communication with sponsored children
Posted by dls  |  November 17, 2009 8:04:03 AM

I have sponsored children for 20 years and have had plenty of letters, pictures, drawings, etc. I do not know what these people who are complaining about lack of contact with their sponsored children are talking about. As for droppping "Christian" from the name, what difference does it make? If you are truly a Christian, you should not be so narrow-minded as to let that bother you so much. You should be sponsoring a child for the benefit of the child in the first place, not because of a name change!

Kept Well Informed
Posted by Katie42  |  November 16, 2009 6:27:38 AM

My husband and I have been sponsoring children through this organization for the past few years. We get information about the children, their school progress, their interests, and their goals. Our extra gifts/monetary donations have always been acknowledged by the child in her own hand written letters. Maybe individuals considering this charity should check out the salaries paid to the chief officers of other charities to realize that this chief officer's salary is certainly not out of line. I think this is a fine organization and regardless of the name, it is doing a fine job of providing help for children. My husband and I are well satisfied with this charity.

On Religion
Posted by unnamed  |  October 26, 2009 5:49:35 AM

I think there are two issues. When Christians give to a so called Christian organization they expect they are helping the physical needs but if the child is curious and ask that spiritual need will also be addressed. Second they expected to be treated honestly. When an organization invokes religious terminology as a marketing ploy its both dishonest and insulting.

Goddard pay - reply to Irene Duffy
Posted by POJ  |  October 7, 2009 12:17:38 PM

You wrote, "Ms. Goddard has been with this charity for decades."

I suspect you are misinformed. Following is from ChildFund's website touting the qualifications of Mrs. Goddard.

"In 2005, Goddard was named CARE’s chief of staff working from its Atlanta, Ga., headquarters. In this position, she was primarily responsible for working with CARE’s president and CEO to ensure day-to-day management of CARE USA’s global operations. She also chaired the Crisis Management Team and served as a CARE spokesperson."

Which was her parttime job? With CARE or CCF?

One might just as accurately characterize Mrs. Goddard as a job jumper, persistently climbing the salary ladder by swinging from one charity to the next. This is not illegal, nor is is necessarily unfavorable, but skeptical donors might be forgiven for wondering whether she really is "a dedicated and loyal servant to this charity", as you generously believe, or simply another ambitious careerist.

Why do you give to charity?
Posted by coastsider  |  October 7, 2009 12:16:15 PM

I give to this charity to help a child. As others here have said, I do not care if this charity is Christian, and if that is why you have been giving, I think your intentions are misdirected. I am not Christian but still gave because I wanted to help a needy child. The fact that they no longer use Christian in their name should not be viewed as a negative if your true intention is to help children. As far as the compensation of the CEO, yes, almost $300K is too high and I hope she would voluntarily accept a lower salary; still she should be reasonably paid and $200K a year would be more acceptable. She is running a large organization and must have good organizational skills to run it successfully. As far as letters from my child, they have been few and when I sent pictures/stickers, etc., they were never received by the child, which makes me wonder what happened to them. I have sent an extra $100 for food and clothing and medical supplies and I hope it goes to the child and his family. Giving to any charity requires as act of faith, faith that the money is being well used. Hopefully this website does good research and will help all of us direct our resources to "good" charities.

ChildFund name change... a rose by any other name.
Posted by Irene Duffy  |  September 10, 2009 11:46:51 AM

How sad that some people are so disgruntled over the removal of the word "Christian" from this charity. Jesus said "be all things to all people". If it is easier for CCF/Childfund to reach and help more children because of a simple name change I don't think Christ would judge, do YOU? I think the new name is more inclusive while the charity is still doing very Christian work. We have been sponsors for approx. 25 years. I have never been left in the dark over who my sponsored children were or sent form letters of any kind. Every single letter I received was genuine and heartfelt. I have had one child/family for the past 17 years. Not only do you save the child (both parents died of AIDS), you save the rest of their family AND contribute to the success of the village. Where else can you save so many souls for so little money. The entire family is allowed into the program. The field workers are dedicated and tuned into what provisions/medicines/food will best benefit the village and or family. As far as the salary of the CEO goes... Ms. Goddard has been with this charity for decades. Any CEO worth their salt could make exponentially more money at a "for profit" company. Ms. Goddard is a dedicated and loyal servant to this charity. This charity surely rescues the very least of God's people. I endorse it with all my heart.

Christians?
Posted by LlanaG.  |  August 30, 2009 6:11:48 PM

You believed you were donating in the name of christ? But because the name and details were different you were not?

1. If you do good in the name of christ, all your good is in "His" name no matter how the organization is branded.

2. You are more concerned with the religious nature of the organization than the actual good you are doing. How is that Christian or good? Its fair-weather and shallow at best.

Lets keep our eyes on the ball here. The goal of the charitable is to help our fellow man/woman/child. If we care about them, we aid regardless of religion, superstition, or other beliefs we prefer to think are real. What is real is this physical world, the suffering, the caring, the hungry and the feeding. Helping in these regards is much more critical and the effectiveness of this good organization is more important. Religion and other such debatable things are much less useful or pressing.

Poor efficiency in past resulted in name change??
Posted by Kel6200  |  August 25, 2009 6:31:05 AM

I have been a CCF sponsor since 1986, and coincidentally was thinkinga bout ending my sponsoring over the past several months for two main reasons: 1) I knew CCF's efficiency was lower compared to other organizations doing the same work; 2) For the past 8 years or so, CCF has taken my money each money to sponsor two children, yet sent me absolutely NO literature like they used to do about what two children my $$ has supposedly been supporting. Having been too busy with work to look into it, I just kept on donating. But I finally came to the conclusion my monthly payments were being used only for overhead at an inefficiently run organization & a huge CEO's salary, not kids. When an organization changes its name, they are usually trying to outrun something in their past. I can see that this organization's efficiency has improved somewhat over the past couple years, and I applaud that, but I am always suspicious when I see a name change. For instance, Blackwater is now Xi, and Arthur Andersen Consulting changed its name to Accenture after it was scandal-ridden back in the 90's. I AM a Christian, but dropping Christian from the name does not bother me. I give to help out the less fortunate because it is what Jesus taught us to do and He set the example. I don't believe forcing Christianity down the throats of recipients as a stipulation of receiving aid is what Jesus would want. Sponsors can always write letters to their children telling them they are motivated to give because of the example Christ set and let that be it. So I'm not ending my donation because I'm offended at Christian being dropped from the title, but because I am suspicious of name changes in general, and because this organization has failed to tell me which two children I have supposedly been sponsoring over the past eight years (I know about the ones prior to 8 years ago).

something just not quite right.....
Posted by TL1234  |  July 13, 2009 6:24:15 AM

I have sponsored 2 children for the last several years. I did, as many others, believing I was giving in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It hurts to know they used His name as a marketing ploy to deceive. I did inquire several months ago on canceling 1 sponsorship due to financial hardship and received a curt e-mail stating that it is very complicated and lots of paperwork to cancel a sponsorship and that everyone is having financial hardship right now. Well, as fate has it, one child left the program last month. Then they automatically sent a new child sponsorship and began billing me!! If anything, I at least like to have a say in the country/age of the child I sponsor. When trying to contact childfund, the link to "Contact childfund" is bogus and doesn't even work. I could not find a number for any customer service. I finally e-mailed the address at the top of this page. I am awaiting a response. All I can say is something just doesn't seem right about the whole thing. -They make it very easy to donate or sponsor on the website, but impossible to contact them or change/cancel a sponsorship. -When you do contact they still make it very difficult to change a sponsorship -They unindate me with mailings and requests for donations. -They are no longer, nor have been for quite some time a Christian organization. I will continue to donate to my first sponsorship out of personal obligation but fell my money can be used to better minister in the name of Christ with a different organization.

integrity
Posted by boosterdad  |  July 9, 2009 6:07:13 AM

I was a CCF sponsor for over 35 years, sponsored a total of 18 children, 3 at a time for 25-30 years. It looks like including "Christian" in the name has been for many years at least disingenuous if not just plain dishonest.

It has not been a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and argued that it was not Christian so it could avoid placement in the MinistryWatch.com database, yet then argued that it is indeed a Christian organization because of the good works they do for children. (Wouldn't the Red Cross and United Way then qualify as Christian organizations?) You can't have it both ways to enjoy the advantages of both sides of the fence.

Inconsistencies in letters I have received from my sponsored children have made me wonder if at least some of them were not bogus.

The most important issue for me with non-profits is INTEGRITY - CCF, now ChildFund International, doesn't pass that smell test for me any longer. They have misrepresented the nature of their organization for too many years. Their identification as a Christian organization has been a clear purposeful misrepresentation.

I wish them and the children they assist well, but there are Christian organizations to which I will now contribute that are credible in describing what they do and recognize the spiritual as well as the physical needs of the children they serve.

Charles Taylor

Conscious Caring Friends (CCF)
Posted by ControlledChaos  |  June 26, 2009 6:09:45 AM

I'm not religious. I have 2 kids I sponsor for over 2 yrs. This organization has been spot on in providing timely info on the families and kids I support. I will continue to do so! This charity has a good track record, so I don't care what it's called.

Name Change
Posted by Suthern  |  June 22, 2009 6:32:33 AM

I was rresearching the history of CCF to consider becoming a donor but after reading about the name change (which must reflect current attitudes and direction) I have decided to pass. There are many organizations that do the same work.

My response from CCF (part 1)
Posted by Kirk  |  June 16, 2009 6:06:01 AM

Response (J. Mosby) 04/24/2009 11:42 AM

The name ChildFund International reflects the true breadth and international scope of our work and recognizes our affiliation with a network of 11 other international child development organizations that assist children living in poverty. CCF is a founding member of ChildFund Alliance and maintains a central role in the group’s work. Our participation in the ChildFund Alliance extends our global reach to 55 countries where deprived, excluded and vulnerable children need assistance.

Our name has changed but our core values remain the same - we continue to assist those in need, helping the deprived, excluded and vulnerable children around the world.

We always have - and always will - serve children of all faiths, and welcome people of all faiths as employees, donors, partners, and leaders of our organization. All religions place a premium on service to those less fortunate. So in that sense, CCF is in keeping with that great multi-faith tradition. We’re proud of that legacy.

We were founded as a humanitarian organization originally known as China’s Children Fund. As we expanded outside of China, we changed our name to Christian Children’s Fund, reflecting our faith heritage, and continuing our commitment to humanitarian work for children. The fact that our work is rooted in the Christian principles that some share is a plus.

Although we haven’t made evangelizing a part of our work for more than 30 years, we have a strong faith heritage, and we’ve never shied away from it. Many donors have shared that their giving is motivated not because of our name, but because of our experience in making a difference in the lives of children.

My response from CCF (part 2)
Posted by Kirk  |  June 16, 2009 6:05:25 AM

As an employee, I am proud to work for one of the oldest, most respected and diverse organizations that serves and supports children around the world in the many challenges they face now and in the future. I believe in the cause and mission of CCF/ChildFund International and for the sake of "Child One" and "Child Two", I truly hope that you will give us the chance to continue that mission and our legacy and will stand with us as we continue our critical work.

It’s not about the sign on the door; it’s about serving the children.

----------------------------------

Can you please explain why you are dropping the word "Christian" from your new name? The letter did not explain that.

Do you still plan to represent Jesus in your dealing with the children? Or are you going to become a humanitarian organization without a Christian focus?

The fact that you didn't make any comment whatsoever about this in your letter leads me to believe the latter is the way you are going...

Please explain. Thank you.

- Kirk

-------------------------------------

Please note I replaced the name of my sponsered children with "Child One" and "Child Two".

Otherwise, CCF's response is exactly as it was sent to me.

CCF's Unbelievable Callousness Posted by Terry
Posted by POJ  |  June 3, 2009 12:24:19 PM

If this was by way of punishment to Terry, as opposed to some lamentable error, it truly is revolting. I am angered, but hardly surprised. The suspicion that the same might happen to my children & families should I criticize with my identity known was precisely why I haven't.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the way this country and the world are going. Terry, just hope you won't receive an audit notice from the IRS next. Watch out for your credit accounts and your drivers' license. They can be revoked. Anne knows where you live.

