Integrity

Integrity: a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. (Mirriam-Webster)


Do you have integrity? Do you expect integrity from others? Whether we have thought about it, we all expect integrity from businesses, particularly those who handle our money. Banks. Retirement accounts. Charities.

If you've read any other posts at all, you know I sponsor children through Compassion International (rather than one of the other child sponsorship organizations).  The main reason I like Compassion is that it partners with churches to get the funds to the people at a local level. People in the countries where Compassion serves know how to get things done efficiently in their culture, they know the people in their community better than an outsider would (and therefore know who really needs the help), and by partnering with churches, it's made clear at the beginning that the children registered in the program will learn about God, in addition to all of the physical benefits of sponsorship.

But it takes a lot of money to fund all the day-to-day operations of a student center/project. They need food, art/school/sports supplies for the kids, office supplies for the workers for the mandatory reports they must submit, clothes, medical checkups, etc. Our sponsorship money goes to pay for those items. And we as typical people expect that our money is being spent on those things. The only way to know for sure is to document, document, document.

I am grateful for Compassion's commitment to financial integrity. I want to know that my money is being spent the way it's supposed to be. I also am grateful for the ability to write and receive letters from the children I sponsor. It's a way to connect with the kids we're helping, making it real to us, and not just a financial obligation.

But that emotional connection to the children makes it difficult for me as a sponsor when financial integrity needs to be maintained. One of the projects where I sponsored a child--for whatever reason--was not keeping the necessary records. After repeated training and time to correct the errors (with no improvement), the project needed to be closed by Compassion, simply to maintain financial integrity.

Yes, I have lost contact with one of my children. Yes, that is painful. Yes, I will continue to pray for him, his family, and those in his community. But I still love Compassion, and I will still continue sponsoring my girls for as long as I am able.
If you've been wondering whether Compassion is a trustworthy organization, I can assure you it is. Charity Navigator ratings are all fine and good--but this experience with a project being closed is real, and something I can grasp.
Take a moment and consider if you've been led to sponsor a child, to use the money God has blessed you with, to bless a child living in extreme poverty. While you're thinking about it, go take a look at the children currently waiting for a sponsor.

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=115754