In this reflection on child sponsorship, Vinoth Ramachandra argues that child sponsorship ’is a near-perfect marketing strategy for raising funds.’ However child sponsorship exaggerates the importance of donors over that of the local people providing the care and training on the ground. In a context where  churches working with the poor are often accused of using financial help as an incentive to convert people and especially children, influencing children through sponsorships can be dangerous to local ministries. Ramachandra concludes that many Christians in poor nations have learned the skills necessary to court donors from rich nations. They know what is the “flavour of the month” to unlock giving. Donors need to be educated in dealing with these requests and understand what they give to.