OCDF Orphan Support FAQ

  1. What information do you need to make a donation to my child's orphanage?
    We need your family contact information (name, address, telephone, email), child's current name, child's Chinese name, date of birth, orphanage's name and province plus the amount you want to donate and type of donation (care package, air conditioner, music lessons, etc).
  2. Who do I contact about orphanage-specific donations or care packages available from OCDF?
    Please contact Mable Meng in our Beijing Office if you have questions: ocdfmable@yahoo.com and mable@ocdf.org (please note that sometimes China Telecom will block emails in China so it is best to use both email addresses, and if you have not heard back within 48 hours, resend your email to Mable). When calling by telephone dial 011 (from the USA, or other long distance access from your home country) then 86 10-8403-4979.
  3. Is there someone in the USA I can speak with?
    Yes, in the Bloomington (Illinois) Office ask for Lynn Warren - call 309-829-8202.
  4. Where do I mail items that I am sending as donations?
    We ask that you send articles of clothing, backpacks, etc. to the Beijing Office for distribution to those in need or to a specific orphanage. However, if we have a tour group or staff going to China, we may be able to take the items for you. Please check 1-3 months in advance by email or phone with lynn@ocdf.org 309-829-8202. Please do not mail money to China nor anything marked for customs with value. OCDF will not pay customs duty on donated items. If you have questions about how to do this, please email: jane@ocdf.org.

    Mailing address in USA: OCDF, 109 West Monroe St., Bloomington, IL 61701 USA

    Mailing address in China: OCDF Orphan Support, Room 105, Richard Court, 199 Chaoyangmennei, Beijing, China 100010

  5. What are my payment options?
    OCDF accepts donations of cash in the form of personal or corporate checks in USD, bank checks in USD, USD money orders, credit cards, and wire transfers in USD. Donations made inside China made be made in RMB. To donate to orphan support projects online, please see our secure donations page.

    To make arrangements for payment:
    If you are in China please contact Steven Li, OCDF Accountant, at ocdfsteven@yahoo.com (or steven@ocdf.org) or call the Beijing Office telephone +86 10-8403-4979.
    If you are in the US or in a country other than China, please contact Lynn Warren, Administrative Assistant and Registrar, at lynn@ocdf.org or call the Bloomington (Illinois) Office telephone 309-829-8202. Call Toll Free in the USA: 1-866-460-OCDF
    Donations online are accepted from all countries via all major credit cards

  6. Where can I go on-line to learn more about the OCDF Care Package program?
    You can download the pdf files for each of our Orphan Support Projects, Orphanage Care Packages, and School sponsorships. These fliers are also available in single copy or in bulk from our US Office by contacting Lynn Warren lynn@ocdf.org. If you have any further questions, please contact Mable Meng ocdfmable@yahoo.com or mable@ocdf.org.
  7. I did not find the items I am looking for for my child's orphanage listed in your fliers. Can I order other items for the orphanage through OCDF in China and have them delivered there, or have arrangements made on our behalf?
    Yes, we have a wide range of vendors and can obtain almost anything you request - we just ask that you let us contact the orphanage to assist in determining their needs, the number of children there, their ages, and any situations we might need to know about prior to honoring your request.. Please let us know the items you are looking for and we will determine their cost as well as shipping/delivery.
  8. What if I want to set up a special project or program at the orphanage such as dance lessons or art classes?
    Yes, we can work with you to do this. Your cash donation to OCDF is monitored by OCDF as we make arrangements for you with the orphanage for the services/program you desire. While we do not go on-site to supervise the project, we do rely on the orphanage to send us progress reports and photographs. We are not staffed such that we can go to the various orphanages unless we have a tour group returning to the orphanage and a staff member is accompanying that group. We can, if you so wish to fund the visit, send a staff member to check on or make arrangements for your project.
  9. I want to make a donation to my daughter's/son's orphanage. Can you check for me the specific orphanage's needs?
    Yes, we can contact with your child's orphanage on your behalf and will let you know the current needs within your budget.
  10. My child wanted to give her orphanage a gift instead of getting a birthday present this year. Can you help with that?
    Yes, we can make a donation to your orphanage on behalf of your daughter and let them know the donation represents her birthday gift. Often families fundraise for their child's orphanage through the annual birthday party. Please let Mable Meng in the Beijing office know the details of your project. The money can be mailed to the OCDF Office, or your donors may give directly online. For online donations, you may create a special project title for donors to use on our online donation page. Please contact Lynn at the US office with a short description of your project and to get a project title for your donors to use on the online donation page.
  11. I want to include a letter and photograph of my child with a donation. Can you be sure the orphanage gets it?
    Yes, please include the letter and photo with your payment and we will be sure to include it with the donation.
  12. I have just been matched! Will you help to make a pre-adoption package for our new daughter's/son's orphanage?
    Yes! We will happily prepare a package to send ahead of the adoption. This is a great way to help the orphanage director prepare your child for your arrival.
  13. We are planning a visit to our child's orphanage. Can you help us identify needs, prepare and ship the package so it arrives before we get there?
    Yes! Please give us a minimum of six weeks notice before your arrival date at the orphanage, and we can prepare the package's arrival in time for you to open and present to the orphanage yourself. If your timeline does not allow 6 weeks notice to OCDF, please contact Mable to check our schedule to find out whether the items you wish to donate can be purchased and shipped in time for your visit. Please remember that in Spring-Summer months we are working with donations to hundreds of orphanages.
  14. How long does the order and delivery process take?
    It usually takes a total of six weeks to prepare. This process includes our communication with you, communication with the orphanage about their needs, obtaining your decision and processing your payment, ordering from the in-China vendor the contents of the package, preparing the package, and then shipping or delivering to the orphanage.
  15. Can you expedite packages?
    Yes, we can expedite processing. This can only be done with a credit card payment and standard orphanage care package requests.
  16. Would there be a way for people we know (either an orphanage reunion group, family members, corporate matching gifts) to donate directly to my child's orphanage through your agency?
    Yes, we can create a special account for your child's orphanage so you can fundraise or have others make donations in your child's name to that orphanage. Donating to a special fund online involves contacting Lynn Warren in the U.S. office and Mable Meng in the Beijing office with a short description of your project and a suggested project title (for example, "Yangzhou Orphanage Reunion Fund"). Please have your group enter the project title in the box under "Donation to OCDF Special Fund:" on the online donation page.
  17. How can I sponsor a child's surgery?
    Please let us know your budget or type of surgery you would like to sponsor and we will locate a child in need. Please realize that sometimes the child who most needs surgery may not need the exact type of surgery you wish to sponsor, nor be at the exact location. We will do our best to determine the needs at the orphanage your child is from, if that is important to you.
  18. Can I ask for a photograph of my care package to orphanage?
    Please let us know in advance and we will ask the Orphanage Director to take pictures before they hand out the package contents within the orphanage. Every care package we send from OCDF has a photograph taken of it when it leaves our offices so we can verify with donors and orphanages that the donation was made, sent, and received as it should be.
  19. I want to make a donation, but I have no clue which orphanage should get this benefit?
    OCDF has several programs that help children who remain behind! These are on-going projects that we regularly monitor.
    • Coal for Kids Project brings much needed coal and cold weather supplies/equipment to 5 non-government orphanages in Hebei and Shanxi Provinces! These institutions receive no government support and without assistance would not be heating their facilities throughout the day/night. Children suffer, especially special needs children, when there is insufficient heating.
    • Building on Dreams is a project where donations to OCDF helped complete an orphanage in Xuanhua, Hebei Province that is now home to 15-20 special needs children. We work with Xuanhua to assure proper nutrition, education, and physical therapy for the children.
    • 900 Backpacks Project brings school supplies to children who were orphaned when their parents died of AIDS. There are 100,000 such children in Henan and Anhui provinces. Our original goal of 900 Backpacks was set by the number of children in foster care attending school. We hope to provide for all children in need.
    • See the Stars Project brings eye and medical care to ethnically Tibetan poor and orphaned children in western Sichuan Province! By age 14 children they could have cataracts. They need eye protection, eye care, medical care, schooling and school supplies. The region has the highest infant mortality rate in the world along with high maternal mortality rate. As such, many nomadic children are orphans and living in government and Buddhist monastery orphanages.

    Please contact us and let us know which project you would like to support.
  20. Can I get a receipt for my donation? Is my care package or contribution tax deductible?
    Absolutely! We'll send you a receipt you can use when filling your U.S. federal income taxes. OCDF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
  21. My company has a matching gifts program. How do I arrange that?
    Matching gifts programs enable you to double your donation to OCDF and thus make a larger impact with your contribution. We call it "making donations count!" When you donate to OCDF we will provide you with a letter that indicates your donation and our TAX ID number. Many companies already include OCDF in their matching gifts programs. Download our flier for more information, and please contact your HR or Personnel Office at your employer to complete Corporate Matching Gifts requirements. If you have questions, please contact Lynn Warren at lynn@ocdf.org or 309-829-8202 or call Toll Free 1-866-460-OCDF.
  22. We're coming on a trip to China. Is there anything we can bring that orphanages need?
    Yes, the orphan support organizations in the Beijing-Tianjin corridor need your help. OCDF coordinates a group called B.O.R.N. (the Beijing Orphan Resource Network). We meet with 30+ orphan support organizations in the region and assist them with professional development and networking. A goal of BORN is to share resources. A goal of OCDF in helping BORN member organizations is to connect people like yourself who are traveling to China with their needs so that what you can bring along with you will assist them in helping the children in their care. OCDF will arrange for someone to meet you at the airport or at your hotel to obtain these items from you.

    Items typically needed include:

    • Desitin Cream/Ointment (for diaper rash)
    • Skin Creams (for scabies, rashes, lice, etc.)
    • Cleft Palate Nipples for Bottles
    • Double Strollers and Strollers
    • Children's Wheelchairs (and wheelchair parts)
    • Pediatric Medications (Fever, Cold, Cough)
    • Digital Thermometers
    • Antibacterial Gel and Hand-wipes
    • Surgical Gloves
    • Diaper Wipes
    • Preemie Clothing - rompers, caps, mittens, socks, any clothing (new or slightly used) in small sizes (less than 3 months) - often you can obtain these are garage sales and consignment shops.
    • Cloth diapers
    • Children's toothpaste
    • Knit caps for small babies
    • Preemie and small diapers
    • Leg braces and parts for braces (they are adapted in China)
    • Other items are periodically needed - check with Mable Meng.

Updated 03.12.2010