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Top Rated

Compassion International

CharityWatch report issued
April 2019

Top-Rated Charity
A
CharityWatch Grade
Our independent grade based
on a number of factors.
 
82%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$14
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Compassion International
12290 Voyager Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80921-3668

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

Exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and to enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

View similar charities
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 06/30/2018

Program Percentage: 82%

The percentage of Compassion International's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$862,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $14

How many dollars Compassion International spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$663,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
Compassion International IRS Form 990 36-2423707
Compassion International & Affiliates Consolidated Audited Financial Statements Multiple
Entity: Compassion International
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 36-2423707
Entity: Compassion International & Affiliates
Document Type: Consolidated Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: Multiple

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
Compassion International
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Compassion International
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy No Sharing  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Santiago H. Mellado President/CEO $417,314
2 Ed Anderson Senior VP/CFO $302,888
3 Mark Hanlon Senior VP $302,481
1
Name: Santiago H. Mellado
Title: President/CEO
Compensation: $417,314
2
Name: Ed Anderson
Title: Senior VP/CFO
Compensation: $302,888
3
Name: Mark Hanlon
Title: Senior VP
Compensation: $302,481

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.
CharityWatch's rating of Compassion International also includes the financial activities of its international affiliates, which are consolidated in the Compassion International audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018.

According to the Compassion International consolidated audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 1, Affiliates):

"Compassion's international affiliates are consolidated based on the level of control exercised by Compassion International, Inc. and the presence of an economic interest. Compassion's consolidated international affiliates at June 30, 2018 and 2017 include:

* Compassion (Darunatorn) Foundation (Thailand)
* Compassion de Mexico Asociacion Civil
* Compassion do Brasil
* Compassion International de Peru
* Compassion International (East Asia) Limited
* Compassion International en Bolivia
* Compassion International Ghana
* Compassion International Lanka (Sri Lanka)
* Compassion International (Singapore) Limited
* Compassion International Togo
* Corporacion Compassion International Filial Ecuador
* Fundacion Compassion International Ecuador
* Yayasan Bantuan Kasih (Indonesia)
* Yayasan Kasih Karunia Indonesia Timur (East Indonesia)"

"During fiscal year 2017, Compassion made the difficult decision to exit operations in India after 48 years in [the] country, due to funding restrictions placed on Compassion by the Indian government. The final day of operations in India was March 15, 2017..."

"Compassion has certain other international affiliates which are immaterial and consolidated based on the level of control exercised and the presence of economic interest."


Whenever practicable, CharityWatch obtains consolidated audited financial statements that include all of the entities of a charity. Such an audit eliminates transactions among related entities, and allows us to determine how efficiently an organization is operating on the whole.

For more information on this topic, please see "Criteria & Methodology," which can be found under the "About Us" navigation header, and read the section entitled "Treatment of Related Organizations."
According to the Compassion International consolidated audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 9, Global Partner Alliance):

For the year ended June 30, 2018, Compassion International reports receiving $223,212,000 in contributions from the following "unaffiliated international organizations": (1) Compassion Korea (South Korea); (2) Compassion Australia; (3) Compassion Canada; (4) Compassion United Kingdom; (5) Compassion Netherlands; (6) Compassion Deutschland (Germany); (7) Compassion Italia Onlus (Italy); (8) Tear Fund New Zealand; (9) Compassion Schweiz (Switzerland); (10) Service d'Entraide et Liaison (France); (11) Compassion Norden (Nordic Countries).
According to the Compassion International consolidated audit of June 30, 2018 (Note 2, Severance Benefits):

"Compassion provides certain severance benefits to eligible former or inactive employees during the period subsequent to employment but prior to retirement through plans individualized for each national office in accordance with local laws and regulations or common market practices. ... Accrued severance for years ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, was $2.05 million and $1.53 million, respectively... Compassion's severance expense was $2.75 million and $2.47 million for the years ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively..."