Find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about Tearfund's Useful Gifts. If your question is not answered here, please contact us.
Useful Gifts offer a unique way to make a meaningful impact and help people tackle the root causes of poverty. When you give a Useful Gift, you’re helping fund community projects that provide essential resources like clean water, education, and livelihood training.
These gifts don’t just bring joy in the moment; they contribute to life-changing initiatives that help families break the cycle of poverty and thrive for years to come.
You can still make a Useful Gift feel personal! Every Useful Gift comes with a beautifully designed card that explains the impact of the gift, so your loved one can see how they’re helping a family in need.
You can also personalise the card with a heartfelt message, making it a thoughtful and meaningful addition to their Christmas experience. Plus, they’ll know that their gift is making a real difference in the world.
You can even pair a Useful Gift with something else - like Healthy Mums & Babies with a new baby outfit, Seeds & Tools with gardening gear, or Adult Literacy with a good book.
It’s understandable to wonder how your family or friends might react. Over the last few decades, we’ve heard over and over again from Australians who choose Useful Gifts, who share just how meaningful their loved ones find Useful Gifts, especially when they learn about the real impact it makes.
Useful Gifts help provide essential resources like clean water or education to communities in need. You can explain that their gift is creating lasting change for families around the world, making it much more than a simple donation.
Useful Gifts can easily complement your existing traditions. Rather than replacing the gifts you normally give, consider adding a Useful Gift as part of your family’s celebration. Tearfund offers smaller-value Useful Gifts, starting at just $5, that are perfect to use as heartfelt, physical cards alongside your wrapped gifts.
Some families choose a Useful Gift together, honouring a loved one by making a collective act of generosity. This way, you can maintain the joy of gift-giving while knowing that your generosity is changing lives for the better.
Useful Gifts are a great way to teach children about generosity and helping others. You can explain that, just like giving toys or clothes, their Useful Gift will provide something essential to another child or family in need—like clean water, food, or education.
It’s an excellent opportunity to start conversations about caring for others and making a positive impact in the world. Many families find it’s a fun and rewarding way to involve kids in giving back during the holiday season.
Tearfund also offers a kids' resource about God’s generosity, designed to engage your family, kids' church, or small group in a fun and interactive way. It shares the message of God’s love for the world, using the Useful Gifts Catalogue as an action-oriented activity.
Yes. You can order items from the Gift Catalogue by phone, or post:
Orders are usually packed within 1-3 business days. Please allow additional time for delivery.
Express Post orders are usually packed within 1-2 business days. Please allow 2-3 days for delivery. Note: Express Post only operates in these areas within Australia.
Australia Post advises delays to Standard and Express Post mail across the network. Express Post will continue to be prioritised as the fastest option for Australia Post customers, but may not always meet the next business day delivery standard. Please see here for delivery time estimates.
If your order is needed urgently, you may like to consider a print-at-home PDF version. Please feel free to call 1800 244 986 if you require assistance with selecting these card delivery options.
To check on the progress of an existing order, please call our team on 1800 244 986.
Thank you for your patience during this time.
We cannot ship printed cards outside Australia, but you can still order the digital 'Download & Print' (Print-Your-Own) cards which are delivered by email.
Print-your-own cards are sent as a PDF as soon as the order has been finalised. They should arrive within a few minutes. When you buy print-your-own cards, you will be able to download the card after you check-out. You will also be sent an email receipt with a link to download the card.
We prefer to send the cards to the person ordering them as it's always best if the card is filled in by the gift giver. If time is an issue, why not consider a 'Print your own' card?
NOTE: We do NOT write on your cards—they are delivered to you to personalise.
Not all of the projects supported by Tearfund are able to be represented in the Gift Catalogue - after all, there are many of them! However, this doesn't mean we no longer support them. To reduce our administration, we do not guarantee to match previous year’s gifts to their previous funds and projects. We do keep a limited stock of previous catalogue cards, and it is likely we can supply a card from a previous year’s catalogue. For others, even though they're no longer Gift Catalogue items specifically, Tearfund is likely to be continuing support, with funds raised from general giving (unless the item is more than a few years old). If you have a particular gift in mind please contact Tearfund.
Due to COVID-19, our National Office is currently operating under restricted conditions. If you would like to collect your order from the National Office, it's important that you contact us first.
Please call our friendly admin team on 1800 244 986 to discuss options for visiting the office and to place your order.
Yes, we do offer direct bank transfer (Electronic Funds Transfer) EFT as a payment option. This payment option is not available for orders placed through the Useful Gifts site. To place an order for Useful Gifts by bank transfer, please call our friendly admin team on 1800 244 986, or email [email protected] to let us know the following details:
Further instructions for payment will be provided by email.
E-cards are temporarily unavailable.
When you choose a Useful Gift, your purchase supports a long-term, poverty-fighting project run by Tearfund’s Christian partners. Each gift—whether it’s a toilet, seeds, or a goat—represents a contribution to a broader community development effort.
