Sowing Seeds of Joy

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
640953548
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2014, Form 990-N 2012
Location
Arlington, TX, USA
Phone
5014163003
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Christianity
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$229,121
Expenses
$226,395
Assets
$289,012
Liabilities
$110,822

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Ron Nelson (President)

People named in this filing

  • Ron Nelson (President)
  • Star Nelson (Executive Dir.)
  • Sharon Pugh (Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To connect, equip, train and mobilize all people with a special emphasis on people of color, to advance God's Kingdom through global missions and outreach.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sowing Seeds of Joy supports over 30 missionaries around the world and have the following impact: 27.3% Africa, 12.1% Europe, 9.1% Asia and 51.5% United States. Principals Ron and Star Nelson spoke at several conferences and churches within the United States and abroad to share the gospel and disciple many people around the world. The mission field remains large with a world population 8 Billion, there is approximately 3.40 billion people in need to hear the gospel. Sowing Seeds of Joy continues to have offices/missionaries in Kenya, South Africa, Haiti, Ghana Africa, Cuba as well as other countries including the United States.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 71% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 66
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.9%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 64.7%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.2%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.28; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.38; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.7% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.9% of revenue deployed · 64.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 11 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $146K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.