Compassion International

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Compassion International
Founded1952
FounderEverett Swanson
Type Christian child sponsorship non-profit organization
36-2423707 [1]
Location
  • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Area served
27 countries across four continents
Key people
Santiago "Jimmy" Mellado (president and CEO)
Revenue
US$ 1,001,200,000 (2020) [2]
ExpensesProgram Services:
US$ 813,929,000 (2020) [2]

Support Activities:
US$ 185,251,000 (2020) [2]

Total:
US$ 999,180,000 (2020) [2]
Website www.compassion.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Compassion International is an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that aims to positively influence the long-term development of children globally who live in poverty.

Contents

A 2013 independent research report, in the Journal of Political Economy , concluded that as of that time, Compassion International had large and statistically significant impacts on participants' years of school completion, the probability of later employment, and the quality of that employment, in part as a consequence of improved self-esteem and expectations in participating children.

History

The Everett Swanson Evangelistic Association was founded in 1952 by the Rev. Everett Swanson (member of Converge) to help children orphaned by war in South Korea. [3] Swanson had traveled there to preach the gospel to the US Army troops, but during his visit he was deeply moved by the plight of the scores of abandoned children he saw. In 1953, he began to raise funds, and the next year he developed sponsorship programs to help support orphans for a few dollars a month. [4] The name of the association changed to Compassion, Inc., in 1963, inspired by Jesus' words "I have compassion on the multitude. I will not send them away hungry" (Matthew 15.32). [5] In 2022, it would be present in 27 countries. [6] For example, see Compassion Suisse and Compassion Espagna

Leadership

As of November 2019, the board chair of the organization was Judy Golz, and the president and CEO was Santiago Mellado. [7] In 2019, Mellado's annual compensation was $419,184 according to the organization's IRS filings. [8]

Programs

Compassion helps those in impoverished areas, using a holistic approach to child development. [9] This approach goes well beyond simply providing food and medical aid, involving education and training to prepare the individuals for contributing back to their communities. [10]

The organization also helps in emergency situations and in the funding of health centers. [11] [12] [13]

Child sponsorship

Children in the child sponsorship program are provided food and clean water, medical care, education, life-skills training, and spiritual guidance through a direct sponsorship. Sponsored children are selected by the sponsors from lists provided by the ministry, and two-way communication is encouraged between the sponsored child and the sponsor. As of November 2023 the cost to sponsor a child through Compassion was US$43 (£32) [14] per month, and globally there were over two million babies, children, and young adults in its programs. [15]

Sponsors are able to visit their sponsored children through trips planned by Compassion International. Compassion's goal is to provide a trip to each country every other year. Compassion coordinates every aspect of the trip, including travel, meals, tips and gratuities, fees related to the travel, and sightseeing fares. [16]

Evaluations

Compassion International is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. [17] As of February 2008, it held a grade of "A" from CharityWatch. [18] [19] As of January 2012, it had met the "20 Standards for Charity Accountability" from the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. [20]

In 2013, a primary research report in the Journal of Political Economy provided evidence in support of the conclusion that child sponsorship via Compassion International resulted in significant positive outcomes for the children in the study set. [21] [22] The research, by Bruce Wydick, Paul Glewwe, and Laine Rutledge, evaluated Compassion efforts in six countries, with 10,144 children studied, reporting "large, statistically significant impacts on years of schooling; primary, secondary, and tertiary school completion; and the probability and quality of employment." They went on to note that the evidence, while early, "suggest[ed] that these impacts are due, in part, to increases in children’s aspirations." [21] [23]

Through 2015, Compassion International had received Charity Navigator's highest rating for 15 consecutive years, thereby receiving special recognition on their "10 Charities with the Most Consecutive 4-Star Ratings" list. [24] However, Charity Navigator changed its rating system in 2016, [25] and Compassion International's 2016 overall rating dropped to three stars out of four, for its accountability and transparency. [26]

The organization has received a 73/100 confidence score (Give with Confidence) and an "C" transparency grade from MinistryWatch, a Christian charity watchdog organization, as of November 22,2024. [27]

In 2016, Compassion was ranked the 15th-largest charity organization in the US by Forbes magazine, with $799 million in private donations received. [28]

Shutdown in India

Compassion operated in India for 48 years, with $45 million in transfers annually, making it India's largest single foreign donor. [29] Compassion provided services under its Child Sponsor Program to 145,000 Indian children. [29] In 2015, Compassion affiliates' offices were raided by tax investigators seeking evidence on whether it was funding religious conversions. [29] Compassion said that attempts were made to force the ministry to divert funding to non-Christian Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh groups. [29] Compassion refused to do so as it would be a misuse of funds entrusted to them by donors all around the world. After talks back and forth, in 2017 the BJP-led Indian government barred Compassion from transferring funds into India, forcing the group to close its operations in that country. [29] The Ministry of External Affairs later stated that the ban had nothing to do with the ideology of Compassion International. [30]

