Your Story Hour 
The information in this column was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 2/24/2022. To update the information in this column, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
Summary
Your Story Hour produces family-friendly radio dramas based on the Bible, historical heroes, and true-to-life adventures. Our stories--brought to life by talented voice actors, descriptive sound effects and compelling music--teach Biblical values, positive character traits and principles for good decision-making.
We have been engaging children and adults with our stories since 1949. With audio dramas in English, Spanish, and Russian, our program is heard on more than 4,000 radio stations worldwide!
Contact information
Mailing address:
Your Story Hour
PO Box 15
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
Website: www.yourstoryhour.org
Phone: 1-800-987-7879
Email: contact@yourstoryhour.org
Organization details
EIN: 381549983
CEO/President: Julie Clayburn
Chairman: Nick Wolfer
Board size: 13
Founder: Mr. Stanley Hill
Ruling year: 1952
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Your Story Hour is an interfaith ministry which seeks to promote positive character development for children through presentations of dramatized stories taken from Scripture, history, literature and true-to-life experiences.
Mission statement
Your Story Hour programs equip young people to make good decisions and face life's challenges in a rapidly changing world through productions which uphold goodness, hope, truth, honesty, and all the other Scriptural and moral virtues.
Statement of faith
Your Story Hour uses the following to express its statement of faith:
We Believe...
...the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God, applying to mankind today as if has in all ages.
...God is the Creator of the world and all human beings were created in the image of God.
...God's existence is eternal, expressed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
...in Jesus Christ the Son of God, in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious death, his resurrection and ascension, and His return in power and glory.
...in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling power people may live victorious Christian lives.
...that men, women, boys and girls are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Educational Media
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 857 of 1022 | 41 of 53 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 883 of 1024 | 47 of 53 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 1006 of 1024 | 51 of 53 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 263 of 1022 | 11 of 53 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 8% | 19% | 16% | 16% | 16% | 19% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 7% | 12% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 12% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 92% | 61% | 65% | 59% | 68% | 62% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 7% | 12% | 10% | 10% | 11% | 12% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 8% | 39% | 35% | 41% | 32% | 38% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 81% | 55% | 62% | 60% | 64% | 65% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 95% | 101% | 103% | 92% | 94% | 97% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 74% | 56% | 64% | 55% | 60% | 64% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 5% | -1% | -3% | 8% | 6% | 3% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 9% | -3% | -6% | 17% | 16% | 8% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 33% | 28% | 29% | 25% | 22% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.93 | 1.84 | 1.91 | 1.75 | 2.14 | 2.65 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.35 | 1.04 | 1.05 | 1.05 | 1.06 | 1.08 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.74 | 1.91 | 2.01 | 1.84 | 2.26 | 2.86 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 9.50 | 10.59 | 10.87 | 11.34 | 7.78 | 16.69 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.13 | 0.06 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.93 | 5.69 | 5.43 | 5.95 | 4.62 | 3.95 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 12% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 12% | 6% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 84% | 49% | 48% | 52% | 41% | 36% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Cash | $293,848 | $296,668 | $343,189 | $267,811 | $142,708 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $107,877 | $92,304 | $78,150 | $92,121 | $137,096 |
| Short-term investments | $234 | $17,409 | $7,753 | $8,886 | $1,896 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $401,959 | $406,381 | $429,092 | $368,818 | $281,700 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $8,761 | $14,198 | $15,725 | $16,155 | $16,649 |
| Other long-term assets | $6,097 | $5,444 | $6,224 | $5,632 | $5,552 |
| Total long-term assets | $14,858 | $19,642 | $21,949 | $21,787 | $22,201 |
| Total assets | $416,817 | $426,023 | $451,041 | $390,605 | $303,901 |
| Liabilities | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $37,974 | $37,385 | $37,841 | $47,421 | $16,882 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $37,974 | $37,385 | $37,841 | $47,421 | $16,882 |
| 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 | $37,974 | $37,385 | $37,841 | $47,421 | $16,882 |
| Net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Without donor restrictions | $272,008 | $305,572 | $335,798 | $293,548 | $241,854 |
| With donor restrictions | $106,835 | $83,066 | $77,402 | $49,636 | $45,165 |
| Net assets | $378,843 | $388,638 | $413,200 | $343,184 | $287,019 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Total contributions | $465,573 | $514,866 | $508,348 | $601,829 | $514,678 |
| Program service revenue | $290,683 | $274,666 | $349,572 | $288,833 | $313,135 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $1,752 | $1,425 | $893 | $213 | $272 |
| Other revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total other revenue | $292,435 | $276,091 | $350,465 | $289,046 | $313,407 |
| Total revenue | $758,008 | $790,957 | $858,813 | $890,875 | $828,085 |
| Expenses | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Program services | $423,829 | $509,572 | $475,183 | $534,835 | $526,294 |
| Management and general | $254,907 | $224,339 | $231,232 | $206,571 | $179,388 |
| Fundraising | $89,067 | $81,608 | $82,382 | $93,304 | $99,696 |
| Total expenses | $767,803 | $815,519 | $788,797 | $834,710 | $805,378 |
| Change in net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($9,795) | ($24,562) | $70,016 | $56,165 | $22,707 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($9,795) | ($24,562) | $70,016 | $56,165 | $22,707 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Julie Clayburn | President - | $57,436 |
| Suzanne Renton | CFO | $44,942 |
| Caralin Griggs | Vice- Presid | $42,537 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2019
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 2/24/2022. To update the information below, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
History
In the 1940's a small group of people was concerned about character development of youth in their Southwestern Michigan community. But what could they do? Someone proposed the perfect idea: a Saturday afternoon story hour! This would get children off the streets and teach them positive character traits. Soon a gang of neighborhood kids met weekly above the local fire department to hear Bible and true-to-life stories.
The story hour was a huge success! Those in charge began praying for a way to organize story hours across the country, when someone heard a radio evangelist confess a need for children's radio programming. The story hour's director contacted WHFB, a local radio station, whose manager was enthusiastic about the idea. "If you folks can adapt what you have for radio," he said, "I'll give you a half-hour of free broadcast time!"
As Stanley Hill-the original Uncle Dan-wrote, "We went to work. We practiced on the first script for the better part of three months, and then went on the air live for the first time on March 27, 1949. From then on, it was a challenge of writing and producing a program every week. After the first two or three programs, it was a real headache to find people who were willing to play the parts in the stories. We couldn't pay them, and being rank amateurs, I can tell you it was only by the grace of God that we stayed on the air... Nevertheless, we doggedly persisted. We prayed, we worked, and we prayed some more. It was not many weeks until a second station took the program, then a third, and a fourth..."
After a couple years, the producers decided to pre-record programs. Your Story Hour's first recording studio was constructed in the script-writer's basement by hanging blankets and mattresses around the room! As the ministry grew (by 1974, Your Story Hour was aired on 500 stations!), so did its needs. But God continued to provide the personnel, buildings, and finances at just the right time. By God's blessing, Your Story Hour has expanded to thousands of stations.
In 1985, we launched Tu Historia Preferida, the Spanish version of our broadcast. And in 1992, Chas Tvoego Rasskaza went on the air in Russia. We pray that God continues to open doors for our programs to be aired on new stations around the world!