As the OurCompassion online community manager, I’ve followed the stories posted on OurCompassion very closely over the last 1 1/2 years.
I have read helpful tips on how to write better letters. I have seen members answer each others’ questions — peer-to-peer — without the formality of asking a ministry representative.
And, I have witnessed sponsors being transformed by their relationship with their sponsored child – and with each other.
OurCompassion is our global online community and a great place to connect with other sponsors. If you want your sponsorship experience to go beyond an informational perspective, it empowers you to engage on a deeper level.
OurCompassion recently moved to a new layout and received new functionalities. It is not “just” a new look and feel; it is a fundamental change to the user experience.
The site now centers on a discussion board with forums that make conversations easy and intuitive. You can join a discussion or start your own on topics such as letter writing, your sponsorship experience or the global issue of poverty.
We also offer a prayer hub – a dedicated space for prayers from the field and from around the community. Through our prayer map, you can see how we are all connected through prayer across the world.
Child development center pages are still available and provide a glimpse into your sponsored child’s environment. As a sponsor, you can see a map of the area surrounding your child’s development center, read a letter from the church pastor and see member photos from sponsor trips.
So why did we make all these changes?
You asked us for a layout that would be faster and easier to use. You asked for a way to better communicate with fellow supporters. And you asked for a place to come together and pray for the needs around the world.
So we listened, and now we invite you to join the experience.
Whether you are new to OurCompassion, haven’t logged in for a while, or are a regular user, I invite you to visit OurCompassion and look around.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below, or send me a personal message on OurCompassion. I look forward to connecting with you.
I love OurCompassion- both the old and new sites and would encourage all sponsors/potential sponsors to take a look.
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I’m so thankful for all the hard work that goes into it behind the scenes. ( I want to thank you personally , Christina, as I know you have been the visible face we all go to when things don’t quite go right or we have questions. Thanks for being excellent.
I was wondering if there was any way to still access the OLD site to see the previous posts? Perhaps as a ‘read only’ archive? Its a shame if all the ideas and stories of the past 18 months have been lost forever.
I have only been to the new sight once… but I don’t really get it. What happend to all the groups…? It would be nice to talk to people who sponsor children in the same area…pass on information to each other….
Marvin, I think it really depends what groups you were a part of. I was part of a group of sponsors in Brazil, where I have a child, but it was extremely rare for someone to post something to that group as well as most of the other groups I was in. I mainly went by the recent journals to look at things, and now I go by the recent posts on the forums. Perhaps you were part of a really active group and that is why you notice a difference. I have tried to start conversations with some sponsors from my project, who are still visible on my project page, and sometimes I have more success than others.
Marvin, if you click on your child’s project number, it will still take you to their project page where you can see who else in OC sponsors in the same project.
Hi Tracey,
. I am excited about these changes, too. As far as the old content goes: since we switched platforms, we weren’t able to keep both sites up. I tried to capture a lot of great feedback and ideas from the old site but overall that content is not accessible as a ‘read only’ archive. Thanks again for your comment and encouragement. Have a great day!
thank you for your kind words – it is certainly a team that is behind all of this and I will make sure to pass your comment along
Hi Marvin,
instead of groups we moved to a discussion board layout to make things more organized. I want to encourage you to give it another try and either find a discussion about a certain country (you can search for topics using the search box on the top right) or start your own discussion. Hope this helps – thank you for your comment.
OurCompassion literally changed my course as a sponsor. It was on OC that I first really began to understand the importance of writing letters. I was inspired by sponsors who shared their ideas about their ministries to their sponsored children. I have made friends with many sponsors, and through these connections have been able to send actual packages to several f our children with others went to visit various countries.
OurCompassion us such a valuable community! I am so blessed to be a part!
I would like to continue using OurCompassion but it won’t let me back in. I’ve tried re-setting the password and everything. I never received an email (it wasn’t in my spam box, either).
I had that same problem too. I called Compassion and they were able to clear it up so I could get back on.
hahaha I kind of forgot OurCompassion existed, thanks for the reminder. I’ll take a look! Our God is an Awesome God!
post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1YXbUcWg2w
post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNzMnocLKF8
Hi Paula,
I’m sorry to hear that – please contact me directly, ckaiser@compassion.com, and I will make sure that you get to log-in and enjoy the community as well.
Hi Michelle,
that’s great to hear! Thanks for being part of the community.
I Love OurCompassion. I have so many new friends and we all share the same passion for children living in poverty around the world. The new site took a little getting used to, but now it feels like home. I encourage you to come and visit, and then stay awhile! Incredibly friendly people there who love to see new faces!
I have been on the new site a couple of times now, but I am confused by the new format, and I am SO disappointed that all of the pictures I had uploaded are gone– as well as the groups. I watched the introductory video, but it might be nice to have a tutorial video for the new site. I would like to continue participating on OurCompassion, but right now I feel lost on there. Also, is there a way to receive e-mail notifications when someone communicates with you? I am not receiving any notification when that happens.
Ourcompassion has had a huge impact on my life with compassion. When I joined (9 months ago) I had one sponsor child. I now have 2 sponsor children and 7 correspondance children. The support and wonderful community has really helped me with my journey with Compassion, I highly recommend new and old sponsors to join and get involved!
I cant get onto ourcompassion since the switch. I no longer have the email that i signed up with and dont know my user name. I miss this site.
Hi Rachel! Christina will be e-mailing you soon to help you get logged on to OurCompassion. We don’t want to lose you and I’m sure your OurCompassion friends miss seeing you on there!!
Actually, I gave up on it, too. I wasn’t terribly active on it, before the switch, although I did make sure my sponsorships were always updated. Occasionally, I did answer a question posed by another sponsor, if no one else had responded.
But when I went in after the switch, I wanted to post some photos, and I could not, to save my life, find how or where to do that. I think I left a note through Contact Us, but never got a reply; I also asked on our regional Advocates page on Facebook, and never got any help there. So I gave up.