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.