Christian Alternatives
Posted by jwspoonjr  |  May 27, 2009 6:02:10 AM

Consider Samaritan's Purse and/or Compassion International if you are interested in supporting excellent Christian charities (ratings of 60+ from CN) that help children and are proud to spread the Good News of Christ!

Christian Children's Fund: Let's Purse this Issu
Posted by STF  |  May 12, 2009 8:35:17 AM

Terry and other disappointed donor (including me) ought to pursue this issue of the name change (nd the impolit treatment of donors)further. I suggest an association of concerned donors, centered in Virginia where this charity is incorporated.

CCF's Unbelievable Callousness
Posted by Terry  |  May 12, 2009 6:13:06 AM

I was honored to sponsor four children for a number of years through CCF. I sent extra gifts for all the holidays and birthdays. I also sent gifts for the children's families. I was OK with the fact that the children might not be Christian, but they knew that their sponsor was. When I complained to CCF about the name change they immediately & without warning or allowing recourse on my part, canceled all four of my sponsorships. Imagine the heartbreak of not even being able to say one last good bye to these wonderful kids. When I share my story with friends and co-workers they are completely shocked by CCFs response and callous action. I am extremely disappointed with the cold heartedness of this organization though I now know I shouldn't be.

Anne Lynam Goddard's pay & Name Change
Posted by POJ  |  May 6, 2009 10:33:24 AM

I see lots of other supporters are incensed at Anne's level of compensation (see my comment Nov. 10, 2008). And then, some aren't.

I still am. This together with the name change, which I'll bet the farm was the result of a suggestion from Anne, make me very skeptical about where CCF is going. Making more bucks to pay Anne's hefty salary is not my idea of a good direction.

I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN, so it isn't a religious concern that irks me about the name change. A poorly concealed effort to divorce itself from the currently politically incorrect "Christian" label does!

The children I sponsor definitely are Christian, but I don't think non-Christian children are disqualified as beneficiaries. Does anyone have information which refutes this?

As I wrote before, "A better way for sponsors to assist their children is to keep their annual sponsorship amount the same, but send more periodic contributions specifically for the children and/or their families."

I'm not increasing my contribution to what used to be CCF, but will increase my direct contributions to the children and their families, as long as Anne doesn't find a way to dip into that. Until the ChildFund shows evidence of continued worthiness, some other children's charity will get my new business.

Chsitstian Children's Fund's Christian Identity
Posted by STF  |  May 5, 2009 1:02:04 PM

As a monthly donor for over 15 years I also was disappointed at the name change, and corresponding by e-mail with CCF have been informed that they no longer even reference the name of Christ in their work. I donated for all those years because I was persuaded I was assisting a Christian organization.

As an attorney I can attest that a fundamental change in a charitable organization's status and purposes raises legal issues. CCF is organized under the laws of the Commownealth of Virginia. Where might one view their incorporation documents to see how their mission and purposes are there identified?

It's Not Just A Name Change
Posted by Used  |  May 5, 2009 9:37:57 AM

I was shocked, after sponsoring various children for 36 years through Christian Children?s Fund, that for the last 30 years it?s not promoted Christian teachings at all. Now they are coming clean and dropping Christian from their name to become ChildFund. This is so they can raise more funds from overseas. It seems the word Christian gets in the way now. For so long they have used the word Christian to attract Christian givers such as myself. They never said they dropped their Christian focus. If the name change does not bother you, and being affliated with a non-Christian group is okay with you, go ahead and support it. I am glad I helped the many children I have, but I am now stopping my support because I feel used and betrayed by a charity that used the Christian umbrella all of these years and weren't. They should have changed their name years ago to reflect their change in focus.

