Administer Justice 
The information on this page was last updated 12/1/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Legal Help Made Simple.
For Clients. For Attorneys. For Churches. For Volunteers.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Administer Justice
1750 Grandstand Place
Suite 15
Elgin, IL 60123
Website: administerjustice.org
Phone: (855) 818-4554
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 453450789
CEO/President: Bruce Strom
Chairman: Jim Charlton
Board size: 10
Founder: John D. Robb
Ruling year: 2012
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 09/17
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2019
Purpose
Our vision is to launch 1,000 Gospel Justice Centers transforming lives in the name of Christ. That is a big, hairy, audacious goal and it won't happen apart from God and you. But we believe that "all things are possible with God."
With your help, we can build vibrant justice communities to free people from legal burdens so they can flourish. Together, we will seek justice.
Mission statement
Empowering vulnerable neighbors with the help of a lawyer and the hope of God's love.
Statement of faith
WE BELIEVE in a God of justice eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
WE BELIEVE justice for the poor and vulnerable is a prominent theme in the Bible which as originally written was inspired by God, hence free from error, and is the ultimate authority for faith and practice.
WE BELIEVE Jesus demonstrated justice in his life, ministry, and teaching as an example for all to follow. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and His substitutionary death on the cross made provision for the redemption of mankind from sin. He is raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
WE BELIEVE that man, created in God's image, willfully sinned and brought injustice into the world. That man is without hope apart from the grace of God, through faith in Christ.
WE BELIEVE the Holy Spirit indwells all believers equipping them for good works, sanctifying them to love God supremely and others sacrificially and empowering them to show care for one another, compassion toward the poor, and justice for the oppressed.
WE BELIEVE in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and His church and that cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God, including justice, is desirable between the various Christian denominations, churches and organizations.
WE BELIEVE in the imminent return of Jesus as King to rule on a throne of justice and righteousness and that the dead shall be raised, both the saved and the lost - those who are saved, unto the resurrection of life, and those who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation and that the mark of a true saving faith is in loving concern for the poor and vulnerable.
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Community Development
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 208 of 1117 | 19 of 108 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 357 of 1118 | 32 of 108 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 89 of 1118 | 12 of 108 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 615 of 1117 | 58 of 108 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $142,375 in government grants in 2023.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 8% | 4% | 3% | 0% | 2% | 6% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 4% | 3% | 0% | 2% | 6% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 90% | 87% | 86% | 97% | 98% | 95% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 5% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 3% | 7% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 10% | 13% | 14% | 3% | 2% | 5% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 83% | 92% | 92% | 90% | 91% | 88% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 99% | 125% | 103% | 38% | 85% | 87% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 83% | 115% | 94% | 34% | 77% | 77% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 1% | -25% | -3% | 62% | 15% | 13% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 1% | -14% | -1% | 69% | 20% | 19% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 5% | 6% | 10% | 7% | 5% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.94 | 0.68 | 0.51 | 0.41 | 1.13 | 1.29 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.91 | 1.00 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.53 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.15 | 0.68 | 0.52 | 0.41 | 1.14 | 1.98 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 12.04 | 101.73 | 55.55 | 70.94 | 46.62 | 89.17 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.06 | 17.52 | 22.81 | 28.61 | 10.34 | 5.99 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 11% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 83% | 147% | 191% | 239% | 87% | 77% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Cash | $363,962 | $472,432 | $204,217 | $335,315 | $387,249 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $8,014 | $6,418 | $525 | $142,133 | $0 |
| Short-term investments | $1,751,972 | $1,956,654 | $2,605,523 | $291,888 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $2,123,948 | $2,435,504 | $2,810,265 | $769,336 | $387,249 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $6,772 | $7,516 | $7,150 | $1,723 | $202,792 |
| Other long-term assets | $2,745 | $5,462 | $0 | $1,925 | $1,925 |
| Total long-term assets | $9,517 | $12,978 | $7,150 | $3,648 | $204,717 |
| Total assets | $2,133,465 | $2,448,482 | $2,817,415 | $772,984 | $591,966 |
| Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $20,878 | $43,846 | $39,616 | $16,503 | $4,343 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $20,878 | $43,846 | $39,616 | $16,503 | $4,343 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $20,878 | $43,846 | $39,616 | $16,503 | $4,343 |
| Net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Without donor restrictions | $2,112,587 | $2,404,636 | $2,777,799 | $756,481 | $587,623 |
| With donor restrictions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $2,112,587 | $2,404,636 | $2,777,799 | $756,481 | $587,623 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Total contributions | $999,219 | $1,054,340 | $2,992,121 | $1,004,866 | $834,647 |
| Program service revenue | $82,066 | $54,269 | $50,169 | $17,678 | $26,509 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $9,212 | $14,000 |
| Investment income | $64,369 | $42,394 | $67,456 | ($13,377) | $1,077 |
| Other revenue | $2,962 | $75,351 | ($26,657) | $6,311 | $2,027 |
| Total other revenue | $149,397 | $172,014 | $90,968 | $19,824 | $43,613 |
| Total revenue | $1,148,616 | $1,226,354 | $3,083,089 | $1,024,690 | $878,260 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Program services | $1,320,436 | $1,152,193 | $1,047,764 | $793,282 | $674,537 |
| Management and general | $77,810 | $75,318 | $114,394 | $57,888 | $41,599 |
| Fundraising | $42,419 | $30,802 | $0 | $22,829 | $50,408 |
| Total expenses | $1,440,665 | $1,258,313 | $1,162,158 | $873,999 | $766,544 |
| Change in net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($292,049) | ($31,959) | $1,920,931 | $150,691 | $111,716 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($292,049) | ($31,959) | $1,920,931 | $150,691 | $111,716 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Bruce Strom | CEO | $117,836 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2023
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 12/1/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
For five decades John led the charge for providing equal access to justice. He served as National Chairman of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants in the 1970's. He testified before Congress and was involved in the creation of the Legal Services Corporation.
In the 1980's John started one of the first Christian Legal Aid ministries. In the 1990's he joined with other national leaders from Chuck Colson to Jim Wallis to advocate for justice for the poor. In the late 1990's and 2000's John persuaded Christian Legal Society (CLS) to get involved leading the effort through CLS as their first public ministries director.
In 2009 John wrote a book, Defending the Poor with the Love of God, where he laid out a vision given to him from God of 1,000 organizations, primarily churches, joined together in meeting the spiritual and legal needs of the poor. The vision was an impossible dream. Only 60 Christian Legal Aid organizations existed across the country after more than a decade of effort and John was 86 years old. How would God advance his purposes?
God was separately moving in the heart of Bruce Strom to write the book Gospel Justice to encourage the church, individuals and attorneys to seek justice for the poor and vulnerable. Bruce left a highly successful law practice to start Administer Justice in 2000. Bruce's work with Administer Justice earned World Magazine's National Hope for Effective Compassion Award in 2013. Bruce built teams of churches, hundreds of attorneys and hundreds of support volunteers who together serve thousands of individuals every year.
Bruce wrote a letter to John in December 2009. Recognizing a common calling, John and Bruce began weekly phone calls spending hours praying and listening to God. Through intensive prayer over two years, John and Bruce sought input from several leaders across the country which led to the formation of Gospel Justice Initiative (GJI) in the fall of 2011. That group of leaders would work together to build the tools for equipping Christ followers to serve the legal and spiritual needs of the poor. Gospel Justice Initiative officially launched in January 2014 when Bruce left Administer Justice to serve as GJI's CEO.