Choice Books of Northern Virginia

The information on this page was last updated 3/25/2025. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

Choice Books is committed to being a trusted source of positive, helpful, and hopeful reading material for shoppers across the nation. Choice Books does this by being a direct-store-delivery (DSD) distributor of inspirational, wholesome, and family-oriented reading materials operating a nationwide distribution network. Our corporate offices are in Virginia, with regional leadership and distribution staff placed in various cities and towns across the country to efficiently distribute positive products and meet the needs of our retail partners.

Choice Books distributes a wide variety of books including adult and juvenile fiction, Bibles, biographies, children's, Christian living, classics, cookbooks, planners, journals, devotional, entertainment, family living, seasonal, self-help, and additional products such as calendars, audio books, notecards, and Bible covers. We also offer some Spanish titles.

The organization has been operating for more than 50 years and now sells over 7 million books annually. When the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 brought its challenges to the retail sector, we took the opportunity to reevaluate our company structure and operations, making changes to position ourselves as the best possible partner for inspirational book distribution in the general marketplace.


Contact information

Mailing address:
Choice Books of Northern Virginia
10100 Piper Lane
Bristow, VA 20136

Website: choicebooks.org

Phone: 703-530-9993

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 540987761

CEO/President: Joe Bacher

Chairman: Ken Nisly

Board size: 15

Founder: M. Martin, E. Garber, N. Martin, O. Eichelberger

Ruling year: 1991

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 09/30

Member of ECFA: Yes

Member of ECFA since: 2010


Purpose

Choice Books is a direct-store-delivery (DSD) distributor of inspirational, wholesome and family-oriented reading materials servicing displays in thousands of retail locations across the continental United States and Hawaii.


Mission statement

Choice Books is an organization whose mission is to share the good news of Jesus Christ in the general marketplace through inspiring and wholesome reading material.


Statement of faith

Donor confidence score

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Transparency grade

A

To understand our transparency grade, click here.


Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Christian Growth

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating443 of 111822 of 65
Fund acquisition rating523 of 111927 of 65
Resource allocation rating71 of 11193 of 65
Asset utilization rating895 of 111855 of 65

Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
7%16%17%17%0%12%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
5%0%0%0%0%0%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
85%1%1%1%35%2%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
5%0%0%0%0%0%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
15%99%99%99%65%98%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
81%92%91%90%88%89%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
98%92%93%87%47%82%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
79%85%85%78%42%73%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
2%8%7%13%53%18%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
3%7%5%11%56%19%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
12%8%9%10%11%11%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
1.100.580.550.530.390.62
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
1.441.661.531.441.381.31
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
1.800.960.850.770.540.81
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
9.662.782.953.763.624.38
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.090.360.340.270.280.23
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
5.708.059.3111.4716.1611.46
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
17%29%27%23%22%28%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
0%0%0%0%0%8%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
76%123%132%145%198%116%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20242023202220212020
Cash$8,032,647$9,405,579$10,980,930$8,539,499$2,962,248
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$14,773,058$12,833,349$10,270,117$11,252,231$6,966,696
Short-term investments$0$0$0$0$0
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$22,805,705$22,238,928$21,251,047$19,791,730$9,928,944
Long-term investments$2,855,682$2,751,574$1,484,725$811,880$1,367,340
Fixed assets$5,708,988$4,664,021$4,106,472$3,798,262$1,212,329
Other long-term assets$6,388,849$4,452,599$3,654,022$2,817,803$457,699
Total long-term assets$14,953,519$11,868,194$9,245,219$7,427,945$3,037,368
Total assets$37,759,224$34,107,122$30,496,266$27,219,675$12,966,312
 
Liabilities20242023202220212020
Payables and accrued expenses$2,898,288$3,062,935$1,972,392$2,209,977$1,347,709
Other current liabilities$5,302,288$4,487,527$3,684,952$3,252,633$920,229
Total current liabilities$8,200,576$7,550,462$5,657,344$5,462,610$2,267,938
Debt$0$0$0$0$1,042,300
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$2,814,100$1,580,898$1,216,776$660,018$326,059
Total long-term liabilities$2,814,100$1,580,898$1,216,776$660,018$1,368,359
Total liabilities$11,014,676$9,131,360$6,874,120$6,122,628$3,636,297
 
Net assets20242023202220212020
Without donor restrictions$26,744,548$24,975,762$23,622,146$21,097,047$9,330,015
With donor restrictions$0$0$0$0$0
Net assets$26,744,548$24,975,762$23,622,146$21,097,047$9,330,015
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20242023202220212020
Total contributions$230,163$234,298$204,056$7,842,767$233,133
Program service revenue$0$0$0$0$0
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$344,106($62,626)$46,117$109,089$174,534
Other revenue$22,978,024$20,109,502$18,585,590$14,456,560$9,381,947
Total other revenue$23,322,130$20,046,876$18,631,707$14,565,649$9,556,481
Total revenue$23,552,293$20,281,174$18,835,763$22,408,416$9,789,614
 
Expenses20242023202220212020
Program services$20,067,968$17,145,228$14,609,067$9,407,547$7,128,823
Management and general$1,677,694$1,741,685$1,666,041$1,206,028$864,764
Fundraising$37,845$40,645$35,556$27,809$26,978
Total expenses$21,783,507$18,927,558$16,310,664$10,641,384$8,020,565
 
Change in net assets20242023202220212020
Surplus (deficit)$1,768,786$1,353,616$2,525,099$11,767,032$1,769,049
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$1,768,786$1,353,616$2,525,099$11,767,032$1,769,049

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
David NislyCFO$124,876
Joe BacherPresident$124,717
James MastAt Large$720

Compensation data as of: 9/30/2024


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 3/25/2025. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History

The vision for Choice Books began in the late 1950's and the early 1960's when Mark Martin, Harrisonburg, VA; Eugene Garber, Kalona, IA; Norman Martin, Chambersburg, PA; and Orrin Eichelberger, Canton, OH, began selling inspirational books to a variety of local retail stores. Initially unaware of one another, the men organized an association in 1962 that later became known as Life-Line Books.

In 1965, Life-Line Books asked a northern Indiana service agency to provide centralized book buying services for the organization. Several years later, the agency and Life-Line Books agreed that the agency's multi-media subsidiary in Virginia should assume responsibility for the management of the organization's central office and central services. Throughout the late 1960's and early 1970's, Life-Line Books grew to nearly 600 displays selling over 300,000 books annually. Displays were located primarily in eastern and central United States.

In 1973, the organization changed its name to Choice Books and registered its name "Choice Books" with the US Trademark Office. During the 1970's, the organization added additional distributor organizations and expanded its distribution services into new geographic markets. By the end of the decade, the organization had grown to 27 distributor organizations servicing approximately 2,000 displays selling nearly 700,000 books annually. Displays were scattered throughout eastern and central United States and eastern, central and western Canada.

Book sales continued to grow throughout the 1980's with sales topping 800,000 books annually by the end of the decade. While sales grew and distribution continued to expand into new geographic areas, distributor organizations began merging together to better serve the ever-changing retail marketplace.

In 1991, Choice Books set a sales record by selling one million books in a one-year period of time. Six years later, in 1997, the organization, now operating with eight (8) regional distributors, set a new record and surpassed the previous milestone by selling two million books in one year.

On January 1, 1998, seven (7) regional distributor organizations - Choice Books of Great Lakes-Rosedale; Choice Books of Gulf States; Choice Books of Kansas; Choice Books of Midwest; Choice Books of Northern Virginia; Choice Books of Ohio and Choice Books of Pennsylvania - formed Choice Books Limited Liability Company which now owns the "Choice Books" trademark and has its Central Office in Harrisonburg, VA. In 2005, CB of West Coast became the eighth regional distributor organization to join the Choice Books LLC. Three mergers since 2009 honed the ministry to five distributor owner organizations who work together to the serve the same national footprint with greater efficiencies.

Today, Choice Books sells over 5.3 million books annually. The organization purchases books from over 70 publishers and sells them from more than 10,600 displays in retail locations (i.e. supermarkets, mass merchandisers, airports, drug stores, travel centers, gift shops, etc.) scattered across the continental United States and Hawaii. With state-of-the-art technology and a staff of more than 300 people, the organization now services some of the largest retailers in North America.


Program accomplishments


Needs