Teacher Sponsorship FAQs
About Teacher Sponsorships
What are Teacher Sponsorships?
What benefits does my Spark Teacher receive?
What benefits do I receive as a Spark Teacher Sponsor?
Am I my Spark Teacher's only Sponsor?
Becoming a Teacher Sponsor
How much does a Teacher Sponsorship cost?
How do I pay for my Teacher Sponsorship?
What happens after I sign up to sponsor a teacher?
Communicating with My Spark Teacher
How do I send letters to my Spark Teacher?
How often will I receive letters from my Spark Teacher?
What should I write to my Spark Teacher?
Can I send gift to my Spark Teacher?
Other
Can I provide additional support to my Spark Teacher or his/her classroom?
Can I visit my Spark Teacher?
What are Teacher Sponsorships?
Teacher Sponsorships are a way for Spark Ventures investors to develop meaningful relationships with our Partners’ staff while providing dependable support that improves the quality of the education that Spark’s Partners provide. They are an investment in not only the Spark Teachers but also in the hundreds of children they teach every year.
What benefits does my Spark Teacher receive?
Teacher Sponsorships help provide your Spark Teacher with valuable benefits such as:
- Consistent teacher salaries - By maintaining and even increasing teacher salaries to be competitive, Hope will be able to retain its great teachers and provide the highest quality education
- Classroom supplies and educational materials - Classrooms often have few, if any, textbooks and other key supplies
- Continuing education - Helping teachers to improve their own level of education can substantially improve the quality of eduction they can provide
- Support for teacher-run after-school student programs - These include the Anti-AIDS Club, Young Farmers' Club and Conservation Club
- Encouragement, fun and friendship
What benefits do I receive as a Spark Teacher Sponsor?
Spark Teacher Sponsors are ensured the following benefits every year:
- Teacher profile — Updated information and photos of your Spark Teacher and his/her students
- Correspondence — At least three letters per year from your Spark teacher and the opportunity to respond
- Updates — Important updates about Spark and its Partner, including Spark's Annual Report and bi-annual Partner Update reports
Am I my Spark Teacher's only sponsor?
Yes, each Spark Teacher has only one sponsor, and you are able to develop your relationship through letters. Click here to learn more about corresponding to your Spark Teacher.
How much does a Teacher Sponsorship cost?
Teacher Sponsorships cost $100/month and provide a wide array of valuable benefits including those listed here.
We certainly understand that for many Spark investors, this level of investment is not currently possible. If you want to support Spark Teachers but cannot commit to becoming a Spark Teacher Sponsor, we encourage you to make a one-time investment here to help provide things like school supplies or consider sponsoring a child.
How do I pay for my Teacher Sponsorship?
For your convenience, you can pay for your Teacher Sponsorship monthly or yearly and by credit card or check.
To pay by check, please choose the teacher that you would like to sponsor and then fill out this form.
If you would like to pay annually or for other payment options, please contact us.
What happens after I sign up to sponsor a teacher?
Roughly two weeks after you sign up to sponsor a teacher, you will receive a package welcoming you to the Teacher Sponsorship Program. In this package will include photos of your Spark Teacher with his/her students, a profile of information about your Spark Teacher and additional information about the program, Partner and country.
If it has been more than two weeks and you have not received your welcome package, please .
How do I send letters to my Spark Teacher?
Spark encourages you to write as often as you would like to your Spark Teacher, as the teachers sincerely enjoy building friendships with their sponsors.
Before sending a letter, be sure to review the guidelines for what to include in your letters here.
To send a letter to your Spark Teacher, simply send the letter to Spark's office at:
Spark Ventures
Attn: Teacher Sponsorship
PO Box 479329
Chicago, IL 60647
If you would prefer to submit your letter online, just fill out this form or e-mail your letter. Spark will print your letter on Spark stationery and ensure that it gets to your Spark Teacher.
How often will I receive letters from my Spark Teacher?
You will receive a letter from your Spark Teacher at least three times a year. You are welcome to write to your teacher as often as you would like, and we encourage you to be patient in receiving responses as the Zambian postal system can be slow and often unreliable.
What should I write to my Spark Teacher?
To help ensure that you continue to build a strong, lasting relationship with your Spark Teacher, Spark encourages you to consider the following guidelines when writing to your Spark Teacher:
- Write as you would to any friend
- Avoid offering or sending money or gifts
- Feel free to include small, flat items like photos of your family or a postcard of your city
- Ensure that all correspondences fit in a 6” x 9” envelope
Can I send gift to my Spark Teacher?
The leaders of our partner organization have instructed us that it can often be detrimental to send large or expensive gifts to Spark Teachers. It can often blur the relationship that Spark Teacher Sponsors are working to develop with their Spark Teachers, and it can also create tension among the Partner staff.
As such, Spark will not forward any large or expensive gifts to Spark Teachers. Instead, we encourage you to include small items such as photographs of your family, postcards of your city or even small books, all of which will be valued greatly by your Spark Teacher and will help to build a meaningful friendship.
Can I provide additional support to my Spark Teacher or his/her classroom?
If you are interested in providing special support to your Spark Teacher or his/her classroom in the form of support for continuing education or classroom materials such as textbooks, please contact us as Spark will be happy to help facilitate these substantive advances in the quality of education offered.
Of course! Spark volunteers and staff have found the interactions with the teachers and staff at our partner organizations to be among the most valuable experiences on our Transformation Trips. If you are interested in visiting your Spark Teacher, we encourage you to read more about our Transformation Trips, which run every summer. If you are interested in visiting at another time, please contact us.
