Joni and Friends/ Joni Eareckson Tada 
The information in this column was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/21/2021. To update the information in this column, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
Summary
Nearly 1 billion people around the world live with disabilities. Many of these individuals and their families live in poverty, pain, and despair. We want to change this. Joni and Friends is committed to bringing the Gospel and practical resources to people impacted by disability around the globe.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Joni and Friends
PO Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376-3333
Website: www.joniandfriends.org
Phone: (818) 707-5664
Email: response@joniandfriends.org
Organization details
EIN: 953402002
CEO/President: Joni Tada / John Nugent
Chairman: Peter Schulze
Board size: 16
Founder: Mrs. Joni Tada
Year founded: 1980
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1987
Purpose
We reach out to families living with disability with gospel-adorned hope.
We extend gospel-centered care through Community Support, Respite, Retreats and Getaways, and Crisis Response.
We connect families with Christ-honoring, disability friendly churches where they find a place belong.
Mission statement
To glorify God as we communicate the Gospel and mobilize the global church to evangelize, disciple, and serve people living with disability.
Statement of faith
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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.
We believe that God is love and depth of his love was demonstrated by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in the response we are called to compassionately love our neighbor.
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe our salvation and our eternal life is a gift of God's grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ and we are called to be a living testimony to others of that free and available grace.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
We believe that the ministry of evangelism and discipleship is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end. We believe that since all life is sacred, every human being has value and deserves dignity. As such, we must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of our fellow men.
We believe God's plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complement each other in marriage if God wills. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Fellowship Evangelism
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 456 of 844 | 14 of 24 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 455 of 844 | 16 of 24 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 202 of 844 | 6 of 24 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 660 of 844 | 19 of 24 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 8% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 7% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 9% | 8% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 84% | 91% | 87% | 90% | 96% | 90% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 16% | 9% | 13% | 10% | 4% | 10% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 81% | 84% | 84% | 85% | 85% | 86% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 100% | 96% | 96% | 94% | 102% | 88% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 78% | 81% | 81% | 80% | 86% | 76% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 0% | 4% | 4% | 6% | -2% | 12% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 4% | 6% | 5% | 7% | -2% | 16% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 13% | 7% | 8% | 6% | 7% | 5% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.72 | 1.10 | 1.07 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.15 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.69 | 2.91 | 2.91 | 1.83 | 1.94 | 2.20 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 3.04 | 3.22 | 3.11 | 2.20 | 2.33 | 2.54 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 6.46 | 5.65 | 5.94 | 11.58 | 12.46 | 13.10 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.15 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.08 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 3.09 | 3.07 | 3.21 | 4.99 | 4.74 | 4.37 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 12% | 22% | 21% | 5% | 4% | 4% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 16% | 15% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 51% | 71% | 74% | 80% | 80% | 84% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Cash | $9,323,543 | $8,561,872 | $12,022,740 | $10,669,210 | $10,256,483 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $4,699,938 | $3,970,453 | $3,887,510 | $3,126,671 | $3,077,749 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $785,000 | $1,174,700 | $1,251,100 | $1,174,700 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $14,808,481 | $13,707,025 | $17,161,350 | $14,970,581 | $13,334,232 |
| Long-term investments | $4,627,905 | $4,528,930 | $3,669,209 | $3,032,861 | $4,669,710 |
| Fixed assets | $22,868,974 | $20,700,138 | $10,630,866 | $10,983,255 | $11,333,613 |
| Other long-term assets | $827,611 | $961,944 | $0 | $0 | $16,381 |
| Total long-term assets | $28,324,490 | $26,191,012 | $14,300,075 | $14,016,116 | $16,019,704 |
| Total assets | $43,132,971 | $39,898,037 | $31,461,425 | $28,986,697 | $29,353,936 |
| Liabilities | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $2,372,706 | $1,998,565 | $1,471,899 | $1,181,192 | $999,690 |
| Other current liabilities | $248,515 | $310,688 | $9,553 | $20,475 | $17,986 |
| Total current liabilities | $2,621,221 | $2,309,253 | $1,481,452 | $1,201,667 | $1,017,676 |
| Debt | $6,836,417 | $6,019,197 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $17,737 | $27,503 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $6,836,417 | $6,019,197 | $0 | $17,737 | $27,503 |
| Total liabilities | $9,457,638 | $8,328,450 | $1,481,452 | $1,219,404 | $1,045,179 |
| Net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Unrestricted | $21,915,152 | $20,312,567 | $19,721,788 | $17,955,128 | $19,463,563 |
| Temporarily restricted | $11,760,181 | $11,257,020 | $8,856,276 | $8,485,256 | $7,518,285 |
| Permanently restricted | $0 | $0 | $1,401,909 | $1,326,909 | $1,326,909 |
| Net assets | $33,675,333 | $31,569,587 | $29,979,973 | $27,767,293 | $28,308,757 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Total contributions | $45,285,112 | $38,421,070 | $35,936,674 | $32,791,255 | $34,283,866 |
| Program service revenue | $3,411,781 | $3,112,483 | $3,055,346 | $2,874,056 | $2,956,748 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $724,287 | $1,809,586 | $158,914 | ($1,601,406) | $639,900 |
| Other revenue | $338,851 | $917,784 | $733,229 | $216,846 | $408,681 |
| Total other revenue | $4,474,919 | $5,839,853 | $3,947,489 | $1,489,496 | $4,005,329 |
| Total revenue | $49,760,031 | $44,260,923 | $39,884,163 | $34,280,751 | $38,289,195 |
| Expenses | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Program services | $40,167,233 | $35,676,483 | $31,848,090 | $29,541,368 | $28,927,068 |
| Management and general | $3,422,816 | $3,241,953 | $2,352,112 | $2,284,809 | $1,855,029 |
| Fundraising | $4,064,236 | $3,752,873 | $3,471,281 | $2,996,038 | $3,028,180 |
| Total expenses | $47,654,285 | $42,671,309 | $37,671,483 | $34,822,215 | $33,810,277 |
| Change in net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $2,105,746 | $1,589,614 | $2,212,680 | ($541,464) | $4,478,918 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $2,105,746 | $1,589,614 | $2,212,680 | ($541,464) | $4,478,918 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Joni Eareckson Tada | Founder/CEO | $315,536 |
| John Nugent | President | $253,024 |
| Laura Gardner | EVP/CFO | $200,451 |
| Roby Walker | VP, Human Resources | $129,521 |
| Andrew Grumm | VP, IT Services | $122,934 |
| Jon Ebersole | Sr. Area Director (part year) | $119,262 |
| Neil Douglas Mazza President | (part year) / Consultant | $114,046 |
| Godfrey Mubiru Director | Accounting & Finance (part year) | $113,915 |
| Donna Lucas | VP, Marketing | $112,079 |
| Ken Tada Director | Ministry Development | $18,190 |
| Rev Michael Beates | Director / Speaker | $1,000 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2019
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/21/2021. To update the information below, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
History
1967
Seventeen-year-old Joni Eareckson Tada takes the dive that left her a quadriplegic, dramatically changing her life.
1974
Joni's appearance on The Today Show opens the door to national exposure.
1976
The Joni book is released and becomes a #1 international best-seller. Joni's autobiography is eventually translated into more than 38 languages resulting in over 5 million copies in print.
1979
The Joni movie is released. As it is shown around the world, more than 250,000 people are introduced to the Gospel and place their hope in Christ.
1979
Joni and Friends ministry is established to address the needs of families affected by disability. Joni and a small but dedicated staff begin the work from a two-room office in California.
1982
Joni begins recording the inspirational Joni and Friends radio program, providing encouragement, biblical insights, and disability awareness.
1986
Joni and Friends holds disability workshops at Amsterdam '86 where more than 8,000 evangelists are exposed to the idea of disability ministry.
1988
President Ronald Reagan appoints Joni to the National Council on Disability. Joni advocates for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
1989
Joni speaks to over 100,000 at the Billy Graham Crusade in Budapest, Hungary - Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA) underwrites the transport of hundreds of people with disabilities to the Crusade.
1990
Joni attends the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House.
1990
Joni and Friends hosts more than 110 disability ministry leaders from 44 countries at Joni and Friends' International congress of the Church and Disability held on the campus of Calvin College.
1991
After attending a "Family Conference" sponsored by the federal government and National Council on Disability, Joni challenges the ministry to provide a retreat for families affected by disability. The first Family Retreat was held in Cannon Beach, Oregon.
1994
Wheels for the World is founded to share the Gospel and provide mobility to people affected by disability in developing countries. The first wheelchair is provided in Ghana, West Africa.
1997
The Joni and Friends International Disability Center opens its doors in Agoura Hills, California.
2000
Joni and Ken travel to china to begin opening doors for Wheels for the World. She then travels to Australia to serve as chaplain for the 2000 Paralympic Games.
2001
As Joni campaigns against euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research, groundwork is laid for the Christian Institute on Disability.
2006
Joni is appointed to the Disability Advisory Committee at the U.S. State Department. Joni and Friends holds its first International Family Retreat in Ukraine.
2007
In January, the Joni and Friends International Disability Center
opens its doors, ushering in a new era of international outreach
to families impacted by disability and daily prayers for you!
2010
In a Wheels for the World Restoration shop in a U.S. prison, the inmates restore donated used wheelchairs to like-new condition. Thousands of prisoners' lives have been impacted by Joni and Friends through the wheelchair restoration process.
2014
Wheels for the World delivers the 100,000th in Ghana.
2016
The Beyond Suffering Bible is released.
2017
Joni celebrates 50 years of God's faithfulness to her in her wheelchair.
2019
Celebrating 40 years of your faithfulness and ministry! Thank you for joining us to reach the next generation with the love of Jesus for many years to come!
Program accomplishments
191,000 wheelchairs delivered internationally
64,000 special needs family members served worldwide at Retreats and Getaways
111,000 Bibles delivered globally
Needs
Volunteers
Joni and Friends is blessed by the partnership of thousands of volunteers each year. Our volunteers serve at Family Retreats, serving families affected by disability by offering friendship, encouragement, and support. Wheels for the World teams include volunteer physical and occupational therapists, mechanics, and support staff. Other volunteer opportunities are available by serving in our Home Office, area ministry offices, and other community outreach events throughout the year.