Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Writing to your sponsored student
Writing to your sponsored student can be a very rewarding part of your sponsorship journey, and students often tell us that hearing from their sponsors gives them added inspiration and motivation to succeed.
Each year you will receive a student profile from your sponsored student, who will share with you more information about their family, their interest and favourite subjects at school.
You can write to your student at any time of the year and at key milestones we will also send reminders to correspond with your student if you choose, such as their birthday
We understand and respect that you may wish not to write to your student. Choosing to correspond with your student is entirely optional.
Getting started
We know it can sometimes be hard to know what to write about, so we’ve created some conversation starters to help you get started.
Asking questions is another great way to start a conversation with your sponsored student. You can ask them things like ‘What are your hobbies?’, ‘Do you have any pets?’, ‘Do you have a favourite sport or book?’Hearing from your student
Your letters mean so much, even if students or families can’t always reply due to personal or family challenges. Parents may also shield children from financial worries, so some may not realise they have a sponsor until later in school. Please know that, even without a response, your support is deeply valued and appreciated.
Sending your correspondence
All correspondence between students and sponsors is checked by our team of volunteers before we forward it on. For more information on sending correspondence to your student please visit our Sponsorship Correspondence Guidelines.
If you choose to send correspondence to your student, you can send it in the followings ways:
Online
The easiest way to send a message to your sponsored student is to use our online portal My Smith Family.
You can use our online portal My Smith Family.
Simply create your own account at thesmithfamily.com.au/register
You can use our online portal My Smith Family.
Simply create your own account at thesmithfamily.com.au/register
You can email your correspondence to sponsorship@thesmithfamily.com.au and we will send it on to your student.
Please include your Smith Family ID and your student’s name and student ID in the email.
Please include your Smith Family ID and your student’s name and student ID in the email.
Send your card or letter to:
Learning for Life student correspondence
The Smith Family
GPO Box 10500
Sydney NSW 2001
Attn: Your student’s first name, your student’s ID and your Smith Family ID.
Learning for Life student correspondence
The Smith Family
GPO Box 10500
Sydney NSW 2001
Attn: Your student’s first name, your student’s ID and your Smith Family ID.
Privacy and safety
The Smith Family is committed to acting in the best interest of students. We will only forward correspondence between sponsors and students that complies with our correspondence guidelines.
The Smith Family will exercise complete discretion when handling any correspondence that does not meet our guidelines and reserves the right to withhold any correspondence deemed inappropriate.
All correspondence between students and sponsors is checked by our team of volunteers before we forward it on. This keeps yours and your student's personal information safe. If you receive a piece of correspondence that contains personal information, like a last name or contact details, please let us know.
As a child-safe organisation, we prioritise the safety and well-being of all students. For more information on our commitment to Child Protection, please visit our website at thesmithfamily.com.au/child-protection.
The Smith Family will exercise complete discretion when handling any correspondence that does not meet our guidelines and reserves the right to withhold any correspondence deemed inappropriate.
All correspondence between students and sponsors is checked by our team of volunteers before we forward it on. This keeps yours and your student's personal information safe. If you receive a piece of correspondence that contains personal information, like a last name or contact details, please let us know.
As a child-safe organisation, we prioritise the safety and well-being of all students. For more information on our commitment to Child Protection, please visit our website at thesmithfamily.com.au/child-protection.
