40 Hour Famine - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Donations

  • How do I donate if I don't have a credit card and wish to support somebody – or a group – doing the 40 Hour Famine?

    Ask a friend or family member to make a donation on your behalf using their credit card and give them the cash in return. Please note that the tax-deductible receipt will be created in the name of the credit card owner, not the person giving the cash. The credit card owner should not claim a tax deduction as they did not actually donate any funds

  • I made an online donation but I didn't receive the email with my receipt. Does this mean my donation didn't work?

    If you entered the correct email address when you were filling in your details, you should have received your receipt.

    Please use the Contact Us form or call us on 13 32 40 and we can check whether your donation was processed. We can also organise a duplicate receipt for your records.

40 Hour Famine Participants

  • What is the difference between being a 40 Hour Famine Group Leader, Group Member or Individual Participant?

    The key differences are:
    • Group Leaders coordinate and help a group of people do the 40 Hour Famine
    • Group Members take part under the guidance of a Group Leader and get a Famine Guide, and
    • Individual participants aren’t part of a group, don’t need a Famine Guide and fundraise entirely online.

  • Must I do the 40 Hour Famine on 19-21 August?

    No. Although the official 40 Hour Famine weekend starts at 8pm on Friday 19 August and finishes at noon on Sunday 21 August 2011, you can choose any other 40 hour period, as long as this is before 30 September 2011.

  • If I’m in a group, do we all have to give up the same thing?

    No. All participants can choose for themselves what they want to give up – it might be food, or furniture, or your mobile phone.
    For more ideas, have a look at our What R U giving up? page for more suggestions.

  • How do we send in the money raised?

    All donations can be received online.

    In addition, if you’re a Group Member, you can accept donations via cash or cheque and issue receipts from your Famine Guide, though these donations MUST be given to your Group Leader for banking as soon as possible after you receive them
    (If you are in Western Australia, donations need to be received by World Vision within 14 days).

    Or even better, give the cash to your parents and ask them to pay the money in online using their credit card.

    If you receive cash or cheques, remember to add this info to your Famine Profile, where it will show against your tally. Please note however that until your Group Leader takes this money to the bank, it will not appear on your group’s Famine Profile.

    If you’re a Group Leader, please make sure you bank all cash and cheque donations; refer to your group leader kit for instructions. Remember, the more often you do this, the higher your group’s total amount will grow on your group’s Famine Profile.

  • Why is the 40 Hour Famine internet-based for individual participants?

    In 2009, the 40 Hour Famine changed to an online format for individual participants to make it easier. You no longer have to carry a Famine Guide and return it to us. Everything is online – from collecting donations to applying for an award.

    Also, the online format for Individual participants simply allows World Vision to ensure that as much money as possible goes to where it’s needed most.

  • I registered to be a group leader and received my pack, but I can't find anyone else who wants to do it. What do I do?

    Send the Famine Guides and Banking Book back to World Vision using the reply paid sticker provided in your kit. You are then able to participate as an Individual online.

  • I want to take over as my Group's new group leader. Can I do that?

    Yes, but we will need to speak to the previous Group Leader so that we can change your group details. If your group belongs to a school or church, you should use our Contact Us form or contact your World Vision State Office for assistance. These contact numbers are on the Group Leader Kit.

    Otherwise, please ask your Group Leader to contact us or call us on 13 32 40 and we will make the change.

  • What about the dangers of anorexia?

    The World Vision 40 Hour Famine is about raising money to help children who are denied their basic child rights and for participants to get a taste of what life's like for families in poverty. It’s not about losing weight.

    We are very concerned that participants do the 40 Hour Famine for the right reasons. All participants who are 15 years or under should speak to their parent or guardians before going without food. For more info, please see our health and safety guidelines.

    And remember, food is not the only thing participants can choose to give up. Go without something else that really matters to you: for ideas and tips, see What R U giving up?

  • I lost my Famine Guide, what do I do?

    Group Leaders are issued with extra Famine Guides, so ask for another one. Your Group Leader can give you another one and record your lost Guide on their control sheet that must be returned to World Vision.

    If you’ve already created your Famine Profile using the Famine ID on the lost Famine Guide, you don’t need to make any changes – you can continue to receive donations with the Famine Profile you’ve set up.

  • One of my Group Members has lost their Famine Guide. What should I do?

    You will have been issued with extra Famine Guides. Give your Group Member another one so they can continue to collect cash. Then, record their additional Famine ID on the control sheet, and record their previous Famine ID as lost on the control sheet. The control sheet and Banking Book must be returned to World Vision for verification.

    If your Group Member has already created their Famine Profile associated with the lost Guide, they don’t need to make any changes and can continue to receive online donations with the Famine Profile they’ve set up.

    To comply with our legal requirements, Famine Guides must be collected from group members once they’ve finished collecting donations after the 40 Hour Famine weekend. Once you have finalised your banking of donations, you can return the Famine Guides to World Vision or securely destroy them to ensure that receipts are not misused.

Online Famine Profiles

Psst! Are you 15 or under?
Please make sure your parents or guardian also read the Terms of Use and give permission for you to participate before you sign up.

Creating an online Famine Profile

  • What is a Famine Profile?

    All participants who have signed up to do the 40 Hour Famine can create their very own online Famine Profile to showcase their fundraising efforts and collect donations online.
    All groups and participants can have their own Famine Profiles.
    On your Famine Profile, you can:
    • Upload your own picture
    • Watch your online donations grow and see who’s donated to you
    • Keep a record of how much you are raising to contribute to your total (or your group’s total).
    • Create your own 40 Hour Famine custom URL (eg, 40HF.com/myURL) to share with your family and friends on Facebook or via email.

  • Who can have a Famine Profile?

    Online fundraising pages can only be created by people who have signed up to do the 40 Hour Famine in 2011.

  • How do I create a Famine Profile?

    Go to Do the Famine and follow the prompts.

    Before beginning:
    • Group Leaders – you’ll need your Group ID, which is the number of the front of your banking book
    • Group Members – you’ll need your Famine ID number printed on the front of your Famine Guide
    • If you are participating in the 40 Hour Famine on your own (not as part of a group) you will be directed to create a Famine profile as part of the registration process.

  • Does everyone in the group need to have a Famine Profile?

    If your group has a Group Famine Profile, you don’t have to have your own personal Famine Profile – but we recommend you set one up. If you don’t have a Famine Profile, your name won't appear on the Group Member list on your Group Famine Profile. However, your fundraising efforts will still be counted in your Group's total.

  • Can I create a Famine Profile that’s private or anonymous?

    Yes. When you create your Famine Profile, there is an option to mark it as private. If you tick this checkbox, your Famine Profile will not be searchable on the site. Others can only access it if you provide them with your URL.

    If you are a Group Member and you set your Famine Profile to private, your name will not show up on the Group Member list on your Group’s Famine Profile (but your fundraising efforts will still be counted in your Group’s total).

  • I used all the receipts in my first Famine Guide and have received a second Famine Guide from my group leader. Do I need to change anything with my Famine Profile?

    If you’ve created your Famine Profile using your first Famine Guide, that’s fine – you don’t need to change anything on your page. Continue to use your second Famine Guide to give receipts to those who give you cash or cheques. Continue to record these donations online.

  • I’m a Group Member and have created my Famine Profile, but my name is not listed on my group’s Famine Profile. Why?

    Check to make sure your Famine Profile is not set to private.

  • I am doing the 40 Hour Famine as a member of a group. Can I create my own Famine Profile even though my Group Leader hasn’t created my group’s Famine Profile yet?

    Yes, as long as you’ve been issued with a Famine Guide.
    Go to Do the Famine to create your profile.

Editing your Famine Profile

  • How do I find my Famine Profile on the 40 Hour Famine website?

    You can find your Famine Profile by:
    • Using the Search for Friends tool on our Community page to search for yourself (remember if your Famine Profile is private it will not show up in search), OR
    • Typing in your custom URL (eg, 40HF.com/myURL) to access your Famine Profile directly.
    You don’t have to login to access your Famine Profile, but you must login to edit it and complete your quests.

  • I’ve created my Famine Profile, now, how do I edit it?

    Click on the "Login" button. Once you’ve logged in, you can edit your Famine Profile and complete quests. You can still navigate through the rest of the site once you’re logged in. To get back to your Famine Profile in edit mode, click on the "Personalise my Famine Profile" button located in the header at the top of the page.

    Make sure you log out when you’ve finished.

  • Can I create more than one Famine Profile?

    Unless you are creating both a Group and Group Member Famine Profile under your account, you can create only one Famine Profile. 

  • I've already created a Group Famine Profile, can I create my personal Famine Profile?

    Yes, log in to your account. Click on the "Register" tab. Continue to register as a Group Member. 

  • I’ve already created my personal Famine Profile, can I create my group’s Famine Profile?

    Yes, provided your group’s Famine Profile has not already been created and you have been provided with the Group ID on the cover of the Banking Book.

    Log in to your account. Click on the "Register" tab. Continue to register for your group. 

About online donations

  • How do people donate to me through my online Famine Profile?

    Send people the link to your page. You can do this via email, Facebook and Twitter by using the buttons on your Famine Profile.

    You can also simply copy and paste your Famine Profile URL (ie. 40HF.com/yoururl) and send it to your friends and family.

    They can donate by clicking on the "Donate to me" or "Donate to my Group" button once they are on your Famine Profile. Their donation will be reflected in your total.

  • Can my friends make an anonymous online donation to me?

    Yes, they can. Their donation amounts will always be added to your total if they’ve donated online, but they can choose to make the donation anonymous.

    As part of the donation process, your friends can either:
    1. Choose to let you know their name and allow their name to be published on your Famine Profile. You will receive an email notification of their name and donation amount.

      OR
    2. Choose to let you know their name but not allow their name to be published on your Famine Profile. You will receive an email notification of their name and donation amount.

      OR
    3. Choose to not let you know their name and not allow their name to be published on your Famine Profile. You will receive an email notification without a name but with a donation amount.

Searching for online Famine Profiles

  • How do I, or my friends, search for my Famine Profile?

    Use the Search for friends tool to search for a Famine Profile.
    You can search by name or by the organisation you belong to if you’re doing the 40 Hour Famine as a Group or Group Member.

    Private Famine Profiles do not appear in search results.

Removing your Famine Profile

  • I want to delete my Famine Profile, what do I do?

    Please contact us or call 13 32 40 if you want to delete your Famine Profile.