Samaritan's Purse/ Operation Christmas Child/ Franklin Graham 
Summary
Samaritan's Purse ("SP") conducts religious services and meets humanitarian needs in crisis situations. SP cooperates with existing organizations in the United States and developing countries. Many of those aided by SP live in hot spots that are torn by war, famine, disease, and natural disaster like Bosnia, Romania, Sudan, India, and Lebanon. SP specializes in responding quickly, efficiently, and without a lot of red tape or bureaucratic delays. Samaritan's Purse delivers essentials like food, clothing, shelter, medical care, freshwater wells, agricultural equipment, Bibles, Christian literature, and transportation for national church workers to further the work of world evangelization. SP has a single-minded commitment to evangelism and meets critical needs among hurting people so that men and women will come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. SP's ministry is rooted in Scripture and based on the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Contact information
Mailing address:
PO Box 3000
801 Bamboo Road
Boone, NC 28607-3000
Website: www.samaritanspurse.org
Phone: (828) 262-1980
Email: info@samaritan.org
Organization details
EIN: 581437002
CEO/President: Mr. W. Franklin Graham III
Chairman: Mr. W. Franklin Graham III
Board size: 19
Founder: Dr. Bob Pierce
Year founded: 1970
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1993
Purpose
Samaritan's Purse ("SP") conducts religious services and meets humanitarian needs in crisis situations. SP cooperates with existing organizations in the United States and developing countries. Many of those aided by SP live in hot spots that are torn by war, famine, disease, and natural disaster like Bosnia, Romania, Sudan, India, and Lebanon. SP specializes in responding quickly, efficiently, and without a lot of red tape or bureaucratic delays. Samaritan's Purse delivers essentials like food, clothing, shelter, medical care, freshwater wells, agricultural equipment, Bibles, Christian literature, and transportation for national church workers to further the work of world evangelization. SP has a single-minded commitment to evangelism and meets critical needs among hurting people so that men and women will come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. SP's ministry is rooted in Scripture and based on the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Mission statement
Samaritan's Purse uses the following to express its mission:
Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Statement of faith
Samaritan's Purse uses the following to express its Statement of Faith:
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. II Timothy 3:15-17.
- We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 4:4-6.
- We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. John 1:1-4; Matthew 1:23; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4 & 4:15; Acts 1:11 & 2:22-24; I Corinthians 15:3-4.
- We believe that, for the salvation of lost and sinful man, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit and that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. Titus 3:4-7; Luke 24:46-47; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; Acts 4:12.
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life. Galatians 5:16-18; Romans 8:9.
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment. Revelation 20:11-15; I Corinthians 15:51-57.
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the Church. Ephesians 1:22-23; I Corinthians 12:12, 27.
- We believe that the ministry of evangelism is a responsibility of both the church and each Christian. Romans 10:9-15; Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20; I Peter 3:15.
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Relief and Development
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 174 of 439 | 33 of 62 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 231 of 439 | 37 of 62 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 99 of 439 | 26 of 62 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 259 of 439 | 44 of 62 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Median % for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 7% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 6% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 6% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 6% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 95% | 99% | 99% | 100% | 100% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 8% | 7% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 5% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Median % for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 88% | 88% | 88% | 88% | 89% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 99% | 97% | 76% | 92% | 86% | 94% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 85% | 67% | 81% | 76% | 84% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 1% | 3% | 24% | 8% | 14% | 6% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 3% | 30% | 12% | 21% | 10% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 10% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% |
| Investing ratios | Median measure for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.27 | 0.97 | 0.90 | 1.19 | 1.21 | 1.41 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.54 | 1.39 | 1.33 | 1.47 | 1.47 | 1.52 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.45 | 1.34 | 1.19 | 1.75 | 1.78 | 2.14 |
| Liquidity ratios | Median measure for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 8.05 | 13.10 | 15.82 | 9.42 | 10.28 | 7.60 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.11 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.13 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 4.07 | 8.25 | 9.42 | 6.13 | 6.08 | 4.86 |
| Solvency ratios | Median % for all ministries in MW database | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 10% | 8% | 7% | 11% | 10% | 12% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 63% | 95% | 103% | 75% | 75% | 62% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Cash | $216,890,016 | $230,038,187 | $162,838,221 | $128,252,955 | $126,367,199 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $65,438,359 | $57,703,504 | $46,084,576 | $44,447,543 | $38,710,879 |
| Short-term investments | $207,549,900 | $204,792,431 | $111,417,339 | $109,022,560 | $54,549,088 |
| Other current assets | $21,334,122 | $19,262,149 | $13,137,188 | $9,132,924 | $8,592,653 |
| Total current assets | $511,212,397 | $511,796,271 | $333,477,324 | $290,855,982 | $228,219,819 |
| Long-term investments | $33,924,385 | $32,853,501 | $28,712,168 | $24,113,754 | $22,531,061 |
| Fixed assets | $162,405,195 | $132,848,630 | $127,120,175 | $112,084,775 | $95,306,225 |
| Other long-term assets | $760,601 | $711,927 | $677,063 | $647,736 | $655,417 |
| Total long-term assets | $197,090,181 | $166,414,058 | $156,509,406 | $136,846,265 | $118,492,703 |
| Total assets | $708,302,578 | $678,210,329 | $489,986,730 | $427,702,247 | $346,712,522 |
| Liabilities | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $31,897,957 | $25,107,398 | $28,505,873 | $21,719,970 | $23,471,887 |
| Other current liabilities | $7,133,780 | $7,252,146 | $6,896,349 | $6,568,849 | $6,542,359 |
| Total current liabilities | $39,031,737 | $32,359,544 | $35,402,222 | $28,288,819 | $30,014,246 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $19,574,666 | $18,366,490 | $17,003,690 | $12,836,642 | $12,134,719 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $19,574,666 | $18,366,490 | $17,003,690 | $12,836,642 | $12,134,719 |
| Total liabilities | $58,606,403 | $50,726,034 | $52,405,912 | $41,125,461 | $42,148,965 |
| Net assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Unrestricted | $388,051,760 | $327,196,108 | $248,003,316 | $215,948,226 | $181,908,036 |
| Temporarily restricted | $260,637,406 | $299,281,178 | $188,570,493 | $170,628,560 | $122,655,521 |
| Permanently restricted | $1,007,009 | $1,007,009 | $1,007,009 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $649,696,175 | $627,484,295 | $437,580,818 | $386,576,786 | $304,563,557 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Total contributions | $703,183,852 | $790,686,749 | $633,092,350 | $598,910,110 | $516,261,840 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $4,253,558 | $4,000,053 | $2,132,216 | ($239,301) | $1,614,901 |
| Other revenue | $1,623,481 | $6,136,788 | ($428,727) | $1,150,879 | $2,539,411 |
| Total other revenue | $5,877,039 | $10,136,841 | $1,703,489 | $911,578 | $4,154,312 |
| Total revenue | $709,060,891 | $800,823,590 | $634,795,839 | $599,821,688 | $520,416,152 |
| Expenses | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Program services | $603,057,217 | $534,794,934 | $514,299,873 | $455,193,340 | $434,708,425 |
| Management and general | $33,635,752 | $29,585,875 | $26,924,042 | $23,643,532 | $21,094,997 |
| Fundraising | $50,156,042 | $46,539,304 | $42,567,892 | $38,971,587 | $33,521,836 |
| Total expenses | $686,849,011 | $610,920,113 | $583,791,807 | $517,808,459 | $489,325,258 |
| Change in net assets | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $22,211,880 | $189,903,477 | $51,004,032 | $82,013,229 | $31,090,894 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $22,211,880 | $189,903,477 | $51,004,032 | $82,013,229 | $31,090,894 |
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
History
"Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God". Bob Pierce wrote these now-famous words in his Bible after visiting suffering children on the Korean island of Kojedo. This impassioned prayer is what guided him as he founded and led the ministry of Samaritan's Purse in 1970. His mission for this organization--in his own words--was "to meet emergency needs in crisis areas through existing evangelical mission agencies and national churches."
