I gotta say, I love those ideas! As a sponsor, I would certainly make use of both.

The biggest issue with the first idea is plain-old internet connectivity, especially in many of the churches we partner with. The good news, however, is that IT has been actively working for some time on ways we can enhance internet connectivity in many of the places we work. Obviously, we’re often still at the mercy of the open internet, but we do have a lot of brilliant people looking into ways we can extend technology (like in your example) to the broadest reaches of our ministry.

Once we’ve done that, I think that your great ideas and others like them can become a reality.

In the meantime, I’ve got your suggestions on my list. So thanks!

- Brandon

Gin Dobre from Poland!

Yes, through God’s grace we have some sponsors from Poland. Thank you for your greetings.

God bless you!

Kees

What if we could have a video camera connected to a computer in the child’s country and a video camera in the sponsor’s country and the sponsor and child can visit each other through the internet. I know that nothing will replace the experience of actually meeting the child in person, but for some people this might be the best thing.

It might even be something that a project could do. Or I have thought about an idea. What if one student, maybe an LDP student could send a letter to various sponsors, saying that he/she could take some digital pictures/videos of the child that the sponsor is sponsoring for say $20. It might take the LDP student 1 hour to do so per child, the sponsors might be excited to spend the additional $20, because it’d be a huge blessing to see these extra footage of the children and the pictures and the LDP student might be able to raise his own funds this way, which would give him/her more self confidence or if anything the ability to put another student through LDP. I know that a friend of mine went to visit some of my children and took videos and pictures and it meant so much to me and not only that, but also I felt, especially with the video that I really knew the child so much better.

This might also be a good idea once many of these things become three dimensional, so it could be that the sponsor could see the child three dimensionally. Or am I thinking now too much of Star Wars IV… LOL!

I’m excited to hear that there are sponsors in Poland. I’ve been on lots of ships from the Polish Ocean Line. Gin Dobre!!!

Blessings,

Kees

Thank you for a thoughtful, kind and professional response. God bless you!

You make an excellent point. We absolutely want to seize the low-hanging fruit as much and as often as possible. In fact, it’s something we’re always on the lookout for, both in IT and in each organizational unit.

That being said, the idea of “low-hanging fruit” can be deceptive. Sometimes, changes that seem simple to implement can be quite difficult in reality due to hidden dependencies or downstream complexity. On the other hand, sometimes they are just that simple, but hadn’t yet been considered.

To be honest, I’m not certain if Compassion’s ability to provide you with e-statements is simple or not, but I will promise you that I’ll look into it and get back to you.

Thanks again for your comment and for reading!

Even though I’ve signed up to have $$ deducted from my bank account, I still receive a monthly statement with a return envelope that I have absolutely no use for.

I asked about this a couple of years ago, and got an email with defensive-sounding excuses. Now that we’re well into the 21st century, couldn’t an international entity like Compassion implement something that my health club down the street is doing?

Thanks again for the follow-up, and for taking the time to think the process through. I really appreciate your suggestions and will be sure to send them along to some individuals involved in the letter-writing process.

Some steps in the process you suggest are already in place, while others are being actively evaluated as we speak. To be sure, Compassion is very interested in using the internet, and other technologies, to speed up our processes and truly enhance the connection between sponsor and child, without either detracting from the power of handwritten communication, or compromising the integrity of the children we serve.

Again, these are great suggestions. I, for one, would love to hear from my child sooner electronically, even if the physical letter (which usually includes wonderful illustrations) arrives a few weeks later.

I will be sure to capture your suggestions and forward them along to the appropriate individuals.

Thanks!

Brandon