Medical Ambassadors International 
The information on this page was last updated 5/16/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
At Medical Ambassadors International, we strive to follow the example Jesus set for holistic healing. We use a development process called Community Health Evangelism (abbreviated CHE; pronounced chay; in some countries, depending on the context the program, is referred to as Community Health Education or Community Development Education) that addresses the needs of the whole person - physical, spiritual, emotional, and social. By using CHE, Medical Ambassadors is equipping individuals to be independent workers and evangelists in their own communities.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Medical Ambassadors International
PO Box 1302
Salida, CA 95368
Website: MedicalAmbassadors.org
Phone: (209) 543-7500
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 942691184
CEO/President: Ravi Jayakaran
Chairman: Steve Belton, M.D.
Board size: 10
Founder: Dr. Ray Benson
Ruling year: 1981
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1992
Purpose
MAI envisions a world of thriving communities where people experience reconciliation of broken relationships, restoration of hope and health, and dignity through following Jesus.
The strategy of Community Health Evangelism/Education (CHE) operates on a principle of maximizing available resources within the community to enable it to move towards a sustainable and empowering outcome. Disasters in a community, depending on their intensity, often leave the community with depleted resources in building back a viable survival strategy.
Mission statement
Mission: Equipping communities through Christ-centered health and development
Statement of faith
We believe that the Bible, in its entirety in the original writings, is the inspired, inerrant, infallible and authoritative Word of God.
We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious death and the atonement through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His imminent personal return in power and glory.
We believe that, for the salvation of lost and sinful man, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ provides the only grounds for justification.
We believe in the regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose power the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life eternal.
We believe in the spiritual unity of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, composed of all who are regenerated through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in the reality of heaven, hell and satan, which gives urgency to Christ's command to reach all of the world with the Gospel.
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 | | 899 of 1104 | 95 of 122 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 1044 of 1105 | 113 of 122 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 906 of 1105 | 105 of 122 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 338 of 1104 | 34 of 122 |
Click here to read Medical Ambassadors International's response to our ratings
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 8% | 16% | 11% | 9% | 7% | 11% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 16% | 11% | 8% | 7% | 11% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 92% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 16% | 12% | 9% | 7% | 10% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 8% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 72% | 76% | 76% | 77% | 73% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 97% | 99% | 92% | 90% | 98% | 114% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 75% | 71% | 69% | 69% | 76% | 83% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 3% | 1% | 8% | 10% | 2% | -14% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 4% | 1% | 12% | 15% | 3% | -23% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 12% | 12% | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.84 | 1.32 | 1.21 | 1.26 | 1.53 | 1.65 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.76 | 1.27 | 1.29 | 1.36 | 1.48 | 1.51 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.77 | 1.68 | 1.55 | 1.71 | 2.27 | 2.49 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 13.67 | 13.17 | 16.96 | 14.90 | 13.79 | 6.70 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.15 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.08 | 6.58 | 7.26 | 6.54 | 4.89 | 4.11 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 10% | 6% | 5% | 7% | 8% | 14% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 101% | 71% | 78% | 74% | 60% | 52% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Cash | $945,612 | $1,016,246 | $811,770 | $563,849 | $600,502 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $19,513 | $15,164 | $12,071 | $25,862 | $31,519 |
| Short-term investments | $743,818 | $712,670 | $653,723 | $570,957 | $542,773 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $1,708,943 | $1,744,080 | $1,477,564 | $1,160,668 | $1,174,794 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $464,022 | $499,514 | $535,147 | $562,442 | $594,277 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $3,000 |
| Total long-term assets | $464,022 | $499,514 | $535,147 | $562,442 | $597,277 |
| Total assets | $2,172,965 | $2,243,594 | $2,012,711 | $1,723,110 | $1,772,071 |
| Liabilities | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $129,795 | $102,838 | $99,185 | $84,146 | $175,423 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $129,795 | $102,838 | $99,185 | $84,146 | $175,423 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $2,837 | $19,515 | $35,614 | $51,153 | $66,153 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $2,837 | $19,515 | $35,614 | $51,153 | $66,153 |
| Total liabilities | $132,632 | $122,353 | $134,799 | $135,299 | $241,576 |
| Net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Without donor restrictions | $978,693 | $1,181,813 | $874,682 | $733,296 | $757,603 |
| With donor restrictions | $1,061,640 | $939,428 | $1,003,230 | $854,515 | $772,892 |
| Net assets | $2,040,333 | $2,121,241 | $1,877,912 | $1,587,811 | $1,530,495 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Total contributions | $2,881,744 | $2,935,111 | $2,781,058 | $2,657,176 | $2,539,429 |
| Program service revenue | $2,450 | $6,441 | $1,927 | $1,035 | $2,274 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $15,138 | $12,379 | $17,406 | $14,495 | $17,636 |
| Other revenue | $1,949 | $3,581 | $3,812 | $13,910 | $13,814 |
| Total other revenue | $19,537 | $22,401 | $23,145 | $29,440 | $33,724 |
| Total revenue | $2,901,281 | $2,957,512 | $2,804,203 | $2,686,616 | $2,573,153 |
| Expenses | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Program services | $2,072,368 | $2,055,097 | $1,931,459 | $2,039,501 | $2,129,051 |
| Management and general | $337,446 | $322,079 | $361,245 | $405,149 | $500,496 |
| Fundraising | $468,348 | $334,145 | $236,445 | $194,575 | $291,546 |
| Total expenses | $2,878,162 | $2,711,321 | $2,529,149 | $2,639,225 | $2,921,093 |
| Change in net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $23,119 | $246,191 | $275,054 | $47,391 | ($347,940) |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $23,119 | $246,191 | $275,054 | $47,391 | ($347,940) |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Ravi Jayakaran | President/CEO | $145,079 |
| Suzette Montez | Controller | $83,180 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2022
Response from ministry
90% of the impact of Medical Ambassadors is generated through the efforts of unpaid volunteers, trained directly or indirectly by Medical Ambassadors' paid staff. None of this productive effort shows up on the program side of Medical Ambassadors' audited financial reports. If these volunteers were paid, program/overhead ratios would look very different. However, paying these volunteers would impede both the multiplication and sustainability of programs. Sustainability and multiplication are key element of Medical Ambassadors' impact/overhead ratio. This ratio is much more impressive than the financial figures suggest.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 5/16/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
In 1975, as South Vietnam was falling, a man named Dr. Raymond Benson was on the last airlift from the roof of the American Embassy.
Dr. Benson's vision was for Christian medical professionals to establish clinics around the world. His hope was to heal people physically and spiritually introduce them to Jesus Christ. Out of that desire, Medical Ambassadors was created.
While Dr. Benson was correct in his assessment of the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world, he did not anticipate that thesamepeople would keep coming back to the clinic with thesamepreventable illnesses, often leaving no time to address spiritual needs. It became clear that this clinic-based model was not sustainable. In fact, MAI was creating a culture of dependency within the communities we were trying to help.
Considering this, Dr. Paul Calhoun, current president of Medical Ambassadors, transitioned to a new model. Instead of going into a community and giving free care, MAI entered bringing only questions. Instead of giving the communities what we thought they needed, local leaders were asked, "What do you need to be happy and healthy?"
Their answers guided our focus and lesson plans were developed on various topics. In time, the available lessons included far more than only health topics. Depending on what the local leaders determined their communities needed, there were teachings on how to work together and solve problems, teachings on agriculture, literacy, family relationships, micro-enterprise, coping with disability, and more.
The genius of this approach was that the education could be replicated at the grassroots level, neighbor to neighbor. Instructors teach learners who become instructors who teach learners who become other instructors who teach other learners-well, you get the idea.
Certainly, there were still physical needs requiring professional medical attention-clinics and hospitals continue to be essential. However, 70-80 percent of people in these clinic lines could now be helped at the community level.
This development model under the leadership of Stan Rowland, became known as Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Evangelism...because seamlessly woven into the lessons of health are basic biblical truths: you can be clean on the inside as well as the outside; you have great value because you are wonderfully and beautifully made by God.
Today, we are proud to be a work in progress. We are committed to learning from the communities we work with and listening to God. We deeply desire to align ourselves with His plan and power.