Alpha USA 
The information on this page was last updated 11/1/2022. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
In a world of isolation, anonymity, and keyboard-warriors, Alpha offers content and guidance for churches, ministries, and individuals to create a space for honest and open conversations about life's biggest questions. Everyone is welcome and no questions are off limits.
Alpha is by the Church, for the Church, and through the Church, but it is run worldwide in many settings-homes, cafes, restaurants, prisons, and more. Increasingly, Alpha is being embraced by organizations and people looking to create a safe space for conversations about faith.
Creating these spaces for honest, open, and judgment-free conversations for anyone to explore the Christian faith is so important to us that we give all of the digital assets to run Alpha away for free. How can we do this? We have hundreds of donors committed to the important mission.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Alpha USA
PO Box 7491
Carol Stream, IL 60197
Website: alphausa.org
Phone: 1-800-362-5742
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 133962840
CEO/President: John Wentz
Chairman: Jody Jonsson
Board size: 12
Founder: Ali Hanna and Nicky Gumbel
Ruling year: 1998
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2010
Purpose
Vision: The Evangelization of the Nations. The Revitalization of the Church. The Transformation of Society.
Mission statement
Alpha equips and serves the Church in its mission to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus.
Statement of faith
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Evangelism
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 257 of 1031 | 8 of 43 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 787 of 1032 | 30 of 43 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 171 of 1032 | 9 of 43 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 146 of 1031 | 4 of 43 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 6% | 10% | 8% | 5% | 4% | 6% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 8% | 7% | 5% | 4% | 6% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 97% | 76% | 96% | 97% | 96% | 95% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 9% | 8% | 5% | 4% | 6% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 3% | 24% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 5% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 88% | 89% | 94% | 95% | 92% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 91% | 88% | 98% | 90% | 103% | 95% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 73% | 78% | 87% | 84% | 98% | 88% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 9% | 12% | 2% | 10% | -3% | 5% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 11% | 46% | 10% | 65% | -51% | 67% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.04 | 3.17 | 3.94 | 4.77 | 6.72 | 6.45 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.46 | 1.00 | 1.02 | 1.03 | 1.03 | 1.05 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.14 | 3.17 | 4.00 | 4.94 | 6.91 | 6.74 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 12.78 | 12.95 | 4.62 | 7.63 | 2.45 | 3.49 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.22 | 0.13 | 0.41 | 0.29 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 4.31 | 3.49 | 2.35 | 2.11 | 1.03 | 1.27 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 14% | 8% | 22% | 17% | 56% | 48% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 1% | 4% | 16% | 20% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 74% | 29% | 20% | 17% | 7% | 8% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Cash | $3,064,837 | $1,698,178 | $1,377,561 | $767,854 | $793,898 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $224,674 | $376,149 | $353,238 | $393,886 | $655,632 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $3,289,511 | $2,074,327 | $1,730,799 | $1,161,740 | $1,449,530 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $5,472 | $10,591 | $15,103 | $30,331 | $53,725 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $23,236 | $45,365 | $2,059 | $11,664 |
| Total long-term assets | $5,472 | $33,827 | $60,468 | $32,390 | $65,389 |
| Total assets | $3,294,983 | $2,108,154 | $1,791,267 | $1,194,130 | $1,514,919 |
| Liabilities | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $193,644 | $448,967 | $226,740 | $179,223 | $245,182 |
| Other current liabilities | $60,331 | $0 | $0 | $295,500 | $170,500 |
| Total current liabilities | $253,975 | $448,967 | $226,740 | $474,723 | $415,682 |
| Debt | $15,064 | $11,020 | $79,000 | $193,845 | $305,164 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $15,064 | $11,020 | $79,000 | $193,845 | $305,164 |
| Total liabilities | $269,039 | $459,987 | $305,740 | $668,568 | $720,846 |
| Net assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Without donor restrictions | $3,025,944 | $1,648,167 | $1,485,527 | $525,562 | $693,709 |
| With donor restrictions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $100,364 |
| Net assets | $3,025,944 | $1,648,167 | $1,485,527 | $525,562 | $794,073 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Total contributions | $8,954,746 | $8,156,010 | $9,258,067 | $7,437,963 | $9,833,708 |
| Program service revenue | $2,851,396 | $166,423 | $92,336 | $31,868 | $53,311 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $1,862 | $3,250 | $1,005 | $1,239 | $727 |
| Other revenue | $0 | $141,759 | $150,865 | $284,654 | $421,057 |
| Total other revenue | $2,853,258 | $311,432 | $244,206 | $317,761 | $475,095 |
| Total revenue | $11,808,004 | $8,467,442 | $9,502,273 | $7,755,724 | $10,308,803 |
| Expenses | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Program services | $9,208,575 | $7,361,878 | $7,990,888 | $7,613,275 | $9,034,910 |
| Management and general | $296,067 | $315,405 | $113,132 | $107,937 | $124,658 |
| Fundraising | $925,585 | $627,519 | $438,288 | $303,023 | $617,009 |
| Total expenses | $10,430,227 | $8,304,802 | $8,542,308 | $8,024,235 | $9,776,577 |
| Change in net assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $1,377,777 | $162,640 | $959,965 | ($268,511) | $532,226 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $1,377,777 | $162,640 | $959,965 | ($268,511) | $532,226 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Regina Carle Bergeron | Chief Development Officer | $187,161 |
| Craig Springer | National Director | $152,046 |
| Sean Hogan | Chief Operating Officer | $137,404 |
| John Andrew Wentz | Ministry Director | $122,281 |
| Bonnie Yule-Kuehne | Regional Executive Director | $100,862 |
| Takeisha Washington | Chief Financial Officer | $93,614 |
| Christopher Todd Proctor | Church Networks Director | $52,711 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2020
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 11/1/2022. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Alpha began at a church called Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London in 1977. In 1990 Nicky Gumbel repositioned Alpha as a course for those outside the Church. The number of people attending Alpha at HTB grew quickly into the hundreds and attracted the attention of other churches across denominations seeking to find an effective tool for evangelism.
This led to the first Alpha conference in 1993 at HTB where more than 1,000 church leaders attended to learn about Alpha and how to use it in their congregation. As interest grew, Alpha conferences were organized internationally, and the original film series, Alpha with Nicky Gumbel, was produced in 1994 to make it accessible to the widest possible audience.
Millions of people worldwide have tried Alpha, and it has been translated into 112 different languages. The Alpha talks have been repackaged for today's audience in the Alpha Film Series, and the Alpha Youth Series was created to reach a younger generation with the gospel. Even as times have changed, Alpha has continued to be used by the Church as an effective tool to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.