The Salvation Army World Service Office

What it reported doing in 2024

Anti-human trafficking: recent estimates place the number of people in situations of modern slavery/human trafficking at approximately 65 million people. This includes forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and other forms of exploitation for profit. Trafficking in persons, commonly called human trafficking, is the fastest growing criminal enterprise globally worth at least $236 billion per annum. The acceleration of 'stealing people's freedom for profit' is driven by a number of adverse factors, including humanitarian crises, environmental degradation and the impact of changing climate, and other economic and social distress, especially for vulnerable and marginalized communities.the salvation army world service office responds to these needs through projects focused on direct services to people with lived experience of modern slavery/human trafficking1, safeguarding children without an effective guardian, prevention efforts to address root causes, and mobilizing people to recognize and know how to respond to threats of trafficking in their communities.in india, the salvation army also provides direct support to women and children within one of the largest red-light districts in mumbai, india. With more than 2,000 women and over 500 children living in the red-light district and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, the salvation army runs a safe drop-in center where children can access educational and spiritual support, health support, healthy and nutritious food, and life skills toward long-term safety. Women are provided skills training, literacy training, income generating activities, and emotional support for safe livelihood alternatives and holistic care and support to safe futures. There is also a children's home which provides safe accommodation for children who otherwise would be without adult supervision outside and at night, while their mothers worked in the red-light district. This is seen as important protection in the immediate term and also an important preventive measure to intervene in the trajectory that could otherwise lead the children to also working in the red-light district.in indonesia, the salvation army is operating a project which works with salvation army children's homes to expand the options for child protection and child safeguarding.2 through partnership with local organizations, the salvation army is working to find family-based care, including kinship and foster care or family reunification where that is possible, safe, and in the best interests of the child. The salvation army continues to provide residential care for those who continue to need that level of support. Working with the children, whether in family-based care or in the children's home, continues to focus on their long-term emotional and physical care.in greece, the salvation army is providing holistic case management, counselling, referrals to services, and practical support for people who have needed to rely on sex for survival, including people who have been trafficked. The salvation army team there are also working intensively to strengthen the ecosystem to respond effectively to human trafficking through building partnerships and advocating for protective policies on a wider scale.the magnitude of modern slavery/human trafficking globally necessitates a coordinated and comprehensive response. Sawso supports modern slavery/human trafficking response(mshtr) zonal response projects in the south asia zone and the south pacific and east asia zone. These mshtr zonal response projects are strategic investments in the continued awareness raising and building the internal capacity of the salvation army to mobilize and address human trafficking on a larger scope and with coordination within the geographic zones. These projects have seen the salvation army across the globe become increasing equipped to respond to human trafficking within their communities.the mshtr zonal response projects leverage the strengths o

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 93%; rating input score 93
• Fundraising efficiency: $40.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Pass
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Pass
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -6.1%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.52; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings