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# Sponsoring without a Creatures account

You can sponsor an animal with just your name and email, without signing up first. After you pay, we email you a link to the animal's updates. If that email already has a Creatures account, we ask you to confirm it's you.

## Sponsor as a guest

1. On the animal's profile, select **Sponsor** with the animal's name, such as **Sponsor Petunia**. It's near the top of the profile and at the bottom of the animal's sponsorship panel.
2. Choose monthly or 12 months under **Payment**.
3. Enter **Your name** and **Your email**. Use an email you check, because it's the only place we send your links.
4. Choose how your name appears on the animal's profile. **A display name** starts as your first name and last initial, and you can change it. Or choose **Keep me private**.
5. Select the button, such as **Join the circle · $50 a month**, and pay on Stripe's secure checkout page.

![Guest sponsor form with Claire Donnelly's name and email, the display name Claire D., the Join the circle button and the note that no account is needed](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/0f1/065/e15/ddadf.png?width=780)

Supporters, who give any amount without taking a place, show on the profile only as a count, so they skip the name choice. Promo codes and Creatures Credit need an account, so guests don't see that option.

## After you pay

You come back to the animal's profile. A thank-you message shows where we sent your link, with most of your email hidden.

![Thank-you message under the Sponsor Petunia button, saying a link was sent to a partly hidden email so you can see Petunia's updates](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/49a/210/b30/de49d.png?width=780)

**If your email is new to Creatures**, your sponsorship starts right away. Your welcome email has a **See Petunia's updates** button that signs you in. Next time, sign in with the same email.

## If your email already has an account

Your sponsorship waits until you confirm it's you. If you're taking a place in the circle, it's held for you meanwhile.

1. Open the email titled "Confirm your sponsorship of Petunia".
2. Select **See Petunia's updates**.
3. On the page that opens, select **Continue as** your email to sign in.

The page then says your sponsorship is ready, and it joins the rest of your sponsorships.

If you open the confirm page without that sign-in, it asks you to use the link we sent. Select **Email me a new link** to get a fresh one. If the link has expired, the sign-in page offers **Email me a fresh link**.

![Confirm it's you page asking the sponsor to sign in with the link sent to o***@creatures.example, with an Email me a new link button](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/84c/54e/35a/75f68.png?width=780)

## If you don't confirm

- **Monthly**: we stop the sponsorship two days before your first renewal. You won't be charged again, and your first month still goes to the animal's care.
- **12 months**: you have up to 12 months to confirm. After that, the claim period ends, and your payment still goes to the animal's care.

## Manage your sponsorship later

Sign in with your email, then go to **Dashboard** > **Sponsorships** > **Animals I sponsor**. See [Managing an animal you sponsor](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/following-your-stewardship-pv904s/).

If you signed in with an emailed link, we ask for a 6-digit code before you change payment details. This security check is also called **Confirm it's you**. Select **Email me a code**, then enter the code. See [Keeping your account secure](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/keeping-your-account-secure-11hc7oq/).

## If something looks wrong

If we couldn't complete the sponsorship, for example because the last place was taken while you paid, we refund your payment. It can take 5 to 10 days to show up.

### Related information

- [Sponsoring an animal](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/becoming-a-steward-1ow1su4/)
- [Managing an animal you sponsor](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/following-your-stewardship-pv904s/)
- [Giving a sponsorship as a gift](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/giving-a-sponsorship-as-a-gift-2yk7st/)
- [Creating your account and signing in](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/creating-your-account-and-signing-in-1a6d30c/)