Lack of Financial Transparency

Since 2019, Compassion stopped releasing a public Form 990 after reclassifying itself as a religious organization, or "an association of churches." [31] [32] Reclassification has been noted by several Christian ministry watchdogs as a growing trend among large Christian ministries. [33] [34] As a result, Compassion's Donor Confidence Score fell from 97 to 73 on MinistryWatch, and the organization is no longer rated on Charity Navigator due to the lack of Accountability & Finance beacon. [35] [36]

Related Research Articles

Samaritan's Purse is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The name of the organization is derived from the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan. With international headquarters in Boone, North Carolina, the organization also maintains warehouse and aviation facilities in nearby North Wilkesboro and Greensboro, North Carolina.

ChildFund, also known an ChildFund International, and formerly known as Christian Children's Fund, is a child-focused international development organization that provides assistance to children facing poverty and other challenges in 24 countries, including the United States. ChildFund's headquarters are located in Richmond, Virginia, United States.

Children International is a global nonprofit humanitarian organization that helps children break the cycle of poverty. It addresses children’s critical needs through early intervention and regular interaction in community centers. The goal is to help children overcome the effects of poverty, support their education, and prepare youth to contribute to society.

CharityWatch, known until 2012 as the American Institute of Philanthropy, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Chicago, created in the United States by Daniel Borochoff in 1992, to provide information about charities' financial efficiency, accountability, governance, and fundraising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charity Navigator</span> Charity assessment organization that evaluates charitable organizations in the U.S.

Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a free 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit's financial stability, adherence to best practices for both accountability and transparency, and results reporting. It is the largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities in the United States. It does not accept any advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates.

Child sponsorship is a type of fundraising in which a charitable organization associates a donor sponsor with a particular child beneficiary. The sponsor receives updates from the child, typically including photos and translated letters, which help create the feeling of a personal relationship with the child. The donated funds are often not spent specifically on the sponsored child, but pooled with other contributions to fund a variety of education, health, security, infrastructure, or other projects in the child's community or country. One estimate is that over 9 million children are given over US $5 billion by child sponsorship programs. Other sources state the amount of child sponsorship funding is closer to US $3 billion per year.

Food For The Poor, Inc. (FFP) is an ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization based in Coconut Creek, Florida, United States that provides food, medicine, and shelter, among other services, to the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Feed the Children, established in 1979 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization focused on alleviating childhood hunger. Its mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials." The organization provides food, essentials, education supplies and disaster relief to those in need across the United States and in eight countries around the world. Domestically, Feed the Children operates five distribution centers located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) is a non-profit organisation, founded in 2004 by Scott Neeson to help children in Steung Meanchey, one of the poorest areas in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. Initially established to support 45 children in need, CCF now educates over 2,000 children. In addition, it serves 12,000 people in the communities where it works through a range of community outreach, healthcare, childcare and vocational training programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Room to Read</span> U.S.-based international non-profit organization

Room to Read is a global non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California. The organization focuses on working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to improve literacy and gender equality in education.

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe.

Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) is a grassroots advocacy organization that combines the power of advocacy, education, policy, and research to unite around the goal of ending breast cancer.

Food for the Hungry is a Christian international relief, development, and advocacy organization. Food for the Hungry was founded in 1971 by Larry Ward. Food for the Hungry's stated mission for long-term development is to graduate communities of extreme poverty within 10–15 years. The organization also works in disaster relief and humanitarian response, including working with the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Zakat Foundation of America is a Chicago-based NGO providing emergency relief, post-disaster rehabilitation, sustainable development, education, healthcare, orphan sponsorship, and seasonal programs such as Ramadan iftars and Udhiya/Qurbani. Zakat Foundation of America is registered under 501(c)(3) as a non-profit charity organization.

Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) is a Christian non-profit organization that resources and empowers local churches in the United States and around the world to meet the needs of their impoverished community members. CHF's mission is to "deliver hope to suffering children by equipping local churches for gospel-centered mercy ministry".

Blessing the Children International (BCI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2001, that engages in Christian missionary work in Ethiopia, Africa. According to the Urban Institute, BCI is classified as an "International Relief" organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VisionTrust</span> International non-profit organization

VisionTrust is an international, non-denominational non-profit organization that assists orphaned and vulnerable children around the world. The organization works alongside local Christians to help children gain an education, nutritional support, medical assistance, and spiritual discipleship. VisionTrust works in schools, Transitional Homes (orphanages), and Learning Centers. They offer child sponsorships, short-term mission trips, and assist churches with educational materials to promote participation in this effort. VisionTrust is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Unbound, formerly Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, is a nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas. Unbound was founded by lay Catholics acting on the Gospel call to serve the poor. Its sponsorship program provides direct cash transfers to sponsored members who determine how to use their cash benefits to meet their goals. Beyond basic necessities such as food, housing, clothing and access to medical care, sponsored members frequently utilize their benefits to pay for education costs or to start or expand small business ventures. Unbound sponsors support more than 260,000 children, youth and elders in 17 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope International (Christian microfinance)</span> Christian non-profit organization

HOPE International is a Christian faith-based nonprofit organization based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that equips individuals living in poverty with savings and microfinance services. HOPE International now operates in over 20 underserved countries and has assisted over 3 million people with small loans and savings services since it began operations in 1997.

The Purple Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Annandale, Virginia. Its declared purpose is "to enhance the quality of life of Purple Heart recipients and other honorably discharged veterans and their families."

References

  1. "Compassion International". Charity Navigator. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT" (PDF). Compassion.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  3. George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 617
  4. Victorien SAWADOGO, ONG "Compassion international" : Soutenir 22 000 enfants défavorisés, lefaso.net, Burkina Faso, August 24, 2004
  5. Katherine Marshall, Global Institutions of Religion: Ancient Movers, Modern Shakers, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2013, p. 167
  6. Compassion International, THIS IS HOW WE WORK, compassion.com, USA, retrieved November 5, 2022
  7. "Board of Directors". www.compassion.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  8. "Form 990, Part VII" (PDF). IRS. p. 15.
  9. Mae Elise Cannon, Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World, InterVarsity Press, USA, 2009, p. 153
  10. Jean Daniel Sénat, Après 20 ans, Compassion International réoriente son programme de formation en leadership, lenouvelliste.com, Haïti, February 13, 2017
  11. Stephen Offutt, New Centers of Global Evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2015, p. 125
  12. Le Nouvelliste, 45 ans auprès des plus vulnérables d'Haïti, lenouvelliste.com, Haïti, October 4, 2013
  13. Stephanie Earls, Compassion International seeking donations to support ongoing relief in Haiti, gazette.com, USA, October 16, 2016
  14. "Sponsor a Child | Child Sponsorship". Compassion UK. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  15. "Sponsor a Child in Extreme Poverty". Compassion.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  16. "Compassion Trips FAQ". Compassion.com. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  17. "Meet ECFA's Charter Members". ECFA. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  18. Daniel Borochoff (February 20, 2008). "American Institute of Philanthropy at". Charitywatch.org. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  19. "Ratings and Metrics: Compassion International at". Charitywatch.org. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  20. "give.org". give.org. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  21. 1 2 Wydick, Bruce; Glewwe, Paul; Rutledge, Laine (2013), "Does International Child Sponsorship Work? A Six-Country Study of Impacts on Adult Life Outcomes", Journal of Political Economy, 121 (2), The University of Chicago: 1–8, CiteSeerX   10.1.1.546.2784 , doi:10.1086/670138, JSTOR   10.1086/670138, S2CID   22131764
  22. Wydick, Bruce (June 14, 2013). "Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child". Christianity Today . Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  23. Specifically, the study concluded, "the Compassion child sponsorship program increases years of completed schooling by 1.03–1.46 years over a baseline of 10.19 years and increases the probability of primary school completion by 4.0–7.7 percentage points (baseline 88.7 percent), secondary school completion by 11.6–16.5 percentage points (baseline 44.9 percent), and university completion by 2.1–2.4 percentage points (baseline 4.3 percent)... [and found] impacts of 5.1–6.3 percentage points on the probability of salaried employment in adulthood and a 6.5–6.7 percentage point increase in the probability of white-collar employment, as well as modest evidence for causal impacts on community and church leadership." See Wydick, Glewwe & Rutledge (2013), op.cit.
  24. "4 Stars for 15 Years in a Row". Charity Navigator. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  25. "Rating System Evolution". Charity Navigator. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  26. "Page at charitynavigator.com". Charitynavigator.org. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  27. "Compassion International, Inc. - MinistryWatch". db.ministrywatch.com. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  28. William P. Barrett, The Largest U.S. Charities For 2016, forbes.com, USA, December 14, 2016
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Barry, Ellen; Raj, Suhasini (March 8, 2017). "Major Christian Charity Is Closing India Operations Amid a Crackdown". The New York Times . pp. A4. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  30. Zeera, Rosheena (March 9, 2017). "No 'Ideological' Reason Behind Compassion International Ban: MEA". The Quint. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  31. Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (May 9, 2013). "Compassion International Incorporated - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved September 12, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. "Compassion International, Inc. - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  33. "Ministry Spotlight: Compassion International – MinistryWatch" . Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  34. Evans, Pete (July 4, 2020). "Warning Signs When Reviewing Church or Ministry Financial Statements". Trinity Foundation. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  35. "Compassion International, Inc. - MinistryWatch". db.ministrywatch.com. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  36. "Compassion International | Charity Navigator Profile". www.charitynavigator.org. Retrieved September 12, 2024.