Editing Compassion International

{{Short description|American humanitarian aid NGO, founded 1952}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox organization
| name            = Compassion International
| image           = CompassionInternationalLogo.png
| caption         =
| type            = [[Christianity|Christian]] [[child sponsorship]] [[non-profit]] organization
| tax_id          = 36-2423707<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.irs&ein=362423707#.Ux5wp_ldVzI|title=Compassion International|publisher=Charity Navigator|access-date=March 10, 2014}}</ref>
| registration_id =
| founded_date    = 1952
| founder         = Everett Swanson
| location        = Colorado Springs, Colorado
| coordinates     = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LON|display=inline,title}} -->
| key_people      = [[Santiago Mellado|Santiago "Jimmy" Mellado]] (president and CEO)
| area_served     = 27 countries across four continents
| revenue         = US$ 1,001,200,000 (2020)<ref name="2020 Annual Report">{{cite web |title=ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT |url=https://www.compassion.com/multimedia/OCFO_AccountabilityReport2020.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130230553/https://www.compassion.com/multimedia/OCFO_AccountabilityReport2020.pdf |archive-date=2020-11-30 |url-status=live |website=Compassion.com |access-date=December 6, 2020}}</ref>
| expenses        = Program Services:<br>US$ 813,929,000 (2020)<ref name="2020 Annual Report"/><br>
Support Activities:<br>US$ 185,251,000 (2020)<ref name="2020 Annual Report"/><br>
Total:<br>US$ 999,180,000 (2020)<ref name="2020 Annual Report"/>
| website         = {{Official URL}}
}}
'''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]].

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 (United States) |Converge]]) to help children orphaned by [[Korean War|war in South Korea]].<ref>George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, ''Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5'', Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 617</ref> 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.<ref>Victorien SAWADOGO, [http://www.lefaso.net/spip.php?article3643 ONG "Compassion international" : Soutenir 22 000 enfants défavorisés], lefaso.net, Burkina Faso, August 24, 2004</ref> 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" ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew 15.32]]).<ref>Katherine Marshall, ''Global Institutions of Religion: Ancient Movers, Modern Shakers'', Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2013, p. 167</ref> In 2022, it would be present in 27 countries.<ref>Compassion International, [https://www.compassion.com/about/about-us.htm THIS IS HOW WE WORK], compassion.com, USA, retrieved November 5, 2022</ref>  For example, see [[Compassion Suisse]] and [https://www.compassion.es/ Compassion Espagna]

==Leadership==
As of November 2019, the board chair of the organization was Judy Golz, and the president and CEO was [[Santiago Mellado]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.compassion.com/board.htm|title=Board of Directors|website=www.compassion.com|access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> In 2019, Mellado's annual compensation was $419,184 according to the organization's [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] filings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Form 990, Part VII |url=https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/362423707_201906_990_2020010316996116.pdf |website=IRS |page=15}}</ref>

==Programs==
Compassion helps those in impoverished areas, using a [[Holistic education|holistic approach]] to child development.<ref>Mae Elise Cannon, ''Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World'', InterVarsity Press, USA, 2009, p. 153</ref> 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.<ref>Jean Daniel Sénat, [https://lenouvelliste.com/public/article/168220/apres-20-ans-compassion-international-reoriente-son-programme-de-formation-en-leadership Après 20 ans, Compassion International réoriente son programme de formation en leadership], lenouvelliste.com, Haïti, February 13, 2017</ref>

The organization also helps in emergency situations and in the funding of health centers.<ref>Stephen Offutt, ''New Centers of Global Evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa'', Cambridge University Press, UK, 2015, p. 125</ref><ref>Le Nouvelliste, [http://lenouvelliste.com/lenouvelliste/article/122103/45-ans-aupres-des-plus-vulnerables-dHaiti.html 45 ans auprès des plus vulnérables d'Haïti], lenouvelliste.com, Haïti, October 4, 2013</ref><ref>Stephanie Earls, [http://gazette.com/compassion-international-seeking-donations-to-support-ongoing-relief-in-haiti/article/1587763 Compassion International seeking donations to support ongoing relief in Haiti], gazette.com, USA, October 16, 2016</ref>

===Child sponsorship===
Children in the child sponsorship program are provided food and clean water, medical care, education, [[Life skills|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|2023|11}} the cost to sponsor a child through Compassion was US$43 (£32)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sponsor a Child {{!}} Child Sponsorship |url=https://www.compassionuk.org/sponsorship/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Compassion UK |language=en}}</ref> per month, and globally there were over two million babies, children, and young adults in its programs.<ref name="Compass">{{cite web|url= https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/ |title=Sponsor a Child in Extreme Poverty |publisher=Compassion.com |access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.compassion.com/get-involved/trips-faq.htm#faq-tcm:5-456801 |title=Compassion Trips FAQ |publisher=Compassion.com |access-date=January 31, 2012}}</ref>

