsors and their students find this an extremely rewarding part of the program. We’ll even send you a reminder before your students birthday so you can send a card if you wish. All correspondence between students and sponsors is exchanged through The Smith Family to ensure that it complies with our guidelines and that privacy is maintained at all times.

The My Smith Family Portal also enables you to write electronically, quickly and easily and can be accessed here.

To find out more about writing to your student, please visit this page.

Yes. If you would like to fully fund the complete wrap-around sponsorship yourself, which will double your regular shared payment, please contact our Supporter Care Team on 1800 633 622 8am – 5pm AEDT or email us on sponsorship@thesmithfamily.com.au. We will do our best to match you with a child as a sole sponsor, however at certain times of the school year we may not have students available for sole sponsorship, only shared sponsorship. Thank you for your generosity in considering this option.

Each sponsor will be able to send a birthday card to their student. What a wonderful opportunity for your student to hear from both sponsors on their birthday.

Students on our Learning for Life sponsorship program receive a combination of three vital areas of support; financial support, guidance from a Learning for Life Coordinator and access to The Smith Family’s learning and mentoring programs. The funds are allocated across these areas as follows.

Research confirms that the best way to help children break the cycle of disadvantage is by helping them get the most out of their education.

Everything that we do is backed by research, and we know that sponsorship is making a difference because we measure the success of all of our programs.

Sponsorship supports children in need so they can:

• attend school regularly,
• complete Year 12, and
• move onto further education and employment post school.

We measure a child’s school attendance, advancement and engagement after school. We can proudly report that we are continuing to improve in these areas year on year – as featured in our Annual Report.

You can also follow your child’s progression through school by corresponding with them.

Many of our sponsors choose a shared sponsorship at $52 / month for a student in Kindergarten to Year 10. This option is made available to you online.

For our shared sponsorship model, where two sponsors contributions are combined to sponsor one child:

Or, where a sponsor prefers to be the sole sponsor of a child and takes up the full cost of sponsorship:

*The full cost of sponsorship for a tertiary student is $3,732 per year. When you sponsor a tertiary level student, your sponsorship is shared with a Smith Family corporate partner to help cover this cost.

If you are considering sponsoring a senior school student or would prefer to become a sole sponsor where you cover the full cost of a child’s sponsorship, our Supporter Care Team will be able to assist you. Contact them on 1800 024 069 or via email at sponsorship@thesmithfamily.com.au.

The Smith Family forms a partnership agreement with every family that comes onto the Learning for Life program. This is a rigorous process to ensure that your money is used as set out in the agreement. Our students are referred by our partner schools, and their families must possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card to be eligible for support. To remain on the sponsorship program supported families must keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested, as well as return partnership paperwork (e.g. student profiles and student attendance reports).

Once a child is on Learning for Life and being supported by The Smith Family, they will be supported throughout their education. Our aim is always for a student to be supported to get the most out of their education, so they can make the best of their lives.

In the event that you can no longer afford to sponsor your child, we will continue to support your student by funding their sponsorship from other sources until we find another sponsor to support them.

No. When a disadvantaged child becomes a part of The Smith Family, we pledge to continue our commitment to making sure they have every chance to succeed throughout their education. As such we continue to support the student by funding their sponsorship from other sources until we find another sponsor to support them.

No. In fact it will help us grow the number of disadvantaged children we support. Shared sponsorship ensures that wrap-around support for each sponsorship is now fully funded. That allows funding previously allocated to be re-directed to increase the number of sponsorships available for children in need and to increase the number of children participating in our learning and mentoring programs.

Yes, all donations and sponsorships over $2 to The Smith Family are fully tax deductible.

The sponsorship program is only one of our programs that benefit children through their education. There are also some other ways you could continue supporting disadvantaged children through The Smith Family, by:

• making a monthly donation
• making a one-off cash donation
• organise your own fundraising event
• taking part in an event
• workplace giving
• volunteering your time
• purchasing a charity gift
• helping us to spread the word
• leaving a gift in your will

For more information on any of the opportunities above, please call our Supporter Care team on 1800 024 069 or email them at supportercare@thesmithfamily.com.au

We are very proud of our students when they successfully progress to the next level of their education and would like to thank you for your support, which has helped them to reach this milestone.

When sponsored students move up to Senior School or Tertiary education, the sponsorship amount they receive is increased. This helps disadvantaged students meet the greater needs of higher education, such as expensive textbooks, equipment or transportation costs.

We will always contact you directly before any increase to your sponsorship. Sponsors who have a student moving up to a new education level will be invited to continue supporting their student at the new amount or alternatively be matched to a new student at the same rate they are currently paying.

Sponsorship is based on three levels, which are outlined below.

For our shared sponsorship model, where two sponsors contributions are combined to sponsor one child:

Or, where a sponsor prefers to be the sole sponsor of a child and takes up the full cost of sponsorship:

Children from poor backgrounds have access to fewer books and learning materials and resources at home. And in many cases, their parents don’t have the necessary time or skills to support their education. Without extra help, disadvantaged children start school already behind their peers and stay behind as each year goes by. To help close the gap The Smith Family runs a number of after-school learning and mentoring programs as part of our Learning for Life offering. These programs significantly improve school attendance rates and engagement levels for disadvantaged children, helping them build their confidence and skills.

Watch these short videos to learn more about our learning and mentoring programs.

The Learning for Life Coordinator is fundamental in getting to know your sponsored child, their family and their circumstances, as well as making sure that your student stays at school and gets the most out of their time there. They work closely with our students and their parents and guardians so they are aware of any challenges they are facing in their education, and can provide help at the right time to make sure they don’t fall behind their peers, start to feel isolated or bullied, and not reach their full potential. They also work closely with your sponsored child’s school to ensure, together, they are providing the right support for your student. Our Learning for Life Coordinators also help connect families to other services they might need within their community. The emotional support and encouragement they offer families, as well as the practical support to ensure your student is getting the support they need, are essential to ensuring the best outcomes for your student.

You can find out more about our wonderful Learning for Life Coordinators here.

Children from poor backgrounds often don’t have access to the tools and support they need to keep up in school and get the most from their education. And that’s why sponsorship is so important.

As a Learning for Life sponsor, your donations of $55 a month, combined with that of another sponsor, provides a combination of three vital areas of support for a sponsored child:

• financial support to pay for school essentials such as a school uniform, proper school shoes, text books, and school excursions;
• targeted support from a Learning for Life Coordinator who really gets to know the family and understand their unique circumstances. They can link the student to local learning opportunities that help them to fully participate in their education;
• access to a range of educational opportunities. This includes our out-of-school learning and mentoring programs which help boost their confidence and improve vital skills such as reading so they can keep up with their peers at school.

There's also the emotional support that you provide simply by being their sponsor. Students often tell us how motivated they feel just knowing that someone out there (whom they will never meet) cares about them enough to invest in their future.

When you become a sponsor, you will receive a new sponsor Welcome Kit - containing all the necessary information about your sponsorship. Then you will receive the following throughout the year:

• your student's profile - completed by your student to introduce themselves to you. This is updated annually, and sent to you during the second half of the year. In some rare cases, a student profile may not be available. In these circumstances you will get a certificate with information about your student and their interests.

• a birthday reminder for your student. We’ll let you know when your students birthday is coming up and we’ll provide you with the option to send them a birthday card.

• our bi-annual supporter newsletter - Real People Real Stories. As part of The Smith Family you'll hear about the success of the sponsorship program and the impact your support is having on thousands of disadvantaged Australian families.

• our e-newsletter – Family News. Sharing firsthand stories from some of the children and families we support as well as current Smith Family events, activities, volunteer opportunities and research results. If you have provided an email address, you will also receive our bi-monthly e-newsletter. If you haven’t received this and would like to, you can sign up using our online form.

• tax deductible receipts – issued annually for the total of your sponsorship payments in that financial year

You can also write to your student. Many sponsors and their students find this an extremely rewarding part of the program. To find out more about writing to your student, please visit the Existing Supporters page.

Many of our sponsors choose a shared sponsorship at $55/month for a student in Kindergarten to Year 10. This is where two sponsors contributions are combined to sponsor one child. Other sponsors prefer to be the sole sponsor of a child and take up the full cost of their sponsorship.

Through Learning for Life, The Smith Family connects students to sponsors whose support helps families by providing students with:

• financial support for school essentials, and
• guidance and support from a Learning for Life Coordinator, and
• greater access to out-of-school educational opportunities. These can include our learning and mentoring programs.

Research shows that it is the combination of these three components that deliver the best educational outcomes for disadvantaged children.

If you have any questions about your sponsorship or would like more information about The Smith Family, please contact us on 1800 633 622 or email sponsorship@thesmithfamily.com.au.

To be eligible for Learning for Life sponsorship families must meet the following criteria:

• live in a community where The Smith Family has a presence;
• possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card;
• demonstrate a commitment to education (i.e. children must attend school regularly);
• be referred to us by a community organisation such as a school.

To remain on the Learning for Life sponsorship program families must:

• show a commitment to their child’s education by ensuring children attend school;
• complete a student profile each year;
• provide a copy of end of year school reports;
• keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested;
• participate in a partnership renewal every three years.

