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Compassion International

Engaged Employer

Effective Program, but management can be a problem. - Supervisor Compassion International Employee Review

4.0
May 20, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The program is very effective at poverty alleviation, and that means a lot. Financial stewardship is taken seriously. The new President has only been there for about 18 months, and it seems like he still has a lot of plans to improve things. Growth remains strong, and the benefits are great, especially for a nonprofit organization. This makes up some for the below market salaries. How much money do you really need? The main U.S. Headquarters is in Colorado Springs, which is fantastic. There are good things about the culture, but there is a lot of petty dysfunction as well. I do really like working here, but there are some real issues. Maybe not make or break problems, but enough to to keep me busy.

Cons

Senior management can be so out of your and insulated from reality. A lot of senior VPs have left with the transition to a new president, but they really should get rid of a few more, especially the one in charge of GSS. He's terrible in more ways than one. The new CEO came in a made some excellent changes at the executive level and did some great reorganization. But so far, the single line authority, accountability transformation has not filtered to my level of the company. I hope it will, but a lot of these executives just don't get it. I'm optimistic that some of these problems will be resolved eventually. HR is a mess. I work with them a lot, and while some of the incompetent people have been fired, not all of them have. Recruiting is great, but the others operate in cover thy butt mode too much to be of any help. Their favorite topic is how terrible millennials are. Outside of the global program I see lots of dysfunctional and very outdated management practices. Most of the senior managers don't know how to be vulnerable or approachable enough to hear what their staff really thinks. There are a lot of people who have gotten so used to being right they can't tell when they have drifted out of their expertise. Conflict is avoided. Accountability tends to be very rare and then when it happens it will be extreme. A lot of senior people got their jobs here before Compassion started growing a lot and would probably never have gotten them now. Meh. Real talk: I don't know if I would recommend this place to millennials. Or to liberal people. It is pretty stuck in the mud conservative most of the time.

Explore other reviews about Compassion International

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people... great mission. Incredible to be a part of such a life-changing ministry to some of the most impoverished children in the world.

Cons

Expectations are very high to do so much with relatively little resources.

3.0
Jul 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone is attracted to the mission, at least at first. There are some exceptional benefits in terms of work flexibility, and an overall sense of making a meaningful impact in lives.

Cons

Things move slowly, and direction is often unclear to the point that staff lose motivation. The organization is undergoing financial stress with no clear remedy, and there are very limited opportunities for growth. It's frustrating to see pet projects get resources while true organizational needs go unattended. The medical insurance offering has been almost worthless, though Compassion tries with a HSA plus-up.

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Compassion International Response
2w
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're glad to hear that our mission, workplace flexibility and opportunities to make a meaningful impact have been positive aspects of your experience. We recognize that periods of change and complexity can create challenges, and we're committed to communication, aligning priorities and equipping our teams for long-term success. We also continually evaluate our competitive benefits offerings and other areas of the employee experience to ensure we are serving our staff well. Thank you for your ongoing contributions to our mission.
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