Articles on: Stewardship

Sponsoring an animal

To sponsor an animal, open its profile or the link its caretaker shared, and select Sponsor with the animal's name. Choose how to pay and how your name appears, then pay through Stripe.

New to sponsorship? Start with What is animal sponsorship?

Before you start

You can sponsor with a Creatures account or without one. Without an account, read Sponsoring without a Creatures account.

You can't sponsor an animal in your own care. If you own or manage the animal, the button reads Sponsorships and takes you to your dashboard instead.

1. Open the sponsorship

Select Sponsor Petunia (with the animal's name) near the top of the profile. The same button sits at the bottom of the animal's sponsorship panel. If the animal is also offered at stud, the top button reads Request breeding, so use the one in the sponsorship panel. A panel opens over the profile.

Sponsor Petunia button in the header of Petunia's profile

The button changes with the sponsorship:

Support Petunia: every place is taken, but you can still give any amount.
Join the waitlist: every place is taken and the caretaker doesn't take supporters.
Your sponsorship: you already sponsor this animal.

2. See what you're joining

The top of the panel shows how many people share the animal's care and the price of each place. Below that are the care costs and what stewards get.

Join Petunia's circle: eight people share her care at $50 a place, with her care cost lines and what stewards get

If the sponsorship has only one place, the heading asks you to be the animal's steward, and you cover all of its care. The What to know section at the bottom of the panel sums up the ground rules.

3. Choose how to pay and how your name appears

Under Payment, choose monthly or 12 months, such as Monthly · $50 a month or 12 months · $600 once. 12 months is one payment that doesn't renew. It shows only when the caretaker offers it.
Under How should your name appear on Petunia's profile?, choose My name and profile, A display name (for example, The Rivera family), or Keep me private. For a display name, type it in, such as The Brooks family.
Have a promo code or Creatures Credit? Open Promo code and Creatures Credit. It comes off your first payment.

The line above the button shows the 5% service fee, such as $2.50 a month on a $50 place.

Monthly payment chosen, name shown as The Brooks family, a $2.50 monthly service fee and the Join the circle button

Want to give this to someone else? Turn on Give this as a gift, then follow Giving a sponsorship as a gift.

4. Pay

Select the button, such as Join the circle · $50 a month or Join for 12 months · $600. Stripe opens so you can pay. We hold your place for about 30 minutes while you finish.

Or support with any amount

Under Or support Petunia with any amount, pick $10, $25, $50 or Other (at least $5). Then choose Monthly or One time and select the button, such as Support with $25 a month. Supporters don't take a place and show only as a count.

Support Petunia with any amount, with $25 a month chosen and a Support with $25 a month button

What happens next

You come back to the animal's profile with a welcome message. We also email you a welcome, with the caretaker's welcome note if they wrote one, and you follow the animal right away.

Welcome to Petunia's circle message under the Your sponsorship button on her profile after checkout

Updates come by email on the schedule the caretaker promised. Your sponsorship lives under Dashboard > Sponsorships > Animals I sponsor. See Managing an animal you sponsor.

If something looks wrong

"That place was just claimed." Someone else finished paying first. Close the panel, reload the profile and check what's open.
"Finishing up. This takes a few seconds." Your payment is still going through. Select Check again.
The circle is full. Select Tell me when a place opens. Read How circles, places, and supporters work.

Updated on: 29/10/2026

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