This article examines the relational dynamics shaping the success of Germany’s NesT community sponsorship programme, focusing on how sponsors’ perceptions of refugee vulnerability influence relationships and outcomes. Drawing on qualitative analysis of interviews with sponsoring groups and refugees, the study finds that humanitarian narratives of “rescue” motivate sponsor engagement but can also generate unrealistic expectations about refugees’ capacity for autonomy. When sponsors anticipate dependency and refugees expect full agency, an expectation gap emerges that can strain or undermine relationships, highlighting the need for sponsor training that reflects the diverse and evolving ways vulnerability is experienced.