What is stewardship?

Stewardship is a way to support an animal you care about, financially and emotionally, without owning it. A steward pays a small amount each month to a caretaker (the person or organization that owns and keeps the animal). In return, the steward follows that animal's life through regular updates, gets read access to its profile, and joins the animal's circle of people who care.

It is built for the animals people fall in love with but do not own. Three examples you will see throughout these guides:

• Clementine, a rescued miniature Mediterranean donkey at a Florida donkey rescue. Her steward helps cover feed and farrier visits.
• Thandi, a southern white rhino at a reserve in South Africa, supported by a small circle of stewards who fund her anti-poaching patrols.
• Hollow, a non-releasable great horned owl living at a Virginia wildlife center as an education ambassador.

How it works

1. A caretaker creates an offering for one animal: a monthly rate and a promise of how often they will post updates.
2. A steward subscribes and is billed monthly through Creatures and Stripe.
3. The caretaker keeps the animal, keeps it in their care, and keeps posting updates. Every update appears on the animal's profile.
4. The steward gets read access to that profile (even if it is private), appears on the animal's Team, and can cancel anytime. To see what that profile holds, tab by tab, see Your animal's profile page: the tabs and what each one does.

You may see this called Support, Sponsor, or Become a steward depending on the animal and the caretaker. The words adapt to the context, but they all mean the same thing: ongoing monthly support for an animal you do not own.

What stewardship is, and what it is not

Stewardship sits alongside ownership, it never replaces it. Every offering shows the same Stewardship boundaries so both sides agree on exactly what is happening. Here is what each boundary means for you.

Stewardship is:

• A recurring monthly payment. You are billed every month until you cancel. It is not a one-time gift.
• A real connection. You get updates, read access, and a place on the animal's team.
• Cancelable anytime, by either side.

Stewardship is not:

• Ownership, custody, or physical access. You cannot take the animal, visit on demand, or make decisions about its care. The caretaker keeps every ownership and welfare decision.
• Breeding rights or registration rights. Supporting an animal gives you no claim on its offspring, papers, or sale.
• An investment. There is no financial return, resale value, or share of any future sale.
• A tax-deductible donation, by default. Creatures treats stewardship as a monthly support payment, not a charitable gift. The one exception: if the caretaker is a verified organization that provides its own approved tax disclosure, that organization's terms apply. Otherwise, do not treat it as deductible.

One animal, several relationships at once

Creatures keeps a single, permanent profile for every animal across its whole life. Ownership, physical custody, and support are separate things that can all be true at the same time. An animal can be owned by one party, physically boarded by another, and stewarded by several supporters, all on the same profile. Stewardship is simply one of those relationships, layered on the animal's lasting identity.

Two shapes: exclusive and Circles

• Exclusive stewardship is one steward supporting one animal, a direct one to one relationship. Clementine and Hollow are offered this way.
• A Stewardship Circle lets a small group share the support of a single animal, with a set number of spots. Thandi's reserve uses a circle so several supporters can fund her care together. See Stewardship Circles.

Recognition: how your support is shown

When you become a steward you choose how you appear publicly: your Creatures profile, a display name (a family or group name, with no link to your profile), or private (your name is kept off the animal's public pages). You can change this anytime. Becoming a steward covers each option and what it means.

Fees: support, not charity

Stewardship has a simple, two-sided 5% fee: the steward pays a 5% service fee on top of the monthly rate, and a 5% caretaker fee comes out of the caretaker's payout (waived for caretakers with Creatures Pro). Both are shown plainly before anyone commits. Because this is support and not a charitable donation, Creatures does not present it as tax-deductible unless a verified organization provides its own approved disclosure.

Trust comes first

The relationship is built to be predictable, especially when life changes. A stewardship is never silently reassigned to a different animal. Specific, known things happen in each situation:

• The animal is sold: the steward is notified and billing stops.
• The animal passes away: the steward is notified, the animal's history is preserved, and future billing stops.
• A payment fails: there is a 7-day grace period during which access is retained while the card is retried.
• Updates lapse: the caretaker sees an overdue flag and the steward sees when the next update is expected, but billing continues and nothing is hidden.

Every one of these terms (cadence, cancellation, what happens if the animal dies or leaves) is visible on the offering before a steward ever commits.

If you want to support an animal, read Becoming a steward. If you want to invite supporters for one of your own animals, read Offering stewardship of your animal.

Related information

• Becoming a steward
• Offering stewardship of your animal
• Stewardship Circles

Updated on: 23/06/2026