Christian Alliance for Orphans

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocacy and Education - Central to CAFO's work is to inspire and equip "champions" for well-informed, highly effective service to orphans, foster youth, and other vulnerable children and families, both across the U.S. and worldwide. These champions include adoptive and foster parents, advocates, social workers, pastors and church staff, volunteers, national leaders in developing nations, and leaders and staff of child-serving organizations. This work takes shape especially through focused initiatives that unite an expansive range of organizations, churches, and individuals in coordinated action for profound collective impact. These include CAFO Global Networks, the More than Enough initiative, the Pure Religion Project (building on the legacy of Orphan Sunday and Stand Sunday), the National Church Ministry Initiative, the Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children and Families, the Aging Out Initiative, the Institute for Family Centered Healing & Health, the Development and Discipleship Initiative, and other targeted programs. This work also involves a wide range of communication efforts to build awareness and effective engagement, including three podcast series, regular interviews in both Christian and mainstream media, articles and opinion editorials, speaking and teaching at conferences and other events, the CAFO blog, CAFO's monthly newsletter and other e-information, strategic use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media, videos and other visual media products, phone and in-person meetings with thought leaders, pastors, advocates and other influencers, email and phone responses to a wide range of inquiries, an expansive website, monthly training webinars, and much more. All of these efforts work towards three primary goals: 1) To see more than enough well-supported homes for every child in US foster care, including foster and kinship, adoptive, and restored biological families; and 2) To see Christians and Christian organizations known across the field of OVC care not only for great love, but also for excellence and innovation; 3) To see the local church in every nation rise as the primary answer for the orphans and vulnerable children of that place.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 83.5%; rating input score 84
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 77.8%; rating input score 78; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -173.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.65; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings