Compassion International Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Compassion International full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – The talent that the organization attracts is amazing. One thing that you will not find at many, if any, other organizations is that the hearts and minds of everyone is focused on the welfare and development of children around the world.

Cons – The culture is very unhealthy. A culture of fear and intimidation, one hiding behind spiritual conversation-killers such as a new vision or "God revealed to us", is one of the key elements that allows executives and managers to silence and neutralize some of the sophisticated talent that enters the organization.

Explosive growth on a scale that the organization has enjoyed, even during historic downturns, is a curse in important ways. The senior executives are unwilling to make tough decisions or even deal with potentially damaging information: "How can anything be wrong because God is blessing the minstiry so much". This leads me to believe that the executives will lead until a traumatic event occurs, one that is visible to the outside of the organization.

Advice to Senior Management – Everyone down to the SVP level should retire or move on. You faithfully served to the best of your ability, but you owe it to the children to move on and allow the organization to bring in the talent required to achieve the 2020 vision (if it is not already too late).

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Compassion International full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Focused on their vision. Field staff in other countries really reaching out to kids like they say.

Cons – Management does not know how to lead the size of organization they have grown into. May of the senior leadership are ill equipped to run a multinational organization. The politics are terrible and you are either in or out of the crowd. They is a very poor example of Christian leadership.

Advice to Senior Management – You are failing to abide by your own policies and treat employees who innovate with disdain. Mediocrity and the good ol' boy network is alive an well here. If management continues to treat staff and vendors they way they do, the lawsuits and reputation issues are not far behind.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Compassion International

Pros – They do a pretty good job helping impoverished children.

Cons – Does a good job with kids in semi-urban areas, but internally has a domineering, controlling and arrogant culture towards employees. There are two groups at Compassion: Executives, and everyone else. Almost to a person, the organization attracts smart, hard-working people who have a passion for helping impoverished children. Most or all of the professional employees could be making more money elsewhere -- sometimes a lot more money -- but they choose to serve Christ and children at Compassion.

How sad then that these people are not allowed to bring their passion, creativity or individual contributions -- the best part of themselves -- to work. Their ideas are not wanted or appreciated. It would appear that most executives feel "I've heard from God himself, and I don't need or want to hear from anyone else." When an employee does make a suggestion of merit, executives tell them "no," then the executive will often "have an idea" a few months later, and implement it. Curious how the idea is the same one that was shot down just a few months earlier.

They also do not like reports of "bad news" nor do they like people to identify risks. Those who do are shut down quick through order, public humiliation, or both.

One group of employees had concerns about the quality of executive management, and was praying for their leaders (as told to do in the Bible) on their own time, and executives ordered them to stop immediately and not re-start the group, even on their own time or away from work.

It may seem hard for an outsider to believe, but employees do not feel comfortable saying anything at all negative in the building. They will leave the building separately, meet for lunch off campus, and return separately.

As a result, many employees struggle with emotional hurt. Of these, some stay despite the feeling of working in a Soviet-bloc country, and the others have quit out of frustration, depression or anger.

This internal culture is widely known in the Colorado Springs area, and represents somewhat of a recruiting problem for Compassion -- whether they know it or not.

While the president, Wess Stafford, is a nice guy, he's just not there enough to steer the organization back into a healthy internal culture, or has lost the internal political game with one or more of the other C-level executives who have seized power and control from Wess.

These problems seem to have started around the late 1990's, and according to their employees, contractors and consultants, persists to this day.

For people who want to be told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, etc., this may be an okay place to work.

More intelligent, educated, dynamic, engaged and creative people will suffer as a result.

Advice to Senior Management – The board needs to hire an independent firm (e.g. Gallup) to perform an anonymous employee climate survey, fire those leaders implicated in being controlling, domineering and abusive, institute 360 degree performance reviews, and hold Wess Stafford accountable for material year over year improvements in employee satisfaction and employee ratings of their managers and peers for things like "solicits and takes action on my ideas and suggestions."

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Compassion International

Pros – I believe in the mission of the organization, helping children rise above poverty.

Cons – Those in leadership use public humiliation as a prime tactic to shoot down those with ideas different than the status quota. Some employee's have been told they would lose their jobs if they did not keep comments to themselves. Many employee's are afraid to speak their opinions about those in leadership, as they need their jobs so they put up with the dictatorship and micro managing.
  Those who have had medical issues are singled out more often than not, the leadership seems to take a bulls eye on them. Ridiculing and micro managing these individuals to the point that they resign. Other employees who see and hear what is taking place are too afraid to speak up as they fear that this will happen to them as well. Many employees have a great distrust for those in leadership because of this. Legalism runs rampant, while grace is seldom seen.
 The unsaid rule is keep your mouth shut and act like you know nothing, least you be the next target.
 Politics are thick in leadership, some can do no wrong, all the while they are doing very wrong.

Advice to Senior Management – Compassion states they are a Christian organization, then it is time to take a long, hard look at what the Bible has to say about being a Follower of Christ. Time to let an outside group come in and do some serious polling of how things really are on the inside of the organization. Then take to heart and follow through with the results and recomendations.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend