What does Compassion Circle Foundation do?

Compassion Circle Foundation is an international humanitarian charity fighting global poverty, operating in over 100 countries around the world. We work around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice.

Are you a registered charity?

Yes. Compassion Circle Foundation’s registered charity number is 292506

Are you a religious organisation?

We are non-religious and non-political, allowing us to deliver humanitarian and development assistance to anyone in need regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, political view or sexual orientation.

Why do you put women and girls at the centre of what you do?

The majority of those who live in absolute poverty are women and girls. We place special focus on empowering women and girls because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. Equipped with the proper resources, women have the ability to lift themselves, whole families and communities out of poverty.

How do I know where my donation goes?

We are incredibly grateful for the trust people place in Compassion Circle Foundation when they donate. Donations will fund our work fighting poverty and injustice, and help to fund Compassion Circle Foundation general support and running costs. We take our responsibility to spend those funds wisely and with the maximum impact extremely seriously. We have strong due diligence processes for how funds are spent. We have regular audits of our development work, and we investigate all alleged or actual frauds, losses or incidents and report them to the funder, in our annual report and where required, to the Charity Commission.

Does Compassion Circle Foundationwork with local organisations?

Compassion Circle Foundationworks with local partner organisations, as this is one of the most effective ways to reach the people most in need. We undertake due diligence on all partner organisations, including checks on financial stability and ability to meet our procurement and financial management standards. Partners report to us in detail on their expenses. When expenditure on our own programmes is audited this process also includes our local partners, to ensure we are fully accountable for all funds whether spent directly by Compassion Circle Foundationor on our behalf by a local partner. We are audited both internally and externally to ensure all funds and spending are accounted for.

Why is there still poverty?

In the past 25 years there has been huge progress in tackling poverty: the proportion of people living in extreme poverty has fallen by half. Money spent on aid has made a big difference to billions of people’s lives: better health, better education, better housing, better access to food and water. But there are still millions of people locked in poverty by unjust global policies and a lack of opportunities to work their way out of poverty. Much more still needs to be done to support them to tackle the injustices that keep them poor and improve the lives of their families and communities

Can I volunteer for you overseas?

Compassion Circle Foundation is unable to accommodate volunteers looking to travel overseas. You may find opportunities with Médecins Sans Frontières, British Red Cross or Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO).

Can I volunteer to help at events you are holding?

Compassion Circle Foundation is currently running very few events. The only volunteers we may need are for our cheer station at the London Marathon. If you are interested, please send an email to events@careinternational.org

Can I donate goods rather than money?

Compassion Circle Foundation has found that it is best to get goods either in-country or from neighbouring countries, rather than accepting gifts in kind. This saves us a lot of time and money because we don’t have to collect, pack, or ship the required items. It also means that we can provide culturally appropriate supplies. We prefer, therefore, to offer financial help to our partners so they can purchase supplies themselves. This also supports the local economy.

Why does Compassion Circle Foundationrun face to face fundraising?

Face to face fundraising is an effective way of us securing the donations we need to fund poverty-fighting projects. We ask supporters to sign up to a direct debit, a convenient method of donating which provides a predictable long-term income we can rely on. Our fundraisers help raise awareness about the way we react during times of humanitarian crises as well as our longer-term work to tackle poverty and social injustice across the globe.