| Charlotte Ministry Offers Tools for Ministry Donors |
| By Kim Pickering 12/22/2000 |
CHARLOTTE- With hundreds of phone and Internet scams lurking around these days, it's easy to become skeptical of any organization with a nonprofit tag- even Christian ones. Even if it's not a scam, how do potential donors know if a Christian ministry is financially efficient? What resources do donors have to find information about a charitable ministry's finances?
Charlotte based Wall Watchers ministry tries to provide answers to these very questions. "We are committed to promoting Biblical principles of stewardship and helping people to apply them", said Mark Long.
Relying on its websites to distribute information, Long said people can access researched information in two main areas. Information and analysis of Christian organizations can be found on the website www.ministrywatch.com. Educational information related to financial stewardship and life stewardship can be found at www.thegoodsteward.com. "MinistryWatch is aimed at people who give money to parachurch organizations and large Christian ministries", Long said.
Here's how it works: let's say you've never given to a ministry before. You have a limited amount of money to give, and want to make sure you're giving it responsibly. You have an idea of what type of ministry you want to give to, but don't have a specific organization in mind.
You go to MinistryWatch's website and click on Ministry Finder. This gives you the option to find a ministry in a particular city, state, or field. You choose to search by sector, which includes fields such as overseas mission, rescue missions, and Christian growth. You choose the area you had in mind, and within second you have a list of ministries if front of you.
Clicking on a ministry, you have easy access to information about that ministry, starting with an address, phone number, and email address. A “ministry description” provides a short history of the organization, followed by details such as the chairman, president, etc. Financial information is also disclosed on the website, from total revenue to spending, for three years (if applicable).
"Ministry Watch is basically an on-line platform to disseminating our research information," Long said.
While this sounds like a great tool for obtaining information about a ministry—including financial details—are all Christian ministries excited about Wallwatchers and disclosing this information?
"I would say Wallwatchers has received a mixed response at soliciting this information," Long said. "Some are better than others. A number of groups are cautious, and I can understand that [because] they don't know us as individuals." Most of the information on ministrywatch.com is information that the non-profits are already required by law, or by their membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, to provide to donors or to the public.
Long said that while some ministries were hesitant to give them information, there hasn't been a single ministry that absolutely refused to cooperate.
"In general, we have been very pleasantly surprised by the cooperation, and encouraged," he said.
The idea for Wallwatchers came about in the early 90s by Howard "Rusty" Leonard of Charlotte, who first wanted to bring accountability and greater levels of disclosure to Christian ministries. Leonard had been a money manager and analyst for Templeton and other organizations, and he realized that the kind of information that he needed and had ready access to in order to make wise investments was simply not available to donors who wanted to make wise giving decisions.
Long, who was previously a research manager at IPAC Securities, a mutual fund ratings organization in New Zealand and prior to that was a Money Market Dealer with ASB Bank in New Zealand, joined Wallwatchers in July 1998.
"We spent the first year trying to understand the environment and decide what we were really trying to do," Long said. With four full-time researchers collecting information, it took another year to build the databases and put them on-line. The websites have been accessible to users since September.
On the website, Wallwatchers doesn't recommend or endorse any ministries.
"We provide information a user would find helpful," Long said. If Christians have good information, they will be empowered, and can give greater amounts of money with greater confidence.
"Our belief is that all Christians are called to be good stewards."
Reprinted with Permission from the Charlotte World.
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