Five Talents USA 
The information on this page was last updated 8/6/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Five Talents is a micro-enterprise development organization that helps the world's most vulnerable families escape poverty. Partnering with local churches around the world, we train men and women, mostly women living in extreme poverty, to form savings groups, take out loans, and build their own businesses.
It may seem surprising, but even those living in extreme poverty can save a little each week, start a tiny business, and fulfill their God-given potential. Because most of the participants use their earnings for their children, the result is healthier families, strong and sustainable communities, and vibrant and growing churches.
As a Five Talents entrepreneur grows her business, she increases her children's access to healthier protein-rich meals, clean water, education, healthcare, and, ultimately, a sustainable community in which to grow up. But that's not all. Five Talents offers its entrepreneurs the consistent spiritual support necessary for transformed lives. Each entrepreneur learns about God's love, intention, and desire to transform her and her community
Five Talents is inspired by the biblical Parable of the Talents and the call of Jesus to minister good news to the poor.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Five Talents USA
PO Box 331
Vienna, VA 22183
Website: fivetalents.org
Phone: 703-227-7166
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 541940918
CEO/President: Elizabeth Ha
Chairman: Kimberly McClure Pacala
Board size: 17
Founder:
Ruling year: 1999
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2006
Purpose
Five Talents' vision is to eradicate extreme poverty by restoring human dignity and creating strong, sustainable communities.
Mission statement
Transforming lives through economic empowerment.
Statement of faith
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 | | 853 of 1118 | 83 of 122 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 984 of 1119 | 98 of 122 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 861 of 1119 | 94 of 122 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 338 of 1118 | 36 of 122 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 8% | 13% | 19% | 14% | 14% | 14% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 13% | 19% | 14% | 13% | 14% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 93% | 100% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 14% | 18% | 17% | 16% | 15% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 7% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 76% | 72% | 73% | 75% | 75% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 98% | 91% | 105% | 82% | 86% | 90% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 81% | 69% | 76% | 60% | 65% | 68% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 2% | 9% | -5% | 18% | 14% | 10% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 15% | -8% | 29% | 37% | 30% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 9% | 10% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.88 | 1.42 | 1.71 | 1.29 | 2.26 | 2.27 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.76 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.77 | 1.42 | 1.71 | 1.30 | 2.26 | 2.27 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 15.15 | 25.71 | 56.42 | 36.78 | 55.01 | 5.38 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.19 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.99 | 8.11 | 6.90 | 9.01 | 5.22 | 4.30 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 10% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 19% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 98% | 68% | 58% | 75% | 43% | 36% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Cash | $479,510 | $230,079 | $257,426 | $43,995 | $107,372 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $248,024 | $359,053 | $400,598 | $229,561 | $156,679 |
| Short-term investments | $130,302 | $110,613 | $140,298 | $139,588 | $132,307 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $857,836 | $699,745 | $798,322 | $413,144 | $396,358 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $412 | $655 | $898 | $550 | $761 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $412 | $655 | $898 | $550 | $761 |
| Total assets | $858,248 | $700,400 | $799,220 | $413,694 | $397,119 |
| Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $33,360 | $12,403 | $21,707 | $7,510 | $73,677 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $33,360 | $12,403 | $21,707 | $7,510 | $73,677 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $7,000 | $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 | $7,000 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $33,360 | $12,403 | $21,707 | $14,510 | $73,677 |
| Net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Without donor restrictions | $573,892 | $525,006 | $443,323 | $159,850 | $131,256 |
| With donor restrictions | $250,996 | $162,991 | $334,190 | $239,334 | $192,186 |
| Net assets | $824,888 | $687,997 | $777,513 | $399,184 | $323,442 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Total contributions | $1,341,589 | $1,135,095 | $1,244,357 | $1,071,633 | $989,267 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $6,956 | $7,015 | $14,061 | $10,042 | $7,538 |
| Other revenue | ($6,572) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total other revenue | $384 | $7,015 | $14,061 | $10,042 | $7,538 |
| Total revenue | $1,341,973 | $1,142,110 | $1,258,418 | $1,081,675 | $996,805 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Program services | $927,581 | $863,991 | $753,957 | $700,270 | $674,336 |
| Management and general | $122,734 | $110,765 | $104,213 | $87,406 | $90,726 |
| Fundraising | $170,369 | $220,229 | $176,254 | $145,673 | $135,055 |
| Total expenses | $1,220,684 | $1,194,985 | $1,034,424 | $933,349 | $900,117 |
| Change in net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $121,289 | ($52,875) | $223,994 | $148,326 | $96,688 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $121,289 | ($52,875) | $223,994 | $148,326 | $96,688 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Elizabeth Ha | CEO | $109,482 |
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 8/6/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Five Talents is a a micro-enterprise development organization that helps families living in extreme poverty to save, invest, and develop small businesses.
Five Talents began in 1998 as a means for churches to respond wisely to the realities of global poverty through transformational development. Five Talents was established based on the call of Jesus to minister good news to the poor and the biblical Parable of the Talents (which teaches that we should all work to multiply the resources we are given). Born at the Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury became Five Talents' first advocate and supporter. Encouraged by church leaders from around the world, the founders worked to guard the dignity of the poor while assisting them to create jobs and opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty.
Our first programs began as a novel initiative in 2000 in the Philippines. Our focus was on the formation of savings and loans groups and training for microenterprise development. Through patient investment and working to build the capacity of local partners, Five Talents' impact has multiplied across the country.
As programs have graduated and become self-sustaining and replicating, Five Talents has expanded to pioneer work in countries in Africa, Asia and South America. In 2006, Five Talents UK was established, helping to catalyze growth of developing programs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Kenya program itself became a model for financial inclusion across Africa, helping poor families save over $2.5 million and build businesses with over 99% repayment on loans. In 2016, Five Talents Kenya was officially established.
Today, thousands of churches around the world host and support our programs. Five Talents continues to serve communities in some of the most risky, remote, and rural areas in the world - places not served by banks or commercial microfinance agencies. Our work has inspired churches of all denominations, as well individuals and organizations of all religious and non-religious backgrounds, to join with us in fighting poverty and empowering the poor. Our US office is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.
Since its inception, Five Talents has worked to build the capacity of indigenous organizations in 21 countries, providing business skills training, spiritual formation, and access to financial services to over 235,000 individuals. Currently, Five Talents USA is engaged on three continents funding and implementing programs in the deltas of Myanmar, the mountains of Bolivia, and across Eastern Africa.
Through our programs, members and their families have access to savings and loan associations and community banks that have provided over half a million loans to develop their micro-enterprises. Five Talents, through the businesses supported by these loans, has had the opportunity to provide jobs and opportunities that have impacted over 1 million beneficiaries.