Well, the visa application form requires the applicant to supply the sponsors passport (or travel document) number, place of issue, issuing authority and date of issue.
Most sponsors submit a photocopy (or scanned image) of the photo page from the passport.
Personally I suggest you consider a certified photocopy of the photo page as that minimises risk.
I wouldn't advise sending your original passport by post at all. Even courier.
The applicant also needs to supply the sponsor’s place and country of birth.
Most people will supply a photocopy (or scanned image) of birth certificate.
Hope that helps