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Compassion International

Engaged Employer

Compassion International reviews

4.3

86% would recommend to a friend

(423 total reviews)
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Jimmy Mellado

89% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Compassion International has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 423 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Compassion International employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

423 reviews
3.0
Feb 26, 2021

Concern of shifting priorities

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compassion has been known worldwide as a premier child development organization that has lived out its Christ focused purpose. For nearly 70 years the lives of children have been greatly impacted for kingdom and these lives with the ripple effect has gone on to touch many millions more. The mission at Compassion (has) always been forefront to its core, "Releasing Children from Poverty in Jesus' Name".

Cons

To counter my comment about on the "pro", Compassion is losing its way, mission drift is happening and a secular mindset has been gradually seeping in the last couple years. But in 2021 with the massive layoffs in Marketing and the very poor way the executive team has displayed themselves in this effort, many a greatly saddened by the turn this once great organization has taken. I clearly remember Compassion's 50th anniversary where Wess Stafford challenged the global family to continually address the question, "Is it STILL all about Jesus", so as not to lose its way and become another NGO that is doing "good things", but is sanitized of its core purpose to "be the hands and feet of Christ'. Clearly the greatest drive with the leadership is staying "relevant" in a changing world. The focus on inculcating diversity is now a greater drive than making sure Christ and his mission is in the forefront.

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Compassion International Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. Like you, we fondly remember Compassion’s 50th anniversary celebration, including our commitment to always remain a Christ-centered ministry. Jesus is everything to us, to our mission, and to how we go about accomplishing that mission. That will always remain true. We’re sorry you believe we have drifted from that anchor. We still cling to that 50th anniversary pledge of keeping it all about Jesus just as tightly today as we did when we made it. Sometimes the necessary changes that accompany growth (adopting new strategies, capabilities, technologies and structures), may be perceived as mission drift, but we do not see it that way. Our motivation in undertaking that hard work, and surrendering those decisions, capabilities, tools and strategies to God’s will, comes only from a moral imperative to advance life-transforming outcomes with more children more quickly. We firmly believe that God is calling us to continue building on our past legacy as we strive to meet the ever-growing needs of children living in unacceptable poverty. The marketing redesign is just a part of our response to that call. The goal is not just to be relevant. It’s to increase our effectiveness and efficiency in reaching even more children. Some facts might be helpful. Compassion continues to be in a growth season as we look to expand into 4 new countries in the near future. While positions are being eliminated in the marketing redesign, due to reallocation of resources to other efforts that are yielding greater productivity and to important new capabilities, many new roles are also being created as a result. Presently, Compassion has over 125 openings, most of which are directly tied to the marketing redesign effort. And on the topic of diversity, we believe that it is a positive thing for our leadership to more closely reflect the diversity that is present in God’s global church that we serve, while not compromising on competence. Although change is difficult on many fronts, we will prayerfully keep working toward the day when all children in poverty are thriving toward their God-given potential. Thank you for your many years of faithful service to Compassion’s cause. We can’t begin to imagine the kingdom impact that your efforts have enabled, but God knows. And we pray that he will continue to bless you and guide you in this next chapter of your journey.
1.0
Nov 1, 2018

Unhealthy work environment

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The mission of Compassion is great, and lives are being transformed. The pay and benefits are good for a non-profit.

Cons

There are so many people in leadership that should not be! People are promoted because of who they know and not because the are competent. Mangers are not held to the same level of accountability as those beneath them. The 5 Cultural Behaviors that were created to promote a good culture have become very divisive and are used against people in performance reviews. For example, "Careful with my words" means you shouldn't speak up and NEVER question any authority. It's used to silence people in very dangerous ways. When I started (years ago) there was a very different culture. People like coming to work and even spent time outside of work hour together. Our whole department has changed and the office culture is often toxic. Gossip happens regularly because there is no healthy outlet or place for real dialogue. Maybe there are some healthy teams and departments, but I've not seen them. Good luck trying to grow in your career unless you do a lot of butt kissing or know the right people!

2.0
Sep 8, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The plus is having a connection with the sponsored children in the field projects around the world. Employment engagement is high on the mission... reinforced by 5 year anniversary trip to the field as best employee benefit.

Cons

The senior leaders are unaware of how toxic the working culture is in many departments. They either don't care to know, or do not know how to change course after having steady staff growth for so long (ten years or so). Very poor people managers throughout the organization.

Viewing 13 - 15 of 423 Reviews

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