CCF Changes it's name
Posted by Only  |  May 4, 2009 1:32:38 PM

Been a sponsor for 9 years. Extremely dissappointed with the decision to change names to ChildFund International. Took Christian out of your name and that was the main reason I had stayed with the charity, I erroneously figured you were spreading the gospel. How exactly is dropping "Christian" from the name going to 'improve our ability to overcome the root causes of poverty and help more children.' I certainly do not 'embrace your new identity and commitment to even beter results'. The letter of explaination you sent out does not mention that the organization was founded by a Christian minister, don't forget your origins. You have dissappointed many of the 30 educators from my campus that currently sponsor children. Caravati, you should know better! In trying to appear more secular you will lose many sponsors that were with you because of your name. Then again after a little research I found you have nothing to do with advancing the faith in Christ Jesus. Very dissappointed in you guys - if that means anything to you! The only ones that will suffer are my sponsored children, but soon two kids from a different charity will have a new sponsor.

CCF Sellout
Posted by Terry  |  April 27, 2009 5:54:06 AM

After years of supporting a Christian organization it is sad to see this organization change it's name in order to appear more secular, thinking that it will garner more support, but what greater name is there than Jesus? I will no longer support an organization that is so willing to abandon it's roots. And for what? Access to more Money? Money isn't the answer, faith is.

CEO PAY
Posted by Uncle Fuzzy  |  April 23, 2009 7:08:30 AM

If you see the salaries of most CEOs of charitable organizations, you will discover that these people get paid lots of money!!! So do the eight or ten people who are employeed directly under these CEOs--such as vice presidents and et cetera. I honestly don't understand why they accept such large amounts of money on their paychecks?!!! I thought that the "BIG IDEA" behind charities was to help others that are less fortunate than we are--but it looks like the people who are getting THE MOST help are the CEOs and the other staff members who are actually stealing a very large amount of money by accepting these high salaries! For example, World Vision's CEO makes MORE than $1000.00 a day, EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!!! That's SICK! And it's very disturbing, indeed, to know that these hoodlums are robbing the people who contribute to these charitable organizations! It is charitable racketeering and extortion AT ITS BEST!!! People who engage in such fraudulent and criminal practices are insensitive (!!!INSENSITIVE!!!) to their own shame and disgrace!

These CEOs, and others, would do well to know that their ability to take tremendous amounts of money away from charitable organizations IS NOT "the answer to happiness". Especially when they are asking ordinary working people (people who generally make $15,000 or less each year) (20 to 40 times LESS than the amounts paid to these CEOs and others of the same kind) to send money to their named charity!

I would like for some (all) of these very highly paid individuals to write in and justify those BIG PAYCHECKS--and then to tell us how much of the money that they get paid each year goes to help the poor--and then to tell us how much of the money that they get paid each year goes to help themselves and their own families???!!!

It's very discouraging to know how much these people are getting paid--and this is why you never hear about it! They want you to believe that their heart is in helping others more than helping themselv

CCF Experience
Posted by En Shin  |  March 25, 2009 8:09:05 AM

I've sponsored two children for over four years. It has been an extremely rewarding experience. CCF has handled the sponsorship quite well. For the most part I have had good communication with both families, especially considering they are in Sierra Leone and Angola, not the world's most stable or developed countries, to say the least. CCF has helped me to ask the families for special needs which I have been able to meet, including supplying modest funds to buy materials to build a new dwelling for one family when theirs was destroyed in a flood. Both children have stayed in school. Initially I corresponded with the parents of the young boy on his behalf, but now he is old enough to write to me himself. The girl is in more a difficult situation because her mother recently died from an ear ache, leaving her to live with her grandmother. CCF has been very good at getting me updates about the children from program personnel on the ground in both countries, including the occasional photograph of the children. I have had great joy in corresponding with the children and watching them grow up. I feel I have been able to make real differences in the lives of two families. I also appreciate the fact that CCF works on the village level to make sure that all children in a served area receive a base level of benefit, so none are singled out. I also appreciate that CCF lets me make additional donations directly to the families and sends me direct notifications as to how and when my gift was dispensed. All in all I have been extremely happy with the opportunity they have provided me and I have no complaints about the organization. I highly recommend it to anyone, in spite of some of the comments here. In any organization of this size there will always be some issues and some mistakes. But CCF does great work, overall.

