Shaun Groves
Singing and speaking on behalf of Compassion International is my full-time gig. But part time, for a few hours a week, I also oversee Compassion’s growing parternship with bloggers known as Compassion Bloggers.
And since a lot of bloggers are reading my blog for the first time after following our recent trip to Guatemala, I’d like to bore my much-loved regular readers at this time by writing a few posts about all things Compassion Bloggers related.
We’ll return to the usual riveting stories of my daily life soon, I promise. I know, you can’t wait can you? I can feel it.
What is a Compassion blogger anyway? And how do I become one?
There are two kinds of Compassion bloggers.
- 884 bloggers have signed up at CompassionBloggers.com/Get-Involved to post on behalf of Compassion whenever asked. Originally, we thought that would be monthly but, honestly, it’s been more like quarterly. These bloggers form a powerful network that has raised money for mosquito nets, sponsored children, fought HIV and AIDS, helped thousands of children in Haiti after the earthquake, and bought a new heart for a boy named Achile in Burkina Faso. Anyone can sign up to receive these e-mail “assignments” from me and use their on-line voice to speak for Compassion’s children.
- 30 bloggers have traveled to the developing world to witness Compassion International‘s ministry to the poor and write about it for a week. More than 1200 bloggers have asked to go on these trips by signing up at CompassionBloggers.com/Take-A-Trip. I read every one one of them and prayerfully select the bloggers who will travel with us next. (More on that selection process tomorrow.)
Becoming a Compassion Blogger is simple. Just sign up to write regularly and/or to go on a trip someday.
Tomorrow I’ll answer…
How do you choose which bloggers go on a trip?
How can I improve my chances of being selected?
And the next day…
Is this blog stuff spending money that could help poor kids?
How helpful is all this blogging stuff to Compassion really?
Am I leaving out a question you have about Compassion Bloggers? Leave it in the comments and I promise to answer.
Meredith Dunn says:
Hey thanks for this, Shaun. Looking forward to learning how to be a better, more effective blogger. I appreciate you taking the time to spell it out! Although the riveting stories on your daily life will be missed, obviously.
Nickie says:
I am one who found your blog and the others during the trip to Guatemala. I have to say, what I read has really moved me in ways I didn’t know were possible. Thank you for doing this, and thank you for explaining it to us. God bless.
Christine says:
Would also love to know how you choose what countries to visit!
Shaun Groves says:
Great question! I’ll add that to the list. Thanks!
Erin M. says:
Already signed up to write! Praying about putting my name in the hat to take a trip… You have done an AMAZING job picking bloggers to go on the trips – each one has touched my heart deeply.
JessicaBowman says:
I didn’t know you could sign up to write regularly. I followed the link, but I’m unsure whether I’m supposed to type in my email address or my blog site. Clarification?
Shaun Groves says:
E-mail address. Sorry about that. We’re going to redesign the site before the next trip (hopefully) so I’ll add that to our list of changes that need to be made.
Thanks for making us better!
JessicaBowman says:
That’s what I’m here for. 😉
And, apparently, I did already know about this, because it said my email was already on the list. Lol.
JessicaBowman says:
Oh, and while we’re on the topic. I was disappointed awhile back with the “Take a trip” page on the site. It says “Tell us a little about yourself and your blog” but only lets you input the bare info of your name, email, and blog.
Anyway, you probably already have that noted somewhere, but thought I’d mention it just in case. 🙂
Shaun Groves says:
Excellent point, Jessica. And, yep, it’s on my very very long list. ; )
Robin Dance says:
Hey Shaun {{waving}},
I receive hits on my blog regularly with keyword searches comparing Compassion International to [other child advocacy organizations]; while you’re answering questions, is this is good time to explain (again) the distinction between what CI does and other worthy organization are trying to accomplish? Especially the one(s) that seem most like Compassion’s model?
You know, since this wicked-awesome Guatemalan blogging team is sending so many new readers your way ;).
Shaun Groves says:
I’m actually meeting with staff from that other organization this week (hopefully) to talk about the differences and how we both of us can best point those out without doing harm to either.
Pray for that meeting will ya? It’s been a long time coming.
jen says:
I will be praying about that meeting!
I am so excited to hear of ministries working together, to present one another in a good light.
You know, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love . . . “
Carrie says:
So glad Compassion did a trip to Guatemala, it’s very dear to my heart for numerous reasons. I’m always so happy to see awareness raised their. I was telling a friend about Guatemala a few years ago and she asked me if it was an *island*. Completely blew my mind that she didn’t know where it was, it’s only two countries away!
Johanna says:
My biggest question: Do you take into consideration if applying bloggers already sponsors kid(s) and if so, if they are _already_ sponsoring in that specific country?
Johanna says:
As in, is it a weighted selected process. (If you were going to Ethiopia and I sponsor a child there — you know, hypothetically — would that be given more weight over blogger X who doesn’t sponsor at all or there?)
Shaun Groves says:
All things being equal, yes, I’d pick the blogger who already sponsors in that country over the one that doesn’t.
But all things are never equal ; )
FYI, bloggers on trips are not required to sponsor a child at all. But if they choose to sponsor in the country we’re headed to, they know we’ll do everything we can to arrange a meeting with their child.
sara varghese says:
you should go to India! we want to go next year and help out at a home for orphans a little bit. Will have a new baby though….we’ll see.
Shaun Groves says:
Been there…
http://compassionbloggers.com/india
Love that place!
JessicaBowman says:
Go again! 🙂
Or better yet, Pakistan!
Those are the two places I really want to go.
Shaun Groves says:
We don’t presently work in Pakistan.
Bummer.
JessicaBowman says:
Yeah, as soon as the submit button was clicked, that recollection bubbled to the surface. And I felt dumb.
Nothing like lookin a fool on the internet. 😉
Shaun Groves says:
Nah. The fools never leave comments. You’re one of the few, the brave ; )
Becky says:
I’m so excited to see this! I have always wondered about the bloggers trip but I didn’t know that you could sign up to blog for Compassion regularly! I’m definitely going to look into that this weekend!
Sara says:
So excited to read this series! I have wanted to go on a trip with Compassion for a long time now–especially since you came and sang at my church! Now that I’m a blogger, I’m hoping that may be in the future some day soon.
Sara says:
Ooh, just noticed you’ll be in Chattanooga again soon. I must come and say hello!
Josh says:
can’t wait to read more in the next few days….I can’t say that I have any new questions, but the ones you’ve listed are certainly ones I’ve thought of before.
Kelli says:
I too am excited to read more about this. I have always wondered what the process was for choosing participating bloggers and, I’ll be honest, I would love to go on one of your trips someday. 🙂
Michelle says:
If I read that your next trip is to Ghana, I may have to resort to paying strangers to stop by my blog so I can hit the required 3,000 hits per month needed to be considered. 😉
Nish says:
Thanks for all of this clarification, Shaun. I had no idea I could write about Compassion in a formal sense. I already do in my own way, but his is great to know.
One question I have is regarding the country selection for trips. Is it based on the highest need of sponsors?
Also, is there somewhere on the Compassion website that discloses which countries are in the highest need?
Thanks for all you do. The Guatemala posts wrecked me in the deepest and most profound ways.
Shaun Groves says:
At the end of this series of posts I hope to be able to announce the location and date of the next blogging trip. At that point maybe I should talk a little more about we choose the countries we visit.
Short answer: No, we don’t visit countries based on need for sponsorship. We came close to running out of unsponsored kids on our Kenya trip but we made it. There’s no shortage, unfortunately, of unsponsored children.
Internet access and consistent electricity are the primary factors I consider when choosing a country.
We can’t do a trip in Haiti, for example, because we may or may not have power the whole time and internet is sketchy at best.
But there’s more to consider beyond the quality of utilities…blah, blah, blah. Some other time.
Great question!
Princess Leia says:
When I was overseas, a church sponsored the use of a mobile satellite internet service. It was a laptop-sized contraption that you pointed at the satellite and plugged into. I have no idea how much it all cost, but that would give you internet capability as long as you had power, making more places potentially available for travel.
Unfortunately I have no idea of the manufacturer, but I spent many a lonely evening on my roof, eating watermelon, listening to Norah Jones, and web surfing with that thing.
Princess Leia says:
Also, that in combo with a (wireless) router could work for a whole team at once.
(Hopefully this reply is below my first one, but if not, read my other comment first)
Shaun Groves says:
We’ve talked about that but apparently it’s not cheap. Maybe by the time we run out of countries with consistent power and internet access technology will have made posting from the rest of Compassion’s 26 countries possible.
Katherine says:
This blog is what pushed us over the top to sponsor. Much more effective for us than a pitch at summer camp. 🙂 Happy to hear it’s such large part of their campaign. It absolutely helped us to trust Compassion with our donation. And our relationship with Isaac is priceless to us.
Shelley says:
I want to sign up to be a Compassion facebooker. Seriously.
Shaun Groves says:
Hmm…now there’s an idea. I wonder what more we could do there?
Shelley says:
Well, whether you make it official or not, I use my facebook for Compassion a lot, because I do feel called to use my facebook to witness and to encourage. I put links to articles from Compassion, from your blog, from Ann’s blog, and etc, all during your trip. And other times as well, and I did during the last trip also.
I don’t tend to keep up my blog, and it didn’t have near the readership that my facebook does. More people seem to know how to use facebook than blogs.
Shannon says:
I would totally FB for Compassion.
Angie Wilkinson says:
yep, facebook us up!
That would be an amazing way to get the word out!
Tiffany says:
Shaun,
So excited to read more tomorrow. I love Compassion and all that you guys are doing. Hoping to learn more about how to be an effective blogger. Woo Hoo!
Teena says:
Hi Shaun,
Thanks for all you do.
So we sponsor 1 child from Compassion and 1 from one of the others… To us CI keeps you so much more in contact w/ your sponsored child, real like stories and updates. Also chances to meet your sponsored child. We do not want to stop sponsoring the other child but really want to sponsor more from Compassion.
We have never heard from our other sponsored child from the other organization.
Thanks for all you do….
Hugs,
Teena
Deidre says:
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. The only reason I have ever wanted my blog to have the ‘numbers’ was so I could go on a Compassion Trip. I love what you are doing (and still waiting on your book 🙂
ali @ an ordinary mom says:
I don’t envy your having to try to read that many blogs, and I’m sure the number is growing as the word spreads…
I sponsored a compassion child for a year while in high school, splitting the monthly cost with a friend. I wish I could say that we, or I, had kept it up longer, but life got in the way, and, well, I didn’t. I’ve never forgotten Compassion International and have always loved seeing the organization written about or represented somewhere, trying to remember to offer up prayer support, and always thinking, “I hope one of these days there will be room in our 1-income budget to sponsor a child again”… With each trip, and each moving blog post, that hope grows stronger, more urgent, more heart-ache-y.
We are very close to paying off some more debt, opening up a little bit of wiggle room in the bidget, and will be praying about taking the compassionate step as a family soon.
Thank you for all that you do,
in Jesus’ name,
ali
Sandra Heska King says:
Shaun, I’ve changed my blog since signing up to be a blogger and since applying to go on a trip. Do I need to change anything with you?