For example, purchasing a toilet helps fund a water and sanitation project that provides not only toilets but also education on hygiene and maintaining clean water sources. Your gift plays a vital role in addressing key needs and empowering communities to find sustainable solutions for the future.
No. Your purchase of a specific gift is representative of the type of community development work done by our projects. For example, the purchase of a toilet helps to support the work of our Water and Sanitation projects. These project may well install toilets, but they also provide training and education in hygiene, safe water practices, and maintenance of equipment, such as wells and water systems. Likewise, a goat contributes to our Livelihoods and Food Security programs, where communities are provided the skills and tools to transform their lives through better agriculture techniques, training and resources. Some projects will provide goats, and other animals, but they are part of a wider picture of community development.
All items in the Useful Gifts Catalogue are supplied by one or more projects. Should the number of items sold or the funds raised by any of the gifts in this catalogue exceed the amount needed for the projects those gifts are intended to fund, Tearfund will redirect donations to other development work.
Sorry, no. Because Tearfund supports local agencies working to use their funds in the most appropriate way, extra services like individual photos, translation for letters, postage and attributing specific items to specific donors are beyond their capacity. Nor would Tearfund provide extra funding for this type of activity when that money could be used for essential development work. We understand that building up a 'personal' connection with the gifts can be desirable, but it is simply too expensive for Tearfund to consider.
If any gift is oversubscribed, Tearfund will use your donation to fund similar activities in the following areas: agriculture and livelihood development, community health, education, civil society or environmental sustainability.
Yes. For items of $2 or more, each purchase of a Useful Gift is a tax-deductible donation to TEAR Australia - ABN 85 085 413 832.
Sorry, no. The money received is a donation to Tearfund so the donor must receive the receipt.
Yes. If you're part of a group and would prefer a certificate rather than a gift card, please let us know how you'd like the certificate made out, and we can send you one.
Our printed cards are made according to ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standards.
We’re a Christian agency working for a just and compassionate world.
Our work is an expression of God’s love for all people, and we prioritise supporting partners who work alongside people most impacted by poverty and marginalisation.
We’re focused on the root causes of poverty, and committed to long-term transformation. We believe the most effective way to reach this is through community-led development initiatives.
Partnership is at the core of how we work: whether it’s with locally-based Christian agencies around the world, or Australian Christians seeking to make biblically-shaped responses to poverty and injustice.
No. Tearfund's policy is to finance the relief, development and advocacy activities of organisations who are motivated by their faith in Christ, and by their desire to demonstrate the depth of God's commitment to justice, to mercy and to the poor. We do not fund proselytizing activities, but we rejoice and celebrate when we know of people whose lives have been wonderfully and beautifully enriched by the embrace of God in Christ. We long to see this happen. We pray for it to happen. But we will not support any attempt to misuse relief and development activities to manipulate people into the church. We believe such attempts lack integrity, result in poor development, and dishonour the One who is our motivation.
A foundational value for Tearfund, embedded within our mission statement, is to maintain a low-cost administration regime in order to maximise the funds allocated to project partners. We hold firmly to this commitment. That’s why the price for each item in this Gift Catalogue includes only a very small percentage for administration, consistent with our overall expenditure.
For a copy of the latest annual report and full financial statement, please go to the Tearfund website. or contact us on 1800 244 986.
Yes, even the smallest gift can have a big impact. For example, a small gift of seeds can help a family grow their own food, improving their nutrition and income. Each Useful Gift, no matter the size, is part of a larger effort that empowers entire communities. Your small gift combines with others to create sustainable, long-term change that helps families thrive. Since Useful Gifts began in 1994, over $60 million has been raised to further the life-giving impacts of Tearfund’s partners.
No, we don't, for two main reasons. Firstly, Tearfund has a commitment to educating people in Australia about the causes of poverty and encouraging our supporters to think about how their life choices can impact communities across the world. So rather than “rattling a tin”, we prefer fundraising methods where we can engage with people, share stories, and provide opportunities for learning.
Secondly, we believe that the cost of this fundraising approach is too high. While we recognise that all fundraising entails costs, we aim to use our budget in this area as wisely as possible, so that the money we are entrusted with can be used where needed most.
Tearfund has over 50 years of experience working with trusted, local partners worldwide. We ensure that funds from each Useful Gift go directly to life-changing projects, such as building water systems, educating children, and empowering women. Tearfund’s long-standing reputation for transparency and impact guarantees that your gift will be used where it’s needed most.
Tearfund is audited by registered company auditors and accredited by the Australian Government. Tearfund is a signatory to the ACFID (Australian Council for International Development) Code of Conduct, representing our commitment to ethical standards in governance, financial management and public accountability. For a copy of our annual report, call (toll free) 1800 244 986 or visit Tearfund's website.
Yes, we accept payment with PayPal. However, please note:
If you have more questions, try the Tearfund website, or please contact us.