After World War II, Bob Pierce traveled throughout Asia as an evangelist and journalist with Youth For Christ. While on a university lecturing circuit in China, he stumbled across some courageous women who were living among lepers and orphans, sacrificing everything to share the love of Jesus Christ. Through their selfless love, God gave Pierce a vision for ministry. He dedicated himself to finding and supporting other such Christians who were caring for the poor and suffering in the distant corners of the world.
In the summer of 1973, Bob Pierce met his eventual successor, an adventurous young student--Franklin Graham--with a growing heart for world missions. Intrigued by his many stories from the field, Franklin began to spend more and more time with the seasoned Christian statesman. In 1975, he accompanied Bob on a life-changing tour of some of the world's neediest mission fields, where Franklin saw the poverty of pagan religions and the utter despair of the people they enslave. God had captured his heart for missions.
In 1978, Bob Pierce died of leukemia, and nearly 18 months later, Franklin Graham became the President and Chairman of the Board of Samaritan's Purse. Through more than 20 years of earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and famine, Franklin has led the ministry in following the biblical example of the Good Samaritan all across the globe. God has blessed the organization under Franklin's leadership, and the ministry has seen explosive growth. Last year, Samaritan's Purse reached more than 115 countries with nearly $130 million in direct aid.
Program accomplishments
The following are among some of the ministry's accomplishments:
- Sudan: Samaritan's Purse upgraded their medical services across Sudan. Lui Hospital opened a new ward, an eye clinic, and a HIV/AIDS clinic, and began construction on a nursing school. They expanded their hospital in Kurmuk and started a new hospital near the Eritrean border to serve the Beja people. Their technicians installed a pediatric intensive care unit in a Khartoum hospital. Their teams distributed food to more than 24,000 people in eastern Sudan, and thousands of families in the Nuba Mountains became more self-sufficient through an agriculture program that harvested 120 tons of sorghum. They also helped build a church in Khartoum, provided Bibles and songbooks for other churches, and sparked a Christmas celebration by airlifting shoe box gifts for 20,000 children to the southern city of Juba.
- Dafur: Samaritan's Purse was able to feed more than 100,000 hungry people in Darfur during 2004, despite logistical challenges and attacks on some of the camps. They also provided facilities for children to resume their schooling.
- Northern Uganda: During 2004, Samaritan's Purse distributed food to more than 280,000 people each month in dozens of camps in northern Uganda, including some locations so dangerous that government soldiers escorted the food convoy. Along with cooking facilities, wells, and latrines, our teams built more than 200 classrooms so 11,000 children could go to school. Over 7,200 displaced families received plastic sheets to cover their huts. Nearly 10,000 people learned how Christians should respond to HIV/AIDS. Dozens of children - former captives of the LRA - were transported by Samaritan's Purse aircraft to safe areas where they could be reunited with their families.
- Southern Cambodia: Samaritan's Purse continued it's life-changing work by providing freshwater wells, latrines, and a community center. Ponds have been dug and stocked with catfish and tilapia. Their food-for-work program has mobilized dozens of villagers to cultivate community land. Last April, Samaritan's Purse completed construction of a concrete-block building to replace the old schoolhouse - a one-room, bamboo hut with a dirt floor. The new school contains six classrooms, complete with chalkboards and desks, and accommodates up to 700 students.
- Eastern Europe: Samaritan's Purse shared God's love through a variety of projects in Eastern Europe, including medical treatment for disabled children in Belarus, a feeding program for impoverished gypsy children in Romania, house repairs for a poor village in Moldova, and renovations for evangelical churches in Bosnia and Armenia. As part of their continuing ministry in war-scarred Kosovo, funds were furnished for an evangelism program in the city of Gjakova, a new heating system for a school in Meje, and assistive devices for 91 blind persons. In April, they started a new children's outreach called Kids Klub that holds weekly meetings with Bible studies, games, prayer, and singing. In just eight months, 38 girls and boys received Christ as a result of this program.
- El Salvador: Projects in El Salvador included building 804 houses for people who lost everything in the deadly earthquakes of 2001, performing 21 soccer clinics for 2,196 young people, overseeing livestock projects in 47 villages, and conducting a character-building curriculum called Project Zacchaeus in 16 public schools. They presented the Gospel to 41,211 people, and 5,404 accepted Jesus as Savior.
- United States Disaster Relief: Samaritan's Purse organized more than 500 volunteers to repair 1,003 houses in Florida and 463 in Alabama. In western North Carolina, they partnered with the North Carolina Baptist Men to rebuild 60 houses. The total of 1,526 houses made it the largest U.S. storm response in the history of the ministry, surpassing the total of 1,020 houses following Hurricane Andrew.
Earlier in 2004, the Disaster Relief Units responded to storms in three Midwestern states. Their teams covered 2,000 miles in four weeks to help 107 families in tornado ravaged Indiana and flood-stricken Iowa and Kentucky.
- Operation Christmas Child: Operation Christmas Child distributed shoeboxes to more than 6.6 million needy children in 95 countries.
- Children's Heart Project: During 2004, their Children's Heart Project brought 50 young people from Kosovo, Uganda, Honduras, and Mongolia to North America for life-giving surgery they could not obtain in their homelands. Along with coordinating the efforts of physicians, hospitals, local churches, and host families, Samaritan's Purse provided airfare for each patient, a parent, a medical transport person, and a translator. Last year, God used this ministry to bring more than 20 children and adults to a saving knowledge of Christ.
- Prescription for Hope: During 2004, Samaritan's Purse held workshops in Swaziland, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Cambodia, where hundreds of church leaders learned how Christians can respond to HIV/AIDS. Thousands of people in Uganda and Mozambique were taught Christian principles that could keep them safe. They also sponsored Christian HIV/AIDS ministries in more than a dozen countries, including care for orphans in Thailand, South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
- Medical Ministry: Through World Medical Mission, Samaritan's Purse sent 454 doctors, dentists, and other personnel to 54 hospitals and clinics in 35 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Rwanda, and Sudan. More than 100 physicians made trips with World Medical Mission for the first time. In addition, their staff technicians visited 11 countries to install medical equipment or make on-site repairs.
- Franklin Graham Festivals: Franklin Graham led festivals in Duban, South Africa; Bakersfield, California; Tijuana, Mexico; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Temuco, Chile; where the Gospel was proclaimed to crowds totaling 296,519. Of those, 22,899 responded to the invitation, either by receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior or by recommitting their lives to Him.
Needs
Samaritan's Purse uses the following to express its ministry needs:
Prayer is one of the most powerful and important ways you can help. Without the prayers of friends and faithful supporters, our work among suffering people around the world would not be possible. As you pray, remember that our Heavenly Father "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20, NIV).
Newest Prayer needs:
- Pray for our team in the Middle East as they reach out to families fleeing the war in Iraq. Pray for their safety and for the resources we need to comfort these hurting people.
- Pray for the English-speaking schools that Samaritan's Purse is operating in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Many children in the area have never had the opportunity to go to school, and the need is great. Please pray that we would be able to open 50 more schools, and that God would bless our efforts among these boys and girls.
- Continue to pray for our Children's Heart Project. Pray for the children we are flying to North America for life-saving cardiac care and their families, that they would experience physical and spiritual healing. Pray for more hospitals and surgeons who would be willing to donate their time and services.