Our experiences
Posted by Hannahss  |  March 4, 2009 8:03:16 AM

We have sponsored a child in India for about 6 months. We get pictures and drawings, as well as timely letters. A translator adds information to the child's letter, so that each letter contains a great deal of information. We successfully sent a cash gift to the family. I feel that our sponsorship is making a difference in this child's life.

God knows your intentions
Posted by jaybee  |  February 20, 2009 7:03:08 AM

When giving to CCF or other charities that help children don't be overly concerned about what the CEO makes or how every dime is spent. You are helping children and God knows your intentions and you will be blessed for it.My wife and I have been privleged to sponsor children through CCF for over 25 years and I can say nothing but good about CCF. We have always received photos and updates on the children we sponsor and have never failed to receive personal letters of thanks from the children or their families for birthday or Christmas gifts that we sent. We once received a letter from a girl we sponsor in the Gambia (written by her Neighbor who spoke and wrote English) about the upcoming rainy season and how they feared sickness and death from Malaria. They did not ask for anything but we contacted CCF and told them we would like to donate mosquito nets for our sponsored girl and her family. They had a field worker check on the family of ten and we received a quick reply that our sponsored girl had a net but the rest of the family did not. CCF told ud what the nets would cost and we sent the donation and CCF got the nets to the family. We received a letter from our girl and her family(written by the same neighbor)about how greatful they were to have those nets.CCF is a large organization and mistakes will happen but don't give up on sponsoring a child because of the reasons given in some of the other comments on this page. God knows your intentions.

The Children
Posted by RLG  |  January 2, 2009 6:43:43 AM

I was looking for an organization to help unfortunate children. I pulled up a number of good organizations, and decided to go with one that had a high percentage of money going to the program, and one with a reasonable amount of money going for salaries. Unfortunatly I discovered that this organization has slipped a little, and compensation to its President has become excessive. We are entering an age where greed and compensation has got to be checked. Other similer organizatons have there leaders compensated at a more realistice figure. I thought we were trying to help the children.

CCF Issues
Posted by TSSD  |  December 29, 2008 6:30:05 AM

I was sponsoring a child from Uganda through CCF. I received two letters right away. The information and photos did not match up, but I felt my sponsorship would be doing some good in Uganda so I kept sponsoring. Months went by and I never received any letters or updates, so I sent CCF an email. CCF immediately took out my next months sponsorship payment,and they took the childs info off my account. When I wrote back and aksed why, they told me many sponsors in the US are having issues due to the economy and so they cancelled my sponsorship. All this because I asked a question. The childs photo was put back online for another person to sponsor. CCF sends me lots of mail asking for donations. I really hope that my sponsorship payments helped there in Uganda. I did not get to know much about the child I sponsored. I was shocked at how quickly CCF took her information off my account, especially since they took out another months sponsorship payment the same day. I would hope CCF would work with their sponsors in the future. Just because the economy is bad, does not mean we are going to turn our backs on children who need our help. I will continue to sponsor children, just not through CCF.

Executive Compensation
Posted by POJ  |  November 10, 2008 7:39:49 AM

The annual report for this charity has been released. It covers the year ending June 30, 2008. The compensation you list for CCF's CEO, Anne Lynam Goddard, is still showing the compensation she received for half of 2007, $124,387.

Following is a quote from an earlier report relating to executive pay: “Ms. Goddard became President on January 29, 2007. Ms. Goddard received compensation of $135,341 for the period of January 29, 2007 - June 30, 2007. Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances. Former President John Schultz received compensation of $229,837 during the 2007 fiscal year.”

Does that mean Goddard receives more than $270,682 per year?

I question the level of Goddard's pay, especially since she recently asked sponsors to increase their annual sponsorship contributions. She pled increased expenses.

Yes, fuel, food and other costs have been escalating. Finances are tight for many, including a lot of sponsors.. I suggest Goddard might want to spread the pain, increasing her own contribution by cutting her salary, which seems to be well north of $200,000.

A better way for sponsors to assist their children is to keep their annual sponsorship amount the same, but send more periodic contributions specifically for the children and/or their families.

