What is the relationship between Wall Watchers, MinistryWatch, and thegoodsteward.com?
Is there a need for MinistryWatch?
Do ministries have a responsibility to their supporters?
Why Does Wall Watchers Sometimes Send Out ‘Donor Alerts’ Critical Of Ministries Or Post ‘MinistryWatch Recommends’ Advocating For Particular Ministries?
Does Wall Watchers judge whether one ministry is better than another?
How Does Wall Watchers finance its operations?
How does Wall Watchers differ from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)?
What is the relationship between Wall Watchers, MinistryWatch, and thegoodsteward.com?
Wall Watchers is a nonprofit ministry committed to promoting biblical principles of stewardship and helping people to apply those principles in their lives. MinistryWatch and thegoodsteward.com are programs of Wall Watchers that attempt to accomplish this goal.
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Is there a need for MinistryWatch?
We believe very strongly that there is a need for a program or a service such as MinistryWatch. By encouraging and facilitating greater access to and understanding of ministry data, MinistryWatch encourages greater transparency and accountability within a sector (the nonprofit sector) which has traditionally lagged the public companies sector. We would add that modern consumers are considerably more demanding than ever before, and as such are looking for information to assist them with the decisions they make. MinistryWatch's purpose is to help them make more informed giving decisions.
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Do ministries have a responsibility to their supporters?
Yes. There are a number of obligations that ministries have to their supporters. The first is a moral obligation to treat the money and gifts entrusted to them with the utmost good faith and care. A second obligation is to maintain the public's faith and goodwill by operating in a transparent and open manner. A third responsibility is to make sure that solicitations and informational materials are accurate. A final responsibility is to be accommodating and receptive to donor requests for information.
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Why Does Wall Watchers Sometimes Send Out ‘Donor Alerts’ Critical Of Ministries Or Post ‘MinistryWatch Recommends’ Advocating For Particular Ministries?
Wall Watchers generally does not promote, endorse, recommend or represent any ministry, charity or nonprofit. We never provide fundraising services. Wall Watchers issues a very small percentage of Donor Alerts or MinistryWatch Recommends relative to the overall number of ministries in its www.MinistryWatch.com database. Nevertheless, we sometimes send out Donor Alerts to our readers to alert them to any ministry that may be engaged in activity that causes Wall Watchers to question if donor money is being used as intended. At other times, Wall Watchers research staffers discover particularly positive information about the efficiency and effectiveness of ministries in the website database. In many cases, these ministries are not well known, but are deserving of a close look by potential donors. Initially, Wall Watchers compiled data and conducted research for the sole purpose of providing donors with independent ratings and analysis. That information would serve as the basis for any giving decision that a donor might choose to make. However, the actions of some ministry leaders demanded a response from Wall Watchers beyond the standard sharing of basic information; withholding the information from donors would have been tantamount to condoning sin. Conversely, some other ministries are so eagerly transparent and willing to share information, and are highly effective and efficient in accomplishing their mission, that Wall Watchers leadership determined that the ministry’s mission should move beyond empowering donors with information to actually educating donors based on the expert analysis and detailed information gathered. While such advocacy will be rare and judicious, it is necessary for many reasons. First, no matter how diligent a potential donor might be, the vast number of ministries in the Wall Watchers data base (now numbering more than 500 and growing), would overwhelm most folks “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22 NIV). Additionally, many worthwhile ministries go under funded because of limited advertising budgets. We facilitate the fundraising efforts of ministries by providing a platform upon which the donor can find information on the ministries of their choice and upon which they can transfer money to the ministry of their choice. If a potential conflict of interest arises, Wall Watchers is committed to full disclosure. Because we are an organization that provides an educational web site in addition to a ministry database, Wall Watchers may also review organizations or representatives of organizations that contribute to thegoodsteward.com. A Conflict of Interest Policy has been drawn up for this potential conflict of interest. You can view this Conflict of Interest Policy at thegoodsteward.com.
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Does Wall Watchers judge whether one ministry is better than another?
No. Wall Watchers does not judge whether one ministry is better than another; instead we provide information to help people understand a ministry better. Ministries have different missions, roles, and goals, making each one unique. We do, however, try to evaluate the efficiency with which a ministry manages the money that has been entrusted to it. We believe that the decision about which ministries to support is entirely up to the donor and our role is simply to provide information that they may find useful in making that decision.
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How does Wall Watchers finance its operations?
Wall Watchers is a donor supported nonprofit ministry. If you would like to contribute to the work of this ministry, then we would encourage you to find out more About Us and determine whether this is a work which you want to support.
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How does Wall Watchers differ from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)?
Wall Watchers' goals are similar to, if not the same as those of the ECFA- to encourage greater disclosure, transparency, and accountability among Christian ministries. Wall Watchers differs from the ECFA in several ways however, including orientation (analysis vs. compliance); structure (donor supported vs. member supported); and philosophical basis (providing the donor with information vs. providing the donor with a seal to trust). The focus of a research organization is not to generate new information, but to process the existing body of public information and to add clarity and insight to it. In this way, the minimum disclosure and accountability standards of the ECFA allow Wall Watchers to carry out its mission.
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