General

What will I get for my adoption fee?

You will get one year exclusive adoption of your chosen word and an adoption pack which includes your official certificate, information booklet and a bookmark.

How long is the adoption period?

Adoptions are exclusive for one year. We will send you an e-mail at the end of your adoption period to give you the opportunity to renew it.

The word that I would like to adopt is not available

We are sorry but that word might have already been adopted. Or you might have searched for a word in its plural, in which case it won’t feature (try it in the singular). If it’s an inappropriate or offensive word, then it may have been filtered out as it was deemed unsuitable for a children’s charity.

Can I be notified when my word becomes available?

Unfortunately it is not possible to notify people when their word becomes available as this works on a ‘first come first service’ basis. Words are adopted for a year, after which they will become available again – so continue to check regularly.
You can also choose to adopt a similar word from the list we suggest you.

Why is it my name that appears as the owner on the website and not gift recipient’s?

When the word has been ordered as a gift, the recipient is not able to give permission for their name to appear on the website. We have therefore taken the decision to use the name of the person placing the order.

How much of the £20 goes to the charity?

Of the £20 you pay for an adoption, it all comes to I CAN. We then have to pay the printing costs of the adoption pack (if you have ordered one) which are 20% of the donation.

If you add Gift Aid to your donation, then we get to reclaim the tax on your donation as well, making the gift worth £28.

Where does the money from Adopt a Word go?

When adopting a word from Adopt a Word, you are making a donation to support I CAN’s vital work and your money will be used wherever the need is greatest to support and improve children’s speech, language and communication. If you would like more information, please visit the I CAN website www.ican.org.uk.

How can I make a donation to I CAN?

At the checkout, you will be given the opportunity to add a donation on top of your shopping basket costs.
If you don't wish to adopt a word at this time but still would like to make a donation, please go to www.ican.org.uk/supportus.

Ordering

I have adopted a word / Someone has bought me a word. Is there any way I can add a personalised item to my / their order?

The easiest way to do this is to go to the Thank you email which was sent at the time of purchase. If the word was bought as a gift for you, the buyer will have the email so you will need to ask them for it. In the email is a link which will take you directly to the merchandise page for your word, so you can order there.

If you do not have the Thank you email any more, or cannot access it, please contact us by phone on 0845 225 4073 or by e-mail: info@adoptaword.com with your order reference, and let us know what item you would like. We will then ask you to make a donation on our website at www.ican.org.uk/donate for the correct amount. Once you have made the donation, let us know and we will process your merchandise order.

What information do you collect about me during my order?

The type of information we collect about you includes: your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and credit/debit card details, the name of any third party provided by you in connection with your order, or any other information provided by you by filling in forms on the website. We will never collect sensitive personal data about you without your explicit consent.

We will not store your credit card details – credit card transactions are processed by a recognised third party merchant Secure Trading Limited.

Will you share my personal information?

I CAN is committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully and in accordance with our privacy policy. We do not allow third parties access to our customer list except when it is required by law.

Will you use my details to contact me again?

We may send you an email reminder when your Adoption Period is due to expire to enable you to renew your adoption of the Word. Otherwise, we will only contact you by e-mail if you have consented to receiving updates and any future e-mails resulting from your details being stored will allow you to ‘opt-out’ from receiving further correspondence.

Payment

What cards do you accept?

We accept the following cards: Visa, MasterCard, MasterCard Debit, Switch/Maestro, Solo and Visa Delta. If you do not live in the UK or have a UK bank account you will need to make a payment by credit card.

Is ordering on your website safe and secure?

Generally it is just as safe to order online as it is to pay using your credit or debit card in a shop. We use a recognised third party merchant Secure Trading Limited as our payment service provider. Being fully accredited as a Level 1 compliant provider - the highest level of compliance - under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Secure Trading Limited securely process credit and debit card details.

I have adopted a word and I have ticked the wrong box for Gift Aid. Can I still gift aid my adoption?

Thank you for adopting a word. Please send an e-mail to info@adoptaword.com with the word you have adopted, your details and your order reference and we will be happy to arrange for gift aid to be claimed.

Can I have refunds for my word adoption / merchandise fee?

We are very sorry but, as stated in the terms and conditions, we are unable to give refunds on any items unless there is a fault as we are a charity and most items are printed to order with personalisation.

Delivery

Do you deliver outside the UK?

We can only deliver the adoption packs and merchandise within the UK. However, you can adopt a word and print out your own certificate from a pdf link.

Please select ‘no’ when asked if you would like an adoption pack. When you have completed and paid for your word, you will be sent an e-mail with a link to the pdf of your certificate.

How will I know when my order has been sent?

Once your order has been dispatched, an automated email is sent to your registered e-mail address letting you know.

I haven’t received my adoption pack / merchandise

Please allow us 10-14 working days for delivery. If your order had been placed for longer, we are very sorry for the inconvenience. Please note your order reference and contact us by phone on 0845 225 4073 or by e-mail: info@adoptaword.com. We will arrange for another pack / merchandise to be sent out to you, which you will receive within 10 working days.

The adoption pack / merchandise I have received is damaged

We are very sorry for the inconvenience. Please note your order reference and contact us by phone on 0845 225 4073 or by e-mail: info@adoptaword.com. We will arrange for another pack / merchandise to be sent out to you, which you will receive within 10 working days.

I have received my adoption pack but the certificate is printed wrong

We are very sorry for the inconvenience. Please note your order reference and contact us by phone on 0845 225 4073 or by e-mail: info@adoptaword.com. We will arrange for another certificate to be sent out to you, which you will receive within 10 working days.

I have received the merchandise but no adoption pack

Adoption packs are being sent out second class whereas the merchandise first class as they are bulky items. This means that merchandise is arriving first, but you will still receive your adoption pack within a few days.