CCF criticism
Posted by beardedragon  |  September 15, 2008 7:31:44 AM

I just sponsored a child this morning. I do not know where they are going to be from or what their problems are. I am confident that CCF has a surplus of children and families that need help. In response to the comment that it may be possible that multiple people are sponsoring the same child, my answer is GOOD!! Cost of living taken into account, I suggest you move to where they are living for a month and attempt to live on $24. I wish you the best of luck. I have studied political science and know that it is orgs like this that make the most impact on the lives of actual human beings. Sure, the World Bank has gotten much better and they have actually begun privatizing many of their projects (with great successes), but you cannot make great strides sustainable without addressing the day-to-day problems as well. How does a family in Cairo pay for private water and sewer service that was state-funded for the last 1/2 century? The problem is that in this specific case (and there are many like it) the transition needs to be made in order to improve the quality of the service and provide potable water and waste removal systems. The governments in these countries have proven that providing these services for FREE is entirely unsustainable. Like I said (before I write a thesis), organizations like this help people with day-to-day problems, educate them, feed them if necessary and try to fill the gaps left by other organizations so that people can begin to have faith in themselves and hope for making better lives.

Having spent some time working for a non-profit organization I can say that the people who run them work very hard. As some orgs learned by failure, you need to introduce competition ,and YES compensation, in order to get good results. I suggest you compare their salaries with those of similarly sized FOR PROFIT companies.

I look forward to sponsoring a child. I expect it will be a good experience. If this org. does not fulfill its' mandate, there are oth

CCF ib Bolivia
Posted by x2burles  |  September 2, 2008 5:44:29 AM

We sponsor two children in Bolivia and we visited them in 2007. I was very impressed with the CCF staff in Bolivia as well as the volunteers from the affiliated entities. Because of concerns about Chagas disease we sent funds to replace a thatched roof with a metal roof and renovate one of our children's home, several months before we visited. Most of this project had been completed when we visited, thg father had done most of the work and I was impressed with the quality of the workmanship. It was wonderful to meet the children we sponsor, their families and their community. CCF does a very good job in Bolivia!

ratings
Posted by CLS  |  August 28, 2008 5:50:48 AM

This is my second child on this network. I got newsy letters and it taught my children to be happy with their lives! They became involved in charities themselves! My only concern is this was a 5 star charity which dropped to 4 stars. It seems that more is going to advertising, etc. I'm wondering if this amount could be reduced? All in all....I am very happy with this organization! I've gotten more back than I give!

They are fakes
Posted by kaystoli  |  August 26, 2008 5:57:59 AM

For years I've sent them 24 a month. Every letter I sent said " I live alone. My family is dead" Every letter I get back says " God bless you and your beloved family. This month they sent me a letter to someone else who is evidently also supporting the same child??? If my letters aren't being read, is the money going there??? I cancelled my donations yesterday.

Response to "Sigh" and "Do these deals..."
Posted by morgana544  |  July 28, 2008 6:11:58 AM

A quarter of a million is $250,000. That's not a lot of money for a charity that actually has people working in the field all over the world. They don't just "distribute $200,000,000." Take a look at their program expenses: that doesn't mean charity balls or high salaries for the CEO. If you think it's such easy work, why not apply to be a field worker? I think you'll both eat your words. Just go to their web site.

First Hand Witness
Posted by Wayword  |  July 21, 2008 5:58:06 AM

We sponsor several children with this charity and have traveled to Bolivia to see first hand what they are doing. My child's family is extremely grateful for the support they are given as are so many others that we talked with. This fund partners with others in Bolivia to make a difference is the lives of the people. To quote a letter from my child " my parents get along much better now" with your support. This charity does much more than send out checks - it requires field personnel to interact with government, local people and organizations.

*sigh*
Posted by Raven Law  |  June 24, 2008 6:06:09 AM

Do you think it would be hard work to run a charity or anything else for that matter that had to distribute $200,000,000?

Do these deals work on comission?
Posted by TH  |  April 24, 2008 1:13:06 PM

Over a quarter of a MILLION to run a charity? Must be really hard work or run on comission.