Students may voluntarily leave our sponsorship program because they complete their studies, decide to pursue other opportunities such as entering the workforce, or decide that they no longer require our support. Occasionally, a family does not honour the agreed terms of their partnership with us. In these cases, we work with the family to get the partnership back on track, but at times this may result in a family leaving the sponsorship program.

If your sponsored student leaves the program, we will notify you as soon as possible. We will transfer your support to another student in need of help and provide you with your new student’s profile so you know all about them and can contact them if you wish. When we notify you of this change, you will of course have the choice whether you would like to continue with your new student, change the level of your sponsorship or cancel your sponsorship.

Not all schools have the resources or capacity to best address the needs of all children from disadvantaged homes.

We provide our support specifically to disadvantaged children. These are children growing up in disadvantaged communities, with fewer resources around them. Our programs, which take place outside of school hours, help them develop and learn key life skills, such as reading and maths, and increase their digital and financial literacy abilities.

Our core programs are based on research and practice; each is tested and evaluated regularly. We work with hundreds of Australian schools to implement our Learning for Life program that supports children in need to make the most of their education.

Our students tell us that knowing someone cares about whether they succeed and finish school helps them to hang in there during the hard times. Having two generous sponsors who care about them and their future will be an extra well of support to draw from.

If you are not able to participate in an ongoing volunteer role, there are occasional short-term opportunities available. Short-term volunteering roles usually take place for specific projects as the need arises. Full details on the time commitment required by roles is included with each volunteer position description on our list of current opportunities.

The Smith Family adheres to our legal commitments in relation to child protection and privacy and confidentiality. Volunteers are required to undergo a police check and/or Working with Children Check to ensure that you haven't been convicted of an offence prohibiting you from working with children or accessing information about children.

If there are any other legal requirements for the volunteer role you are interested in, you will be informed of this at the interview stage. Depending on the particular volunteer opportunity you may be asked to undergo reference checks or complete additional forms.

Some positions require volunteers to attend a formal training session while other roles may provide on-the-job training as the position progresses. Training is generally provided by The Smith Family. For more information on training commitments please consult the volunteer position description on our list of current opportunities.

We appreciate that organisations and companies wish to involve their staff in community-based projects and volunteering. Throughout the year we make corporate engagement opportunities available through our existing corporate partnerships to enable staff to get involved. To ensure that volunteers have a meaningful experience we aren't able to develop corporate volunteer days outside our scheduled activities.

Due to the large volumes of inquiries we receive each year, The Smith Family only has limited internship and work experience placements on offer. We do not accept applications directly from students but rather work with various educational institutions to organise these placements. Please speak with your student coordinator or placement officer to discuss your options.

Volunteers are the backbone of our organisation and without them much of the work we do would not be possible. Each year, Australian community members and our corporate partners, volunteer their time, skills and energy to help us create opportunities for thousands of disadvantaged Australian children and their families.

If you would like to know more about volunteering, please visit the Volunteering page.

A list of current volunteering opportunities around Australia can be found on our volunteer opportunities page.

The time and commitment required to be a volunteer varies from role to role and will depend on the volunteer position you choose. For more information on time commitments please consult the individual volunteer position descriptions on our list of current opportunities.

Each volunteer has a staff member as an ongoing contact for advice, support and training in their role. The Smith Family also has a team dedicated to supporting staff and volunteers to ensure that your experience is positive and worthwhile.

We regularly have volunteer opportunities available throughout the country to match a range of interests, skills and availabilities. Search by state to find out how you can join our volunteer community to help support young Australians in need.

Due to the nature of our work, volunteer applicants will be asked to consent to a National Police Check and/or Working with Children Check, depending on the role applied for. Please note that people with criminal records are not necessarily excluded from participation; suitability is determined by the circumstances, nature and seriousness of each offence. In most cases, our volunteers must also be over 18 years of age.

The Smith Family welcomes applications to volunteer from all people who want to make a difference, regardless of education, background or skill set. Our organisation supports equal opportunity and is committed to principles of cultural diversity. Applications from people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are strongly encouraged.

The Smith Family welcomes all people who want to make a difference, regardless of education, background or skill set. We would love to hear from anyone who is able to give some time or talent to help us support young people create better futures for themselves.

Due to the nature of our work with children we require volunteers in certain roles to pass a Police check and/or Working with Children Check.

As a volunteer, not only are you giving to the community but you can also gain personal satisfaction, develop social networks, learn new skills, gain work experience and maintain existing skills. Read testimonials from some of our volunteers to find out what they find rewarding about the experience.

The Smith Family conducts a face-to-face interview with most volunteer candidates. Some volunteer opportunities may also involve a preliminary phone interview. This gives us the opportunity to get to know you better and for you to find out more about the volunteer role and expectations. It gives us the opportunity to ensure we have the best match for the volunteer role and that your volunteer experience is a positive one.