==Evaluations==
{{Update section|date=October 2023|reason=filled with 7-to-15-year-old information, but ratings and their reasons can change every year, as the charities adjust their activities}}
Compassion International is a charter member of the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ecfa.org/CharterMembers.aspx|title=Meet ECFA's Charter Members|publisher=ECFA|access-date=January 7, 2020}}</ref> {{As of|2008|February}}, it held a grade of "A" from [[CharityWatch]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Daniel Borochoff |url=http://www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html |title=American Institute of Philanthropy at |publisher=Charitywatch.org |date=February 20, 2008 |access-date=March 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.charitywatch.org/ratings-and-metrics/compassion-international/172 |title=Ratings and Metrics: Compassion International at |publisher=Charitywatch.org |access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref> {{As of|2012|January}}, it had met the "20 Standards for Charity Accountability" from the [[Better Business Bureau]]'s [[BBB Wise Giving Alliance|Wise Giving Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.give.org/about/index.asp |title=give.org |publisher=give.org |access-date=January 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603142924/http://www.give.org/about/index.asp |archive-date=June 3, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref name="JPE">{{Citation | last1 = Wydick | first1 = Bruce | last2 = Glewwe | first2 = Paul | last3 = Rutledge | first3 = Laine | title = Does International Child Sponsorship Work? A Six-Country Study of Impacts on Adult Life Outcomes | journal = Journal of Political Economy | volume = 121 | issue = 2 | year = 2013 | pages = 1–8 | jstor = 10.1086/670138 |doi =10.1086/670138| citeseerx = 10.1.1.546.2784 | publisher = The University of Chicago | s2cid = 22131764 | author2-link = Paul Glewwe }}</ref><ref name="CT">{{cite magazine |title= Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child |author= Wydick, Bruce  |magazine= [[Christianity Today]] |date=June 14, 2013 |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/june/want-to-change-world-sponsor-child.html?paging=off |access-date=June 14, 2013 }}</ref> 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."<ref name="JPE"/><ref>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.''</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=4 Stars for 15 Years in a Row|url=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=topten.detail&listid=100|website=Charity Navigator|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref> However, Charity Navigator changed its rating system in 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=2200|title=Rating System Evolution|publisher=Charity Navigator|access-date=January 7, 2020}}</ref> and Compassion International's 2016 overall rating dropped to three stars out of four, for its accountability and transparency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3555|title=Page at charitynavigator.com|publisher=Charitynavigator.org |access-date=July 28, 2016}}</ref>

In 2016, Compassion was ranked the 15th-largest charity organization in the US by ''[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]'' magazine, with $799 million in private donations received.<ref>William P. Barrett, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/williampbarrett/2016/12/14/the-largest-u-s-charities-for-2016/#736877f4267d The Largest U.S. Charities For 2016], forbes.com, USA, December 14, 2016</ref>

===Shutdown in India===
Compassion operated in India for 48 years, with $45&nbsp;million in transfers annually, making it India's largest single foreign donor.<ref name="nyt17m">{{cite news |last1=Barry |first1=Ellen |last2=Raj |first2=Suhasini |date=March 8, 2017 |title=Major Christian Charity Is Closing India Operations Amid a Crackdown |pages=A4 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/world/asia/compassion-international-christian-charity-closing-india.html |access-date=March 9, 2017}}</ref> Compassion provided services under its Child Sponsor Program to 145,000 Indian children.<ref name="nyt17m" /> In 2015, Compassion affiliates' offices were raided by tax investigators seeking evidence on whether it was funding [[Freedom of religion in India|religious conversions]].<ref name="nyt17m" /> Compassion said that attempts were made to force the ministry to divert funding to non-Christian [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] groups.<ref name="nyt17m" /> Compassion refused to do so as it would be a misuse of funds entrusted to them by donors around the world. After talks back and forth, in 2017 the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]-led Indian government barred Compassion from transferring funds into India, forcing the group to close its operations there.<ref name="nyt17m" /> The Ministry of External Affairs later stated that the ban had nothing to do with the ideology of Compassion International.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zeera |first1=Rosheena |date=March 9, 2017 |title=No 'Ideological' Reason Behind Compassion International Ban: MEA |work=The Quint |url=https://www.thequint.com/news/india/compassion-international-foreign-us-ngo-blames-rss-ideology-mea-responds |access-date=August 31, 2017}}</ref>

===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."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon |date=2013-05-09 |title=Compassion International Incorporated - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/362423707 |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=ProPublica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Compassion International, Inc. - GuideStar Profile |url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/36-2423707 |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=www.guidestar.org}}</ref> Reclassification has been noted by several Christian ministry watchdogs as a growing trend among large Christian ministries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministry Spotlight: Compassion International – MinistryWatch |url=https://ministrywatch.com/ministry-spotlight-compassion-international/ |access-date=2024-09-12 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Pete |date=2020-07-04 |title=Warning Signs When Reviewing Church or Ministry Financial Statements |url=https://trinityfi.org/investigations/warning-signs-when-reviewing-church-or-ministry-financial-statements/#:~:text=Donors%20need%20accurate%20financial%20data%20to%20make%20informed,as%20churches%20to%20avoid%20filing%20a%20Form%20990. |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=Trinity Foundation |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Compassion International, Inc. - MinistryWatch |url=https://db.ministrywatch.com/ministry.php?ein=362423707 |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=db.ministrywatch.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Compassion International {{!}} Charity Navigator Profile |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/362423707 |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=www.charitynavigator.org |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}

{{Portal|Evangelical Christianity|}}

[[Category:1952 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Charities based in Colorado]]
[[Category:Children's charities based in the United States]]
[[Category:Christian charities based in the United States]]
[[Category:Evangelical Christian humanitarian organizations]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in Colorado]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado]]
[[Category:Religion in Colorado Springs, Colorado]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1952]]