Sponsoring refugees is an incredibly rewarding experience for any community
as you provide emotional, financial, and material support
such as furnishings and clothing, to people settling in to a new country.
How you’ll finance a refugee sponsorship is one of the first,
big questions any sponsor group must answer.
How much and what kind of support is expected
varies from country to country and program to program.
Being aware of all of your responsibilities regarding funding and reporting
is key to creating a solid financial plan.
It’s also a good idea to have a finance team
who focus solely on budgeting and fundraising for your sponsored refugee.
When creating your community sponsorship budget, reach out to as many sources as you can to
determine the true cost of living in your area such as rent, utilities and transportation costs.
There will likely be budget templates and guidelines for
reporting on finances as part of your community sponsorship program responsibilities.
In some cases, the refugees you sponsor may be eligible for supports tailored specifically to their unique needs.
These supports can help with financial planning and reducing costs.
Getting advice and direction from other groups and organizations who have sponsored refugees,
as well as newcomers who arrived through sponsorship, will provide
you with greater insights into all the items and services that you need to budget for.
If you have the opportunity to connect with the refugees you’ll be sponsoring before they arrive,
ask them about their preferences on items that might affect the sponsorship budget
like furnishings, transportation and education.
Your community can also support the sponsorship journey by donating goods, time, or services.
The more your community participates, the stronger your community group will become.
A key part of financing sponsorship is fundraising activities
such as selling tickets to community events like concerts, creating online
crowd funding campaigns, and collecting donations for charity runs and auctions.
Fundraising is an excellent way to promote community sponsorship, increase your community’s
involvement and get more people excited about the newcomers you’ll soon be welcoming.
A strong and successful sponsor-newcomer relationship
is built on mutual respect and communication.
If possible, regularly reviewing your budget
and other available financial supports with newcomers will help ensure you’re meeting their
needs and providing support during the sponsor commitment period.
It will also help newcomers better understand their surroundings and costs of living there.
No matter how carefully you plan, though, there are always unplanned expenses.
Like in any household budget, you should earmark some money in your budget to deal
with life’s unexpected demands and emergencies.
Financial support is just one of the many pillars of community sponsorship.
Creating an effective community sponsorship budget involves focus,
and means clearly addressing each newcomer’s specific needs.
Being open to various types of support
also brings your community together and allows for many members to share and participate.
Fundraising together strengthens a sponsor group’s cohesion
and paves the way for a welcoming environment for newcomers.