Friends! It has been much too long. I’m sorry for my extended leave of absence as of late. But I promise … I have a pretty good excuse. Let’s catch up, yes?

Let’s talk Twinkies first.

The Twinkie Project has undergone some serious plastic surgery. Face-lift. Tummy tuck. Lipo. The works. We’ve trimmed her up real nice and purdy. But don’t fret, it’s all for the best.

Who was the surgeon, you ask? Thankfully, not me. I did not excel in anatomy.

This project has been handed off to a team, as in several people, who will be taking it to infinity and beyond. Three highly qualified and ridiculously creative gentlemen are now driving the Twinkie Project to another level of awesomeness. I am still participating in helping to bring it to life, just on a smaller, less time-consuming scale.

Among the many changes that it has seen, the Twinkie Project has been renamed. Granted, the “Twinkie Project” was never on its birth certificate, so the code name still applies for now.

Without giving too much away, I will say this — it has grown much larger than I would have dared to dream.

Turns out the basic idea behind it — sending young people abroad to broadcast their lives to us and teach us about countries and peoples we don’t know — is not so new. As a matter of fact, there are several other organizations and companies that have pioneered this concept.

Only thing is … Compassion is the only one among the crowd that really does something so beautifully different — partnering with the church; equipping pastors to minister to their communities more holistically. We empower and enable people who have the hearts for ministry but not the means.

So while our little “Twinkie” looks like the other Twinkies on the outside, we’re filled with something entirely different on the inside.

Who knew Twinkies could make for such spiritual metaphors? Moving on. (more…)

Dan Trumble, a managerial accountant in Finance Business Partner Support, tells a story of one man’s salvation brought about in a way that only God can orchestrate.

Sean Dana, an International Trip Manager, has been leading sponsor tours for more than three years. On one of his first sponsor tours, he had an opportunity to bring a lifetime of joy to children who rarely get to play, run or laugh because they live in the midst of extreme poverty.

Jacob Kitonsa began working for Compassion in Uganda in 1999. He currently works in our International Program Group as a Senior Leadership Development Program Specialist.

Jacob shares that working for Compassion has given him the opportunity to root himself in Christ, to establish himself as a Christian, and to make his life his ministry.

Now, I know the organizational structure of a company is not all that exciting, but it does say a lot about how an organization is run, what its priorities are and how it tries to achieve its objectives.

Just take a look at your church.

If it has a senior pastor, five associate pastors, two youth pastors, three children’s ministry directors, two worship pastors, three small group directors and a congregation of 50 people, that’s a problem, wouldn’t you say?

Top heavy, perpetually over budget, ridiculous amounts of overhead.

Now say it’s located near an inner city and its main goal is to do targeted outreach. Now the church is potentially lacking in both talent and funding to achieve its outreach goals.

Mission and budget are crucial pieces of the puzzle for an organization. They drive strategic planning one year and five years down the road and govern the here and now.

They help dictate the best structure of an organization and enable managers to make important decisions around hiring — Who? For what purpose? When?

Last year alone Compassion grew by 371 full-time employees — a 19 percent increase. We have more than 1,500 International Program staff in the field — 67 percent of our total staff is made up of nationals. That says a lot about how we use our resources and go about our mission.

Organizational structure is important, especially for us as we have been growing so rapidly.

You all know we’ve surpassed 1 million concurrently sponsored children. What on earth does it take to support a boatload of new employees and more than 1 million sponsored children?

Well, let’s take a quick look at the mission-keepers and budget preparers at Compassion. They fit under the umbrella title Global Support Services and are one part of what makes things tick here in Colorado Springs. (more…)

So to follow up on the clock analogy, what makes Compassion tick? Which gears and teeth make Compassion run and how?

Are there letter-writing genies in the basement? Does Compassion’s headquarters even have a basement?

Do Santa’s workshop personnel kick it here during the off-season addressing and licking envelopes and sleighing over to Togo, India and Honduras to drop off sponsor letters? Payroll and finance must have a tough time keeping up with the influx of elfishness.

No genies. No basement (that I’m aware of). No elves. No sleigh. (Although there may or may not be a task force looking into the cost benefit analysis of said magical sleigh. Postage is expensive.)

Today, I will break this down into a very high level overview. It won’t be totally satisfying but one must start somewhere. We can get into the nitty gritty later.

First the Ministry Paradigm. Or rather, my version of it.

Before you tune out, the Ministry Paradigm is basically a high-level representation of how Compassion is organized to best serve children.

And when you think about it, every organization should have a specific goal: mainly to take the mission and vision, devise a strategy to implement change, employ specific operations to reach the desired outcomes, and measure them along the way to gauge impact. Right?

I think we can all agree that the children are the main focus of Compassion’s work. The children are the reason you sponsor, and it is you who allow us to serve them.

Now, we’ve got two sides of the equation. Two main feeders serving Compassion’s children — church partners in the field and sponsors here in the U.S. (and abroad). A gross misrepresentation, but go with this analogy: hands and money. (more…)

Lest I misled readers with my first entry on the epic move from New York City to Colorado Springs, I must confess that I am not a true city slicker.

While yes, I did most recently come from NYC, it was only a two-year stint for graduate school. An unfortunate amount of that time was spent in a university library.

I grew up in a suburb 30 minutes outside “the city,” as it’s referred to. (There apparently is no other city comparable in the world according to New Yorkers, so the definite article is used.)

My town was pretty standard: backyard, front lawn, dog and cat, older sister who bossed me around, friends “on the block,” peanut butter and jelly in a paper bag, squashed.

I walked to school, played kickball in the street and stoopball at my grandma’s before requisite the 19-course Sunday meal.

And while man’s talent seems to reign supreme in Manhattan’s skyscrapers and Broadway shows, God’s talent reigns supreme here in Colorado Springs at Compassion. From the glory of Pikes Peak and tremendous Colorado thunderstorms, to the daily happenings in the conference room near my desk at Compassion, God is sovereign and present.

Part of my first three months here at work has been spent trying to figure out how Compassion functionally works. And that is what I’d like to pass along to any interested readers.

I won’t bore you with a PowerPoint presentation on the organizational matrix, but I will attempt to scratch the surface of a beloved organization in order to help us all understand what makes Compassion tick and how it actually does the ticking.

But first, here is the surface.

In order to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name, we’ve got to implement programs that reach the children. That requires funding and support.

So, Compassion is set up to do all three: attract and engage sponsors and donors, provide shared support services, and implement programs.

And mind you, my next posts will not be the official version. So please, take this with a grain (lump) of salt.

I’m still getting my bearings here and will be drawing from large corporate documents, orientation presentations and conversations with co-workers.

So, while I’m striving for integrity of information, do not take this as canon, but rather the unofficial version. Understood?

Be assured that it will also unavoidably be tainted with my humor, which often falls flat.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!